Supporting the implementation of a nanotechnology teaching-learning sequence through post-induction science teacher mentoring

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on post-induction mentoring as a vehicle for science teachers’ training in implementing a nanotechnology teaching-learning sequence. Five mentors and 15 mentee-teachers participated in a 9-months long mentoring programme. Qualitative methods of analysis were used to examine the content of the mentoring conversations and the employed mentoring practices. Our findings indicate that the focus of the mentoring conversations was mainly set on the necessary strategies for teaching nanotechnology and secondarily on the resolution of organisational issues that arose. As regards the mentoring activities, mentors tended to address the arisen issues by giving advice, sharing their knowledge and teaching materials and by modelling the conduct of the lessons. The paper highlights the contribution of mentoring to the professional growth of post-induction teachers mainly in terms of broadening their teaching repertoire on nanotechnology issues.

KEYWORDS:

• Nanotechnology education
• NST education
• science mentoring
• teacher professional development
• teacher training

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study has been supported by the IRRESISTIBLE project, in the context of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program for research, technological development and demonstration - Science in Society [under grant agreement no. 612367] and by the Greek State Scholarships Foundation through the program “Enhancement of human scientific resources though implementation of PhD research” with resources of the European program “Development of human resources, Education and lifelong learning”, 2014–2020, co-funded by the European Social Fund and the Greek State.