THE DUAL ROLE OF SCHOOL MENTORS: HOW TO ESTABLISH TEACHING AND SUPERVISION GOALS?

Abstract

"In several countries, the schools’ responsibilities in preparing student teachers for their future work have increased over the last decade (Sandvik et al., 2019). In cooperation with the universities, school mentors are expected to set an example of how to teach pupils and use appropriate teaching practices in lessons. School mentors are expected to be capable of choosing teaching practices that achieve several educational goals and to connect student teachers’ theoretical concepts with practical training. However, not all school mentors are sufficiently prepared to supervise students and many do not appreciate the importance of their role in training future teachers. The purpose of the present study was to investigate Estonian school mentors’ teaching and supervising goals when they teach pupils and supervise student teachers as well as to identify how teachers in the role of mentors understand university expectations. The sample included 16 teachers, all of them had supervision experience with student teachers and they all taught various subjects at university teacher training schools (in grades 1 to 6). Observations and stimulated recall interviews were used to collect the data. Thematic analysis indicated that teachers have difficulty establishing goals for themselves as teachers and mentors. The results demonstrated that Estonian school mentors have the challenge of combining two responsibilities: how to maintain balance between their teaching and supervising. It also appeared that mentors did not perceive clearly what universities expected from them as supervisors and, therefore, relied rather on their personal perception and experience than a clear knowledge of their supervision goals. Mentors’ main goal in model lessons for student teachers was to establish good teaching experience. To conclude, it is necessary to encourage cooperation between teachers and universities and support mentors’ professional development."