Walking on egg shells: the significance of socio‐cultural factors in the mentoring of primary school students

Student teacher professional agency in the practicum

“…However, they are difficult for student teachers to contend with during the short-term practicum situation. As in a study reported by Hayes (1998), the student teachers in this study appeared to cope with the negative situations that they encountered. Nevertheless, they found that dealing with such situations detracted from their capacity to operate with professional agency.…”

“…Most of the student teachers in this study felt they were welcomed into the practicum environment and accepted as a team member (Hayes, 1998(Hayes, , 2001. Krystal, 'I immediately felt completely accepted and valued as a team member'; and Jessica, 'they accepted me as a teacher and not a student'.…”

“…For other student teachers the learning environment was already tense (Hayes, 1998) and it was more difficult for them to engage in effective communication and collaborative practice. This was evident to a greater or lesser extent in the cases of Michelle 'a sticky situation', Kalara 'it was hard dealing with the two sides', and Mary 'I definitely knew more about the curriculum than the two teachers.…”

Mentoring the non‐coping teacher: a preliminary study

“…Most authors have been concerned with the mentoring of trainees and NQTs, predominantly in secondary schools (Stones, 1984;Burgess & Butcher, 1999;John & Gilchrist, 1999;Reid, 1999;Maynard, 2000). Very few studies involve primary schools, and those that do are mainly concerned with trainees, NQTs or competent teachers who are coping in the classroom (Entwistle, 1995;Watt, 1995;Hayes, 1998;Fabian & Simpson, 2002). Despite their good intentions, teachers who mentor other teachers in their own schools have not achieved expected results.…”

“…103-104). Ideally, mentors should strike a balance between being concerned with the personal needs of teachers while at the same time effectively assessing them as professionals (Entwistle, 1995;Hayes, 1998). Teachers also want their practice to be constructively criticised but within a safe environment (McIntyre & Haggar, 1996).…”