A strong foundation for the profession; mentoring early

career teachers

Professor Rachel Lofthouse

CollectivED

Leeds Beckett University, UK

@DrRLofthouse @CollectivED1

r.m.lofthouse@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Webinar learning focus

• In this webinar we will consider the significance of mentoring teachers at the beginning of their careers.

• The focus will be how mentors can build trust while still offering the challenge that new teachers need to support their professional learning in the busy school workplace.

• Practical approaches will be offered which are rooted in evidence of impact.

Why do we mentor early career teachers? Easy answer: because we were all there once

Better answer: because we cannot predict their futures

Starting with good mentoring for pre-service teachers

Dear Ellie

As your mentor I was also feeling vulnerable; especially when you wobbled with some of your classes and seemed to rely on me to solve problems. I realise now that mentoring is a delicate process which requires great care and comes with a lot of responsibility. It was a privilege to support you at the beginning of your career and help you begin to feel more confident and grow as a reflective, proud teacher. And remember that in teaching we all wobble some days.

Good luckMelissa

Question for reflection

Melissa was mentoring for the first time and worried that Ellie depended on her too much as her mentor.

List 3 specific challenges that you think Ellie might have been experiencing as a new teacher.

Workplace learning:What is the role of mentoring in early

career development?

3 goals of workplace learning

Ensure teaching is desired goal

Identify prospective specific career interests

Gain occupational capacities –learn the skills needed to do

the job at entry

Develop occupational competencies for future

professional learning – have the skills needed to keep

developing (after Stephen Billett)

Practice pedagogies

Appropriate coaching and mentoring

techniques which support professional

learning

Personal epistemologies

Beliefs and values that the participants bring to learning in the workplace and to their roles

Practice curriculum

Coherent learning opportunities to

enable progression to meet the demands of

the profession

(after Stephen Billett)

Key dimensions of mentoring affecting

professional learning

Dear Mark

When you joined our school you were doing a great job as a new teacher but you seemed to think you didn’t need a mentor and you kept your distance. Halfway through the year things seemed to unravel and you blamed school and the kids. It wasn’t until the end of the year that we learned of the issues in your personal life. I wish you had talked to me more openly. I believe that I could have been some-one to trust. I’m sad to hear that you have left teaching now.

Best wishesCarly

Question for reflection

Carly feels she let Mark down.

If you were advising Carly what advice might you give her before she mentors another new teacher?

Image sourced at: https://mindfulminutes.com/heart-mind-aligning-heart-mind-meditation/

Mentoring is a relationship

It can be caring

It can be toxic

It cannot be a sticking plaster

It can be part of a learning culture with wellbeing at its heart

Dear Gemma

I know I was your mentor, but actually I think you learned so much from so many colleagues and didn’t need to rely on me. You took up my suggestions of members of staff who provided you with the help you needed. I know my own weaknesses and recognise the strengths of those around me. I watched you build up your networks and relationships and your confidence grew. Sometimes it felt like I was learning vicariously through you rather than you from me.

Well doneCraig

Question for reflection

Mark wonders if he did enough as Gemma’s mentor but Gemma had a very successful first year in teaching and is thriving in her second year.

What seems to have supported this success?

Be

amb

itio

ns

for

men

tori

ng

Create trust at vulnerable career stage

Scaffold, frame & assess professional learning

Promote dialogue & divergence

Enable transformation through boundary crossing

Authenticity

Solidarity

Creativity

Attributes enabling a legacy of professional learning through mentoring

Existing at both individual and institutional levels

Expand

Critique

Articulate

Legacy outcomes of professional learning through mentoring

Existing at both individual and institutional levels

Think differently about lesson observation

Authenticity

Solidarity

Creativity

Expand

Critique

Articulate

Think differently about mentoring roles

Authenticity

Solidarity

Creativity

Expand

Critique

Articulate

Think differently about where we mentor

Authenticity

Solidarity

Creativity

Expand

Critique

Articulate

SEARCH

• CollectivED Leeds

• Find working papers link• https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-

education/research/working-paper-series/collectived/

• Over 120 papers, from 14 countries

• Authors include students, teachers, school leaders, coaches, mentors, consultants, research students, teacher educators, academics

• There is a special issue on Advanced Mentoring which has papers related to this webinar and also see issue 2 for observation paper and walking mentoring

Working Papers

Don’t be this mentor