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)