5.2. Summary of key findings and theoretical insights
5.2.2. Mentor learning through the practice of mentoring: what and how?
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content knowledge, and this impeded the teaching and learning process in the classroom. The participants tried to bridge the work of the university and the work of the school so as to better prepare the student teacher for the workplace. School-based teaching is the practical component of a degree, yet there is a lack of interaction between the university lecturers and the mentor teacher. Shulman & Shulman (2004) state that one may never find a solution to the theory-practice nexus, but view it as a challenge from which positive learning experiences may be drawn. Typically such learning would include how to fit mentoring within the timetable, finding innovative ways to close the gap and using the SIM to enhance the practice of mentoring.
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using the structured time slots (post-evaluation period) that were available for mentoring on the time-table to planning for additional time during the day. Mentors took the initiative to use prescribed mentoring assessment documents more wisely as a tool for improved discussions between mentor and mentee. This procedure became a time-saving technique as the mentor was able to meet the contractual requirements of the university as well as mentoring the student teacher.
Another key finding that supports mentor functional learning is the changes in mentoring strategies employed by the mentor teacher for improved practice. Two key strategies that were highlighted were, firstly, the use of a support strategy with student teachers that need more support in their teaching. The mentor teacher used a modelling strategy for improved student teaching in the classroom. The teacher also built in the use of non-verbal coding between the mentor-mentee to avoid embarrassing the mentee when a potential conflict could arise. A second strategy found in the study was the implementation of structured phases in the mentoring process which led to more organised mentoring practices.
In relation to this study the role and responsibility of the teacher is redefined and modified to that of mentor teacher. The movement between the roles, from teacher to mentor, opens up opportunities for the mentor to learn. Role development in the mentor maps the changes in the roles and responsibilities of the professional (Evans, 2002). The mentor teacher found opportunities to learn from the professional role performance of mentoring. Participants drew from their teaching experience to support their learning to mentor. They were experts in terms of classroom practice with mentoring being new to their professional context. Having experience as a teacher does not necessarily mean being a good mentor. The findings reveal that mentor teachers identified two specific skills that they drew from their expertise as a teacher in order to mentor: the ability to identify the needs of the learner and the skills to impart knowledge, even though the type of learner and needs differed.
In both the roles, as teacher and as mentor, the teacher/mentor is the expert by virtue of their qualifications, experience and expertise but they came across unfamiliar situations during mentoring, not having encountered them during teaching and repositioned themselves as learners (Orland –Barak & Yinon, 2005). The opposing view is presented by Berliner (2001,
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p.467) who adds that “the acquisition of experience does not automatically denote expertise”.
Orland-Barak & Yinon (2005) contend that the teacher‟s natural space is the classroom, where they demonstrate their expert knowledge in the teaching of learners. Orland-Barak &
Yinon (2005) add that there is a close link between teaching and mentoring but mentors see themselves as teachers first. Teachers see themselves as expert teachers and not expert mentors; as such mentoring has taught them to draw from teaching to learn to mentor (Orland-Barak & Yinon, 2005).
Orland-Barak & Yinon (2005) maintain that teachers gain considerable skills and knowledge from the context in which they find themselves. The school emerged as a powerful site for mentor learning as it represented a collaborative, collegial support structure which encouraged working together (Borko, 2000). The participants outlined their collaborative learning as mentors working with each other allowing for sharing of stories of their mentoring experiences that allowed better meaning making of mentoring practices. Working within the situated context of the school gave the participants the opportunity to practise and learn in an environment where they teach. This allowed for moving away from the isolation of their classroom into collegial spaces that provided them with a voice and thereby changing their professional culture of mentoring (Evans, 2002).
The findings from the data further reveal that the participants found a situated space to develop local knowledge about their mentoring practices. Current research trends in Orland- Barak & Yinon (2005) suggest that the preparation to become a mentor requires one to understand that mentoring consists of complex social interactions. Learning through social interactions in communities of practice, as situated spaces, according to Carter and Francis (2001) allows for the workplace to be educative by creating opportunities for teachers to talk, engage, reflect on their own practices and become critical friends to each other and to provide collegial support to teachers. Before mentoring became an established practice at the school, the participants could not accept the notion that they were learners. The idea that they teach and the learner, or the student, learns was firmly entrenched in their thought processes. The practice of mentoring made them rethink this position. The participants displayed academic maturity by deciding to move between expert and learner. Berliner (2001) explains that the mentor may be an expert in one situation but is a learner in another. Little (2007) suggests that for professional development and learning to be meaningful, the teacher must engage in
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collaborative discussions within a community of practice in order to contribute to the broader professional community.
Learning to mentor requires the teacher to interrogate the practice of teaching to reskill for the practice of mentoring. Both these roles offer different kinds of responsibilities. Parker- Katz & Bay (2008) concur that a mentor is expected to transform the knowledge of the practice of teaching for the practice of mentoring. This will require the mentor to reflect on the practice of teaching to create an experience for the student to develop into a professional.
Parker and Adler (2005) state that Higher Education Institutions can significantly influence the teacher‟s official knowledge and provide the opportunities for higher education to meet the demands of educational change and transformation. Each of the participants acknowledged that they served their practice of mentoring both as an experienced teacher and as a learner. Being open to the ethos of learning afforded the participants opportunities for learning about their own practices.