Mentoring as professional development: ‘growth for both’ mentor and mentee

Abstract

Teachers need professional development to keep current with teaching practices, although costs for extensive professional development can be prohibitive across an education system. Mentoring provides one way for embedding cost-effective professional development. This mixed-method study includes surveying mentor teachers (n = 101) on a five-part Likert scale and interviews with experienced mentors (n = 10) to investigate professional development for mentors as a result of the mentoring process. Quantitative data were analysed through a pedagogical knowledge framework and qualitative data were collated into themes. Survey data showed that although mentoring of pedagogical knowledge was variable, mentoring pedagogical knowledge practices occurs with the majority of mentors, which requires mentors to evaluate and articulate teaching practices. Qualitative data showed that mentoring acted as professional development and led towards enhancing communication skills, developing leadership roles (problem-solving and building capacity) and advancing pedagogical knowledge. Providing professional development to teachers on mentoring can help to build capacity in two ways: quality mentoring of preservice teachers through explicit mentoring practices, and reflecting and deconstructing teaching practices for mentors’ own pedagogical advancements.

Keywords:

• mentor
• professional development
• preservice teachers
• mentoring

Acknowledgements

This work was conducted within the Teacher Education Done Differently (TEDD) project funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the DEEWR. The author would like to acknowledge the work of Dr Sue Hudson as Project Leader, Jenelle Edser as the TEDD Project Officer, and Dr Michelle Murray as the TEDD Research Assistant.

Notes

1. See http:www.tedd.net.au.

2. See http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Hudson,_Peter.html/

3. See http://www.naplan.edu.au/.

4. See http://www.tedd.net.au.

5. See, for example, http://www.tedd.net.au.