1. Teachers mentoring teachers: A
process of reflection and
rejuvenation
Dr Denise Beutel &
Dr Rebecca Spooner-Lane,
Queensland University of Technology

2. Context
• Beginning teachers
– Expected to take on the same responsibilities as
more experienced colleagues
– High attrition rate
• Rural settings
– Disproportionate numbers of beginning teachers
– Isolation
– Away from families and friends
– Teaching in subject areas outside area of expertise

3. Mentoring
• Widely used strategy for providing
guidance and support for beginning
teachers
• Many mentors are provided with little
or no training
Mentor training is the single most important
factor in contributing to mentoring success
(Sweeny, 2008).

4. Aims of the paper
– to report on the planning and
implementation of a mentoring program
designed to develop mentoring capacities
in experienced teachers
– evaluate the mentoring program

5. Mentor training
From providing emotional support
assisting beginning teachers through
dialogue and reflection
• The characteristics of adult learners
• Effective communication skills
• Encouraging mentees to reflect on their
practice
(Evertson & Smithey, 2001)

6. Mentoring program content
Module 1. Mentoring and the mentoring role
What is mentoring and why do we need mentor training?
Different models of mentoring
Roles and responsibilities of mentors
Characteristics of effective mentors
Building successful mentor-mentee relationships
Module 2. The process of mentoring
Developing strong interpersonal skills
Understanding the principles of adult learning
Understanding the stages of teacher development
Identifying the concerns of beginning teachers
Module 3: Understanding the support needs of mentees
Raising awareness of the needs and concerns of beginning teachers
Developing a framework for identifying and understanding the critical tasks of
teaching
Identifying and understanding the principles underlying reflective practice
Utilising the cycle of reflective practice.
Promoting similar reflective teaching practices in mentees.
Module 4: Planning for the future: Examining career pathways
Identifying the stages of the mentoring process
Work-life balance
Developing action plans for the future
The art of letting go

7. Mentor training program
Participants
– 8 teachers commenced the program but only 4
completed all the modules
– All teachers from the same high school in rural
Queensland
– Mentoring program run in parallel with program
for beginning teachers
Pilot program
– 4 days of workshops over a period of ~6 months
(last half of school year)
– Case studies, role plays

8. Data collection and analysis
• Interpretative study using qualitative
data
• Data collection
»Focus group interview
»Personal reflections of the authors
• Data analysis
» Iterative process
» Common themes emerged from the data

9. Results and discussion
Mentors still perceived themselves as experts
(transmission mode evident)
“If there’s a problem with a child and we’re talking about it,
he’ll [mentee] say I’ve tried this, this and this. I’ve tried the
things that my mentor suggested, but that doesn’t seem to
work either” (Teacher E).
“She’s had a particularly bad experience with a parent
recently. So I’ve had to work with her and also speak to the
parent in terms of that” (Teacher M).

10. Results and Discussion (cont.)
Mentoring viewed as something done to mentees
(rather than with them)
“She was very stressed. So I probably used some of the
techniques that I learnt on her, especially because I didn’t
want to come out and say this is what you should do… So I
used some of the techniques because my first person was
quite confident, and the sort of person you could give little
hints to.” (Teacher S).
“So really do the explicit teaching to the mentee before
they go and teach. That really helps, and that was a really
successful unit she did” (Teacher M).

11. Results and discussion (cont.)
Mentoring focused on providing emotional support
“We never got to discussing classroom practice. It wasn’t my
preoccupation. But the personal and where she was at
emotionally, things like that” (Teacher W).
Informal relationships perceived as more successful
“The most successful stuff has been the sit down at the end of the
day or at lunch time and jut start chatting and going through
things. That’s been more successful than anything organized”
(Teacher E).

12. Stages of the mentoring process
Third Stage-
Peer support
&
collegial relationship
(Delegate)
Second Stage-
Mentee more self-directed
in skill development & self-
reflective
(Collaborate)
First Stage-
Modelling of skills,
sharing of strategies,
observational feedback
(Direct and explain)

13. Discussion
While mentor program seemed to help
mentors to support mentees, it did not
appear to promote deep reflection of
teaching practices (by mentors or
mentees).

14. Where to from here?
• Revise mentoring program
• Greater focus on developing mentors as
collaborators and co-enquirers
• Greater focus on getting mentors to reflect
deeply on their own practice
» Question underlying (and often deeply held)
beliefs and assumptions
» Question why they are doing what they are
doing (personal, academic, social and political
consequences of what they are doing)

15. Revised mentoring program-proposed content
Module 1. Mentoring and the mentoring role
What is mentoring and why do we need mentor training?
Different models of mentoring (e.g. as guide, advocate, critical friend, coach, role
model, co-enquirer)
Characteristics of effective mentors
Establishing and building successful mentor-mentee relationships
Module 2. Mentors and mentees as reflective practitioners
Understanding the principles of adult learning
Developing a framework for identifying and understanding the critical tasks of
teaching
Identifying, understanding, and using the principles underlying reflective practice
Promoting similar reflective teaching practices in mentees
Module 3: Understanding the support needs of mentees
Raising awareness of the needs and concerns of beginning teachers
Developing effective communication skills (including difficult conversations)
Understanding the stages of teacher development
Identifying the concerns of beginning teachers
Module 4: Developing a mentoring culture
Identifying and understanding the stages of mentoring relationship
Developing a school culture of enquiry and reflection

16. Conclusion
The development of reflective practices should
form an integral component of mentoring
programs. For it is through these shared
reflections and discussions of and around
practice that communities of practice are
created.
This is significant as “the most powerful learning comes
about within „communities of practice‟” (Wenger,
1998).

17. Contact details
Dr Denise Beutel
d.beutel@qut.edu.au
Dr Rebecca Spooner-Lane
rs.spooner@qut.edu.au