The Complexities of Effective Mentoring in Initial Teacher Education

Mentoring is now widespread in initial teacher education. However, it is by no means clear that research identifying the complexities of the role, the demands it places on teachers, and what they seem able and unable to do is either keeping pace with, or informing, change. This paper attempts to identify both problematic and unproblematic issues related to the role through the development of case studies of mentors working with students on a one year secondary mathematics PGCE course. The research points to a need for all those engaged in initial teacher education to support mentors in recognising students as learners who are best served by discussing with them the realities and difficulties of practice in school rather than presenting them with idealised views of teaching.