That is really interesting. I am currently researching a co-coaching approach to tutor mentoring of primary trainees on school placements (a draft was circulated previously but I can resend,if wanted). This small-scale pilot indicates: a) student preference for the approach; b) more oral self-reflective activity from the students, and c) a suggestion of improved overall attainment by the sample cohort on the placement.
Peter
________________________________







Dear All
 
My colleague, Rachel Lofthouse, was until last year Secondary PGCE director.  Along with secondary colleagues they introduced a process whereby the PGCE students filmed themselves teaching, backed up by a specific protocol about questions generated by both parties.  The video was then the focus of mentoring.  She has researched the impact  - generally a positive response with mentors reporting a shift in approach and thinking. Thhis mirrors the effect that video seems to have on coaching, it helps even up power relationships as the video provides a (relatively) neutral record which PGCEer can interrogate, as well as mentor. She presented her results at EARLI this summer.
 
Best wishes
 
David Leat


________________________________

	From: BERA-MENTORING-COACHING [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sarah Fletcher
	Sent: 14 October 2007 11:14
	To: [log in to unmask]
	Subject: Re: What influences a mentor's practice?
	
	
	Dear Rosalind (and All)
	
	I wonder what implications this has for the often encountered 'pump prime' model of mentor 'training' offered by universities rather than the more gradual (and more expensive) process of mentor development that a few PGCE programmes offer?
	
	I would be interested to know a little more about the context of your research. I am wondering if the mentors you interviewed were working with universities with what could be called ' the pump prime model'?  I feel one should not expect this to have much impact on assisting mentors to develop theoretical underpinnings for their practice.  In the same way research shows that a one off or occasional in-service course usually, although not always, has little sustained impact upon teachers' practice. It seems to me that in the pump prime input model does not allow for learning to engage in any meaningful way, leaving the mentors to revert o the way of thinking and practice that is familiar based on their own experience.
	
	There is perhaps a parallel here in Calderhead's research into novice teachers' thinking that might be useful to consider. Under pressure novice teachers revert to their own theories of teaching - developed through their own experiences of being in school.  This phenomenon would almost certainly be prevalent where mentoring experienced in teacher training course doesn't elicit deep reflection. 
	
	If Jack Whitehead (1989) is right - and I think he is -  practitioners and in our focus, mentors - develop their own 'living' theories which change and develop - where there is reflection that leads practitioners to challenge their assumptions.
	
	Perhaps we should develop further ideas about what constitutes 'mentoring' and 'coaching' in ITT? The pump prime goal orientated model of 'mentoring' in some PGCE programmes is not mentoring at all - it is not holistic and developmental but linked to a focus on competences (goals) becomes narrow and skills driven.
	
	To return to your research - and thank you so much for sharing it with us... I am curious to know if its outcomes show us that ITT coaching is not sufficient as a model to develop mentors' living theories of mentoring - and so they retain their own espoused theories of 'mentoring' which is holistically far closer to what they engage in with their mentees and they leave aside deliberately or not 'coaching'.
	
	Early ideas here ...  that need much more development ... what do you think?
	
	best wishes,
	
	Sarah
	
	Rosalind Rice <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 

		re. 
		Mentors' ignore espoused theory from whatever source and instead rely on their experience, which forms the basis for their own theories 
		
		


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