5.2. Summary of key findings and theoretical insights
5.2.1. Perspectives of mentors‟ roles
The first role as perceived by the participants was that of the mentor as leader. This role was realised through passion for teaching and making this passion visible to the student teacher;
in tangible ways such as leading by example and having the capability of solving problems.
The second role was one of mentor support, supporting the student to acquire practical
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competence, the provision of emotional support and extending the work of the university for the student teacher.
Shulman & Shulman (2004) stipulate that teachers, who have passion, can lead and motivate others to become competent. The original mentor and mentee relationship, between Mentor and Telemachus, was based on passion and duty of care (Awaya et al., 2003). The participants‟ display of passion, irrespective of challenges, was tempered with realism in showing the student teachers how to change negative experiences into positive ones.
Friedlander (2013) presented the anti-model where professionals, in a position of leadership, learn from negative contexts.
Passion for teaching is closely followed by leading by example; which was grounded in the knowledge and skills of the teacher‟s practice. The participants set out the practice of mentoring student teachers with a space for the student teacher to follow their lead in order to develop their own styles of teaching. For this to take place the teacher‟s practice had to be exemplary and of the highest standards as the participants viewed their role as gatekeepers of the profession. Waghid & Louw (2008) add that mentors leading with an inspired, context- rich and skills-based practice have the potential to motivate the student teacher to emulate these qualities and practices. Leading by example requires that one is a good example oneself.
The final aspect of the first role of the mentor teacher as a leader entails that mentor leaders are problem solvers. The practice of mentoring and school-based teaching practice is a complex process and it has become necessary that mentors develop skills to work within these spaces. Most mentors at the participating school are not trained or developed to mentor, yet they do. The participants and other mentor teachers at this school who had training in mentoring put together a site-based programme to assist each other as mentors. This revealed that mentor leaders had the ability to solve problems related to mentoring within the immediate school context. The SIM contributed to understanding the nature of mentoring and in extending these understandings to the practice of mentoring within the school context, thus taking on an inside or emic perspective to mentoring as alluded to by Parker-Katz & Bay (2008).
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The second role was mentor as supporter. This study revealed that mentors viewed their role as supporter through developing practical competence and skills for teaching, providing emotional support and extending the work of the university. The participants supported the student teachers in teaching and learning activities in an effort to narrow the gap between what the student learns at university and what actually happens in the classroom. The levels of support at school were two tiered, at a school level and at a classroom level. At a school level student teachers were inducted into the organisational culture and workings of the school. At the classroom level the mentor is responsible for support of the student teacher.
The support given by the mentor teacher is of a practical nature, so that the student teacher can fully understand its implementation in the classroom. Shulman and Shulman (2004) highlight that it is the responsibility of teacher (including the mentor teacher) to ensure that student teachers are skilled in the practice, for example, design and implementation of curriculum and assessment as well as understanding organisational processes within the school culture. The gap between the university and the school-related curriculum does however impede the mentor‟s support to the student teacher.
The next role under the banner of support, as indicated by the participants, is the provision of emotional support. Awaya et al., (2003) take the view that teaching in a classroom for the first time can be traumatic and a supportive, understanding mentor can make the process less stressful. The participants agreed that trust has to be established. However, there was some difference of opinion in how much support to give the student teacher, to be taken under the wings of the mentor teacher vs throws the student teacher in the deep end to develop independently but be available. In this way the mentor teacher learnt appropriate actions for interacting with the student teacher. The study revealed that the mentor should adopt a balancing approach in their role as supporter, providing support when necessary and needed but also giving the student teachers the space to find their feet.
The final aspect to this theme is extending the work of the university. Literature has already established that the university provides the theoretical, academic knowledge and school- based teaching practice provides the hands-on practical experiences of teaching and learning (Mutemeri & Chetty, 2011). Considering this theory practice nexus, the participants revealed that the mentor teacher play a role in supporting and extending the work of the university through their practice of mentoring. There is however a gap between what is done at university and the school. The participants understood that the student teachers lacked
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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.