QUALITY MENTORING
A BASIC CONDITION
FOR ENSURING QUALITY
IN
PRE-SERVICE TRAINING Doina Fleanta
MOTTO:
We need to measure what we value,
rather than value what we can measure!
Mentoring – an important dimension in education
TrainingStandardizationNetworkingExpertiseResources
Training
ELT
Mentor Trainers
Non-ELT
GAINS personal interpersonal professional status and recognition institutional partnerships resources
Standardisationharmonisation/status/recognition/certification/accreditation
Mentee Evaluation Instruments Mentor Occupational Standards Mentor Evaluation Standards Course design (Ro, Hu, Bul, Lv, Ru, Ukr, etc)
Mentor Observation and Support Scheme
Networking
Conferences (national/follow-up; international)
Networking lists/directory AsMeRo/Romanian Mentor Association
Newsletter and web page International courses/Consultancy
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of ROMANIAN MENTORS
MAIN OBJECTIVES
To promote and develop quality mentoring in Romania with a view to training undergraduates to become teachers, as well as helping beginner teachers integrate in the school culture and develop professionally;
To ensure highly qualified human resources in other fields of activity, as well;
To act as a forum for the most advanced ideas in professional development, with special stress on initial training and to promote the mentor’s professional interests;
To enhance cooperation between mentors and university methodologists by establishing official partnership between Universities and School Inspectorates
To cooperate with all partners involved in PRESETT: universities, schools, inspectorates, CCD’s, research institutes in educational sciences;
To promote official recognition of the occupations of Mentor and Mentor Trainer
Expertise
Trained Mentors Mentor Trainers
(all subjects)
Know-how Mentors for induction
Resources
Mentoring books Mentor course packs Course reports Standards Portfolios Guide to Mentor Evaluation Newsletter Web
Mentor Observation and Support Scheme/MOSS
AIM: to meet needs for standardisation and good
quality mentoring of increasing no of Ms for ITT and induction
PRODUCT: Guide/instrument of observation and
assessment by self/peers/STs/Meths
PreSeTT&InSeTT/Beyond ITT and ELT
NQT Project (ELT)
training workshops mentoring for induction
(portfolios for NQT and M)
NQT resource centre
START Project (non-ELT)
training MTs training Ms for induction standards for teachers pilot schools
Rural Education Project Mentoring Activity Consultant
under School-based Professional Development of Rural Teachers Sub-component 1
Rural Education Project
The project is structured on four components: Component 1: Improvement of teaching
methodology and learning processes in rural schools;
Component 2: Improvement of school-community partnerships;
Component 3: Strengthen monitoring, evaluation and policy making capacity;
Component 4: Strengthen project management capacity.
The objectives of the Component 1
to develop the professional competencies of rural teachers
to improve basic education conditions in schools.
Since education inputs have a significant effect on students achievements, this component will focuses on teachers, teaching/learning materials that facilitate student – centered learning and school facilities.
IMPACT OF MENTOR COURSES
“Quality is in the eye of the beholder”
“The feeling of satisfaction at attending this course is complete. The thought of going home is great but it is sad to part with this other family…”
(course participant)
PRINCIPLES
MENTOR TRAINING IS BASED ON
LEARNINGIS NOT
LEARNING
NOT filling empty vessels
NOT passing on knowledge
NOT in a standard way and at same rate
Active process of knowledge construction & acquisition
Creating meaning In a variety of ways at
different rates In “real life” people only learn
what is relevant
Nobody can do your learning for you
Nobody can do your learning for you
Teaching
Facilitating Learning Creating powerful learning environment
WYTINWIL What you teach is NOT
what is learnt
WYTINWIL What you teach is NOT
what is learnt
Implications for teacher learning
Teachers are expert learners Teacher learning is “on the job”: it relates to a real concern in a real
context Teachers learn according to the reflection and action model
Deconstruction & reconstruction of practice & beliefs Nobody can do the teachers’ learning for them
external experts are merely facilitators Teachers need a powerful learning environment too Teachers learn & work together
Effective Professional Development is
team- and school focused process oriented rooted in reflection Experiential Focused Collaborative Differentiated involves producing and constructing based on ownership integrated
‘Change happens by degree, not by decree’ (Spanbauer 1992)
‘No school reform or restructuring is worth its salt unless its major focus is the teaching/learning process’ Spanbauer (1992)