Learning for You and Learning for Me: Mentoring As Professional Development for Mentor Teachers

Professional development (PD) opportunities for teachers most commonly take place outside the classroom and are typically designed to address specific components of teachers’ instruction or curriculum. However, there are other activities that take place within the classroom that may have a profound impact on the PD of a teacher. We sought to gain a deeper understanding of the influence that placing a teacher in a mentor role can have on their PD and practice. Thus, we researched the influence of mentor teachers’ work with university-level STEM education majors by engaging in teaching a limited series of STEM inquiry-based lessons in the mentors’ classrooms. Surveys of the mentor teachers indicated that there were many positive benefits for mentors, including gaining new ideas, increased reflection on their practice, increased engagement of students, and in some cases shifts in practice.     

Teaching Preservice Science Teachers How to Do Science: Responses to the Research Experience

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Nurturing Confidence in Preservice Elementary Science Teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science conceptual understanding increased significantly during participation in the course. The study established that novice learners with minimal prior knowledge couldn't be expected to understand and employ core concepts in their learning schema without extensive guidance. The relationship between science learning confidence and science teaching confidence has not been theoretically delineated in the area of science teacher education. Findings suggest that there may be important connections between the two for preservice teachers that would be fruitful areas for future research.     

Nurturing Confidence in Preservice Elementary Science Teachers

This study examined changes in personal science teaching self-efficacy (PSTE), outcome expectancy (STOE), and science conceptual understanding and relationships among these in preservice teachers. Seventy preservice teachers enrolled in science teaching methods courses participated in this study. PSTE, STOE, and science conceptual understanding increased significantly during participation in the course. The study established that novice learners with minimal prior knowledge could not be expected to understand and employ core concepts in their learning schema without extensive guidance. The relationship between science learning confidence and science teaching confidence has not been theoretically delineated in the area of science teacher education. Findings suggest there may be important connections between the 2 for preservice teachers that would be fruitful areas for future research.     

Jordanian Preservice Primary Teachers' Perceptions of Mentoring in Science Teaching

Quality mentoring is fundamental to preservice teacher education because of its potential to help student and novice teachers develop the academic and pedagogical knowledge and skills germane to successful induction into the profession. This study focused on Jordanian preservice primary teachers' perceptions of their mentoring experiences as these pertain to science teaching. The Mentoring for Effective Primary Science Teaching instrument was administered to 147 senior preservice primary teachers in a university in Jordan. The results indicated that the greater majority of participants did not experience effective mentoring toward creating a supportive and reflexive environment that would bolster their confidence in teaching science; further their understanding of primary science curriculum, and associated aims and school policies; help with developing their pedagogical knowledge; and/or furnish them with specific and targeted feedback and guidance to help improve their science teaching. Substantially more participants indicated that their mentors modeled what they perceived to be effective science teaching. The study argues for the need for science-specific mentoring for preservice primary teachers, and suggests a possible pathway for achieving such a model starting with those in-service primary teachers—much like those identified by participants in the present study—who are already effective in their science teaching.     

Support and Challenge in Mentoring: A CaseStudy of Beginning Elementary Teachers and Their Mentors

In a recent Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education article, the author reported on a single case of a successful mentor–beginning teacher pairing that was derived from a larger qualitative study (Certo, 2005 Certo, J. 2005. Support, challenge, and the two-way street: Perceptions of a beginning second grade teacher and her quality mentor. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 26(1): 3–21. [CSA][Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). The purpose of this article is to report findings from that larger investigation. Three Virginia elementary 1^st-year teachers and their mentors were interviewed in September, December, and February. Beginning teachers also kept journals of reflections about challenges in 1^st-year teaching and the presence, nature, and impact of mentoring activities. Perceptions of mentor activities and the perceived impact on beginning teachers’ thinking and professional development are described using Daloz’s support and challenge model (1988) Daloz, L. 1988. The story of Gladys who refused to grow: A morality tale for mentors. Lifelong Learning, 11(4): 4–7. [CSA] [Google Scholar]. Mentors provided a balance of support and challenge activities, and beginning teachers reported being impacted by their mentors in numerous ways, from classroom management to adoption of new instructional approaches. These cases may be useful to practitioners as models of effective practice.     

Near-peer Mentor Model: Synergy within Mentoring

The near-peer mentor model provides undergraduates and recent post-baccalaureates in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields with an internship in two related disciplines, STEM research and STEM education. The near-peer mentor is both a mentored research intern and a mentor to pre-college students. During the 2013 summer, 43 near-peer mentors from seven sites reported on the benefits, challenges, and personal development they experienced during the internship. In addition, 1,328 pre-college students reported their perceptions of near-peer mentors. In this qualitative study, we indicate that learning by being mentored, while simultaneously acquiring the abilities to mentor and teach, is an effective model for promoting career advancement and the psychosocial support associated with the acquisition of professional behaviors.     

Success in Science Learning and Preservice Science Teaching Self-Efficacy

This study examined relationships between conceptual understanding, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancy beliefs as preservice teachers learned science in a constructivist-oriented methods class. Participants included 49 preservice elementary teachers. Analysis revealed that participants increased in self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and conceptual understanding. Engaging preservice teachers in hands-on, minds-on activities and discussion were important contributors. Participants reported that they would be inclined to teach from a constructivist perspective in the future. One implication from this study is that increasing the quantity of science content courses that preservice elementary teachers are required to take may not be sufficient to overcome their reluctance to teach science if some of their learning does not take place in a constructivist environment. In our teaching, we have tried to integrate pedagogy with learning science content.     

Virtues of Mentors and Mentees in the Finnish Model of Teachers’ Peer-group Mentoring

ABSTRACT

This study investigated participants’ conceptions of the ideal mentor and mentee in the Finnish model of peer-group mentoring (PGM). Existing mentoring research emphasises dyadic practices, yet there is a lack of investigation of participants’ roles in group mentoring. The main concepts of this inquiry were dispositions (habitus) and virtues drawing on the theory of practice architectures and Aristotelian virtue philosophy. Methodologically, the study can be identified as philosophical-empirical inquiry that utilises a narrative and hermeneutical approach to analyse qualitative data from 30 respondents. As its central finding, the study identified a set of core characteristics that describe the virtues and vices of a mentor and mentee based on the participants’ views. Overall, these characteristics reflected ideas of relatings (peerness, equality), proactive and reactive participation, and presence in the group. Characteristics focused on the social aspect of dispositions in peer-group mentoring.     

Learning Science Concepts by Teaching Peers in a Cooperative Environment: A Longitudinal Study of Preservice Teachers

Misconceptions of science principles are frequent among university students. This is particularly problematic in teacher education, as these misconceptions can be passed on by teachers to pupils at school. In this study, 40 preservice teachers studied 8 common misconceptions by 3 different approaches: learning by teaching (LbT) and learning from peers (LfP; both organized in cooperative groups and using self-developed activities) and conventional lecturing. Participants’ understanding was evaluated prior to, 1 month after, and 2 years after instruction, together with their views on the effectiveness of these methods for achieving learning. The 3 approaches improved scores on all posttests, but LbT achieved the best results. This coincided with perceptions of the participants who gave diverse reasons for the success of LbT. For lecturing, the longitudinal perspective showed that gains in student learning at 1 month had partially declined by 2 years, even though there was still a medium effect size compared to the pretest. However, for LbT and LfP gains remained statistically stable throughout. A combination of these methods might not only contribute efficiently to conceptual change for a good number of misconceptions but also connect teacher education to an almost real school classroom, giving opportunities to translate student learning into teaching practice.     

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Scientific Visualization In Two PowerPoint Delivery Strategies on Science Learning for Preservice Science Teachers

Slideware applications (e.g., PowerPoint) have become more prevalent in instruction across disciplines. This is especially true at post secondary institutions where many instructors are using slideware as a sole instructional tool. This study evaluated the relative effectiveness of scientific visualization in two PowerPoint delivery strategies on science learning for preservice teachers. Twenty-five preservice teachers enrolled in an undergraduate introduction to science education class were stratified into two PowerPoint delivery strategies. The strategies were: PowerPoint with instructor voiceover narration and PowerPoint without voiceover. Post-test Mann-Whitney U suggested no differences (p > 0.05) in science learning across the two strategies. Further, eye tracking analysis suggests voiceover guides the PowerPoint user to graphics and text, but voiceover does not significantly affect learning. Results suggest immediacy with technology doesn't necessarily produce meaningful learning. Good teaching still is the key component of meaningful learning.     

Mentoring beginning teachers: Mentor knowledge and skills

This article focuses on a number of quality assurance issues identified through the partnership scheme offered jointly by Homerton College, Cambridge and the University of Cambridge Department of Education, in conjunction with some ninety secondary schools situated predominantly within East Anglia. Our early experience has led us to reflect in some detail upon the foundations for successful mentoring within a partnership programme. Issues identified include: changing expectations within schools and HEIs; the selection of mentors and the safeguarding of mentor time; student entitlement and the comparability of experiences across mentors and across schools. The paper ends with a discussion of what we believe are the preconditions for high quality mentoring, taking into account the issues, identified above, which we think all partnership schemes will need to confront at some stage in their development.     

Virtual Reality: a Tool for Preservice Science Teachers to Put Theory into Practice

Journal of Science Education and Technology - The purpose of the present study was to investigate, compare, and characterize interactive VR-based preservice science teacher clinical teaching...     

Factors Affecting Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Preparing More Confident Preservice Elementary Science Teachers: One Elementary Science Methods Teacher's Self-Study

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Team Experiences for Science and Social Studies Preservice Teachers

Becoming an effective literacy learner requires a bit of slowing down and appreciating the reflective nature of reading and writing. Literature circles support this instructional direction because they provide opportunities for immersing students in discussions that encourage their personal responses. When students feel their personal responses are nurtured and respected, they develop confidence to grow beyond status-quo thinking and to engage in critical perspectives on meaning making. These reflective practices from personal to critical are important ingredients for effective literacy learning.     

Developing Mentors: An Analysis of Shared Mentoring Practices

Understanding how experienced teachers share and articulate effective mentoring practices can guide efforts to prepare quality mentors. This qualitative study focused on mentoring practices within a teacher-designed student-teaching program conceptualized while the mentor teachers within the program were students in a graduate-level mentoring course and implemented upon the mentors’ completion of their graduate studies. Data sources included interviews and field notes from meetings with mentors and student teachers. The results detail specific mentoring practices: explicit instruction through scaffolding, developing the whole teacher, student-teacher-directed learning, fostering student teachers’ individual practice, explicit mentoring of one another, and reflecting on mentoring. These practices were enabled by program structures such as mentor meetings, an online forum, and mentors’ observation of all student teachers in the program.