‘Meet my mentor’ – the student teacher’s view

Farrar, J. and McColl, M. (2022) ‘Meet my mentor’ – the student teacher’s view. In: Eady, S., Essex, J., Livingston, K. and McColl, M. (eds.) Mentoring Teachers in Scotland: a Practical Guide. Series: Mentoring trainee and early career teachers. Routledge, pp. 49-60. ISBN 9780367405984 (doi: 10.4324/9780429356957-6)

Abstract

In this chapter Farrar and McColl ask mentors to reflect on their own mentoring experiences as a means of shaping and informing their mentoring skills and approaches. The authors explore mentoring responsibilities as perceived by both the mentee and the mentor. The potential for tensions to arise caused by an imbalance of power between the new probationer mentee and the more established mentor is acknowledged and discussed. The need for the mentoring process to be characterised by care and support on the part of the mentee, as noted by Lejonberg et al (2018), is highlighted as vital for building a trusting, successful relationship between mentee and mentor. This trusting relationship should aid the probationer teacher’s development as a valued member of a community of practice where exchange of knowledge and skills make for a more reciprocal professional dynamic rather than one of power and dominance. The chapter offers a series of tasks that support mentors to reflect on their past experiences of being mentored and to consider how their experiences might be used to develop effective mentoring skills and approaches.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: McColl, Dr Margaret and Farrar, Dr Jennifer
• Authors: Farrar, J., and McColl, M.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy, Praxis & Faith; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > People, Place & Social Change
• Publisher: Routledge
• ISBN: 9780367405984
• Published Online: 19 May 2022