Listening to Mentor Teachers’ Voices in Uncertain Times

Radford, Ruth; Howells, Kerry; Williamson, John

doi:10.1007/978-981-10-8648-9_5

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 20 publications

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“…The role of professional experience is a central element of initial teacher education programs with school based mentor teachers given the responsibility of supporting preservice teachers as they develop their understandings of teaching (Ambrosetti, 2014). Despite the central role that mentor teachers play in supporting pre-service teachers and the body of literature examining their role, the voices of mentor teachers are underrepresented in the literature (Radford, Howells, & Williamson, 2018), and in this paper I highlight their voices through the use of poetic representation. Current government initiatives and agendas, both nationally and internationally, focus on developing stronger links between schools and universities with the report of the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group [TEMAG] (2014) in Australia contending that "All academic teacher education should be integrated with practice in schools so that initial teacher education becomes a fused and mutually reinforcing experience of higher education and professional learning" (p. xii).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Inside the Mentors’ Experience: Using Poetic Representation to Examine the Tensions of Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers.

McDonough¹

2018

AJTE

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The supervision and mentoring of pre-service teachers during professional experience is complex work that requires a range of skills and capacities. Professional development for this work has traditionally been limited, however, and mentor teachers report experiencing tensions in their work stemming from their roles as both supporter and assessor of pre-service teachers. Despite the central role that mentors play in professional experience, their voices are underrepresented in the literature. In this paper, I draw on interview data to examine teachers' experiences as mentors and the tensions they experience. I use poetic representation to illuminate the tensions and emotions of mentoring and present seven poems that provide insight into these tensions. I argue that poetic representation of interview data provides an opportunity to connect with the experience of being a mentor and offer suggestions for teacher educators to work collaboratively with mentor teachers to explore the dimensions of their role.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Inside the Mentors’ Experience: Using Poetic Representation to Examine the Tensions of Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers.

McDonough¹

2018

AJTE

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“I am because we are”: novice teacher mentoring support needs from an Ubuntu perspective

Kotze

2024

IJMCE

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PurposeScholars have been sounding the alarm of novice teacher turnover crises for decades. South Africa is soon to be facing an educational catastrophe because of a shortage of experienced teachers. Globally and in South Africa, novice teacher attrition is high, and teachers entering the classroom often described feeling isolated and unsupported.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study was underpinned by an interpretative phenomenology approach. The author reviewed the literature and newly emerged findings of novice teacher mentoring support needs through the theoretical lens of the Ubuntu philosophy “I am because we are” which emphasises the importance of interconnectedness and community. Using semi-structured interviews, this study aimed to explore novice teacher mentoring needs from an Ubuntu perspective.FindingsNovice teachers report feeling overwhelmed with the complexities of teaching in their early careers and express the desire to be formally mentored by a knowledgeable “elder” teacher. This paper argues that a competent mentor who values Ubuntu in their mentoring could offer collaboration, respect, compassion and support to novices that may keep them in the profession. This paper further explores the potential benefit of a prescribed Ubuntu-orientated mentoring programme to formalise mentoring for novices. In addition, it explores the school micro-community from the Ubuntu principles to support novices.Originality/valueWhile there is a plethora of studies about mentoring novice teachers, literature from an Africanised Ubuntu perspective is scarce. Perhaps the time has come to find African solutions to our African problems.

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Listening to Mentor Teachers’ Voices in Uncertain Times

Cited by 2 publications

References 20 publications

Inside the Mentors’ Experience: Using Poetic Representation to Examine the Tensions of Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers.

Inside the Mentors’ Experience: Using Poetic Representation to Examine the Tensions of Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers.

“I am because we are”: novice teacher mentoring support needs from an Ubuntu perspective

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