Abstract:
Mentoring has been the focus of much attention in the recent literature on initial teacher education, induction and approaches to professional development for experienced teachers. There have been several reasons for its prominence. There has been a growth in understanding of how beginning teachers learn, a recognition of the place of practitioner knowledge in the teaching profession together with a belief that mentoring offers a 'cost' solution to teacher training and development.
This paper briefly reviews the literature related to mentoring and beginning teacher professional learning. The key conclusions in the literature are examined in relation to findings from research into the professional learning of beginning teachers conducted in NSW government schools during 1998. Some 220 beginning teachers and 245 supervisors and mentors were surveyed and the processes of beginning teacher professional learning observed closely in six case study schools in different settings across the state. Examination of survey data using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) clearly established the importance of mentoring support in beginning teachers' professional learning in the induction year. Case study research also identified key practices, conditions and professional interactions that sustained transmission, transactional and transformational approaches to teacher learning.
The complementary qualitative and quantitative data in relation to mentoring provide new and robust evidence of the importance of this professional learning strategy in generating beginning teacher satisfaction with induction support. In particular, the analysis of qualitative data establishes the importance of mentoring in moving teacher learning beyond the simple transmission of prevailing culture and professional norms. In combination with other key conditions and practices mentoring has the potential to shift the outcomes of beginning teacher induction from transmission to transactional and transformational learning.
This paper briefly reviews the literature related to mentoring and beginning teacher professional learning. The key conclusions in the literature are examined in relation to findings from research into the professional learning of beginning teachers conducted in NSW government schools during 1998. Some 220 beginning teachers and 245 supervisors and mentors were surveyed and the processes of beginning teacher professional learning observed closely in six case study schools in different settings across the state. Examination of survey data using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) clearly established the importance of mentoring support in beginning teachers' professional learning in the induction year. Case study research also identified key practices, conditions and professional interactions that sustained transmission, transactional and transformational approaches to teacher learning.
The complementary qualitative and quantitative data in relation to mentoring provide new and robust evidence of the importance of this professional learning strategy in generating beginning teacher satisfaction with induction support. In particular, the analysis of qualitative data establishes the importance of mentoring in moving teacher learning beyond the simple transmission of prevailing culture and professional norms. In combination with other key conditions and practices mentoring has the potential to shift the outcomes of beginning teacher induction from transmission to transactional and transformational learning.