Teachers mentoring teachers: A process of reflection and rejuvenation Dr Denise Beutel & Dr Rebecca Spooner-Lane, Queensland University of Technology

Context Beginning teachers Rural settings Expected to take on the same responsibilities as more experienced colleagues High attrition rate Rural settings Disproportionate numbers of beginning teachers Isolation Away from families and friends Teaching in subject areas outside area of expertise First session 9-10:30am

Mentoring Widely used strategy for providing guidance and support for beginning teachers Many mentors are provided with little or no training Mentor training is the single most important factor in contributing to mentoring success (Sweeny, 2008). The support provided to beginning teachers in the early stages of teaching practice is crucial to the quality of their professional experiences and also to their ongoing professional learning (Carter &Francis, 2001). Mentoring is one of the most widely used strategies for providing guidance and professional support for beginning teachers (Pitton, 2006). New teachers who are mentored become more effective as teachers (Darling-Hammond, 1996/8?). However, the presence of a mentor alone is not sufficient. The key to effective mentoring lies in the skills and knowledge of mentors. Poor quality mentoring may perpetuate undesirable practices (Carter &Francis, 2001) rather than promoting high quality teaching while expert mentoring not only increases the retention rate of beginning teachers in the profession (O' Mahony & Matthews, 2005) but also allows beginning teachers to develop competence more quickly than those who must learn by trial and error (Darling-Hammond, 2003) and lays the foundations for the development of innovative practice (Evertson & Smithey, 2001).

Aims of the paper to report on the planning and implementation of a mentoring program designed to develop mentoring capacities in experienced teachers evaluate the mentoring program

Mentor training From providing emotional support assisting beginning teachers through dialogue and reflection The characteristics of adult learners Effective communication skills Encouraging mentees to reflect on their practice (Evertson & Smithey, 2001) Evertson and Smithey (2001) posit that the role of mentors should shift from one of providing emotional support to assisting beginning teachers through a process of dialogue and reflection. Accordingly, their mentor training program focuses on three areas: the characteristics of adult learners, effective communication skills and learning how to encourage beginning teachers to talk reflectively about their teaching (p. 297).

Mentoring program content Module 1. Mentoring and the mentoring role What is mentoring and why do we need mentor training? Different models of mentoring Roles and responsibilities of mentors Characteristics of effective mentors Building successful mentor-mentee relationships Module 2. The process of mentoring Developing strong interpersonal skills Understanding the principles of adult learning Understanding the stages of teacher development Identifying the concerns of beginning teachers Module 3: Understanding the support needs of mentees Raising awareness of the needs and concerns of beginning teachers Developing a framework for identifying and understanding the critical tasks of teaching Identifying and understanding the principles underlying reflective practice Utilising the cycle of reflective practice. Promoting similar reflective teaching practices in mentees. Module 4: Planning for the future: Examining career pathways Identifying the stages of the mentoring process Work-life balance Developing action plans for the future The art of letting go Evertson and Smithey’s mentoring program was used as a template for our program Critical tasks of teaching (Feiman-Nemser) Mentoring processes-Pitton (focus on dialogue)

Mentor training program Participants 8 teachers commenced the program but only 4 completed all the modules All teachers from the same high school in rural Queensland Mentoring program run in parallel with program for beginning teachers Pilot program 4 days of workshops over a period of ~6 months (last half of school year) Case studies, role plays

Data collection and analysis Interpretative study using qualitative data Data collection Focus group interview Personal reflections of the authors Data analysis Iterative process Common themes emerged from the data Acknowledge that results not generalisable

Results and discussion Mentors still perceived themselves as experts (transmission mode evident) “If there’s a problem with a child and we’re talking about it, he’ll [mentee] say I’ve tried this, this and this. I’ve tried the things that my mentor suggested, but that doesn’t seem to work either” (Teacher E). “She’s had a particularly bad experience with a parent recently. So I’ve had to work with her and also speak to the parent in terms of that” (Teacher M). Direct and explaining rather than collaboration or problem-solving approach in which mentor encourages mentee to find own solution to issue

Results and Discussion (cont.) Mentoring viewed as something done to mentees (rather than with them) “She was very stressed. So I probably used some of the techniques that I learnt on her, especially because I didn’t want to come out and say this is what you should do… So I used some of the techniques because my first person was quite confident, and the sort of person you could give little hints to.” (Teacher S). “So really do the explicit teaching to the mentee before they go and teach. That really helps, and that was a really successful unit she did” (Teacher M). Again suggests mentor as expert, beginning teacher as ‘deficit’ –even in the case of the more confident beginning teacher, the mentor directed and explained to the teacher rather than assisted them in solving their own problems

Results and discussion (cont.) Mentoring focused on providing emotional support “We never got to discussing classroom practice. It wasn’t my preoccupation. But the personal and where she was at emotionally, things like that” (Teacher W). Informal relationships perceived as more successful “The most successful stuff has been the sit down at the end of the day or at lunch time and jut start chatting and going through things. That’s been more successful than anything organized” (Teacher E).

Stages of the mentoring process First stage-mentor assists mentee in accomplishing specific tasks Second Stage-mentor assists mentee to become more self-reflective-use of journals, formal and informal conferences, observations of each other, reflective questioning strategies, and any other methods that promote a deep awareness of the teaching process Third Stage-mentee is no longer reliant on mentor and can provide possible solutions to problems encountered. Mentor may be a ‘sounding board’ to discuss the beginning teacher’s concerns. During this time, the relationship is redefined into a peer support and collegial relationship. Source: A Climate of Mentoring: Building Teams for School Improvement by O’Mahony & Matthews

Discussion While mentor program seemed to help mentors to support mentees, it did not appear to promote deep reflection of teaching practices (by mentors or mentees). It is contended that if mentoring is to be used as a vehicle for educational change (Feiman-Nemser, 2001) and not just perpetuate the status quo, and if mentors and mentees are to engage in substantive conversations about teaching and teaching practices, then mentors AND mentees must develop the skills of deep reflection. Thus mentoring programs need to focus on promoting the skills of enquiry and reflection.

Where to from here? Revise mentoring program Greater focus on developing mentors as collaborators and co-enquirers Greater focus on getting mentors to reflect deeply on their own practice Question underlying (and often deeply held) beliefs and assumptions Question why they are doing what they are doing (personal, academic, social and political consequences of what they are doing)

Revised mentoring program-proposed content Module 1. Mentoring and the mentoring role What is mentoring and why do we need mentor training? Different models of mentoring (e.g. as guide, advocate, critical friend, coach, role model, co-enquirer) Characteristics of effective mentors Establishing and building successful mentor-mentee relationships Module 2. Mentors and mentees as reflective practitioners Understanding the principles of adult learning Developing a framework for identifying and understanding the critical tasks of teaching Identifying, understanding, and using the principles underlying reflective practice Promoting similar reflective teaching practices in mentees Module 3: Understanding the support needs of mentees Raising awareness of the needs and concerns of beginning teachers Developing effective communication skills (including difficult conversations) Understanding the stages of teacher development Identifying the concerns of beginning teachers Module 4: Developing a mentoring culture Identifying and understanding the stages of mentoring relationship Developing a school culture of enquiry and reflection

Conclusion The development of reflective practices should form an integral component of mentoring programs. For it is through these shared reflections and discussions of and around practice that communities of practice are created. This is significant as “the most powerful learning comes about within ‘communities of practice’” (Wenger, 1998). The process of encouraging beginning teachers to reflect on their practices stimulates mentors to critically evaluate their own knowledge, beliefs and practices (Department of Education, Science & Training, 2002; Murray, Mitchell & Dobbins, 1998), and has a rejuvenating effect on mentors (O’Mahony & Matthews, 2005). Thus, the development of reflective practices in mentors, in addition to developing those skills in beginning teachers, should form an integral component of mentoring programs. For it is through these shared reflections and discussions of and around practice that communities of practice are created. This is significant as “the most powerful learning comes about within ‘communities of practice’” (Holden, 2002, p. 19; Wenger, 1998)

Contact details Dr Denise Beutel d.beutel@qut.edu.au Dr Rebecca Spooner-Lane rs.spooner@qut.edu.au