Different ways of educating new teachers: opportunities for mentoring the mentors

The PGCE(S) with SIR,unique within Scottish teacher education, integrates the initial teacher education phase and the Teacher Induction Scheme, into a single programme,throughout which student-inductees are financially supported.  Running for 52 weeks, including a total of 37 weeks on school placement, split into two modules of 18 and 19 weeks respectively, the course presents challenges and opportunities for qualified teachers acting as mentors in the school setting.

The mentors, whom we call school-based supporters, are required to engage with a University Masters-level module (30 credits) in mentoring and coaching, funded by Scottish Government, aligning with the aspirations of ‘Teaching Scotland’s Future’(2010):

“(to) allow real and sustained engagement on tasks which will lead to identifiable impact on learning…  (the) culture should include greater encouragement for teachers to gain advanced qualifications… advanced study is part of the enhanced professionalism which runs through the Review’s recommendations, and that the quality and demands of CPD should reflect these expectations” (p. 10).

Student-inductees have the benefit of a school-based supporter in their subject specialism. Together,they implement a coteaching framework (Murphy, 2016) developing the mentoring relationship within the classroom space.

Aims: This paper explores initial reflections on the use of a model of mentoring and coteaching as a means of support for student-inductees within a new route into secondary teaching in the STEM subjects, the Postgraduate Certificate in Education with supported induction route (PGCE(S) with SIR) launched by the University of Dundee in January 2018.

Methods: To inform our understanding of this developing model we have implemented a model incorporating student voice and a combination of reflective diaries and semi-structured interviews to understand the experience of those involved in this new approach to teacher education in Scotland.

Conclusions:  The SIR model developed from an analysis of barriers to teacher education and drew on the work of colleagues in ITE at the University of Warwick.  The coteaching framework is the adaptation a model of developed by colleagues at Trinity College Dublin and which has been implemented in secondary science teacher education at the University of Delaware (Scantlebury, Gallo-Fox,& Wassell, 2008).  In the first year of this three-year pilot, we will reflect upon and discuss challenges and benefits of mentoring the mentors within a coteaching model, as part of initial teacher education. 

References

Connor, M. And Pokora, J. (2012) Mentoring and Coaching at Work: Developing Effective Practice. Berkshire, England: Open University Press.

Murphy, C. (2016) Coteaching in teacher education: Innovative pedagogy for excellence (1st. ed.,Critical guides for teacher educators).

Scottish Government (2010) Teaching Scotland’s Future. http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2011/01/13092132/0 (Accessed 17/1/18)