On Sat, 1 Sep 2007 08:14:29 +0100, Sarah Fletcher wrote:
>What research mentoring support do teachers find most useful?
>========================================================================
Dear All -
Can we develop this theme further? In my experience, teachers appreciate
support that is focused on three main areas - and I am using the triple
basis for the Chartered Teacher Scheme here - i.e. professional values,
professional skills and professional understandings & knowledge. When I
first engaged in research mentoring, I focused on professional values only
as my starting point but I found this too marrow a basis for drawing out
what teachers wanted to research and what would keep them motivated as they
struggled to make time and space for enquiry. They were keen to understand
what mattered to them as teachers and this was a powerful driverin working
with them. However, their school context required them to focus on skills
and be accountable for their development too. I was struck by the feedback
on the Chartered Teacher Scheme that came in an excellent symposium at BERA.
Areas covered in the symposium with Donald Christie as discussant included:
1) an emerging culture of compliance in schools
2) some reticence to undertake teacher research
3) teacher research with performance management
Any thoughts?
Best wishes,
Sarah
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