Blog post

Enabling a research-informed approach to mentoring beginner teachers

Jemima Davey, ITT Partnership Lead and Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at St Mary's University Jane Chambers, Head of the School of Education at St Mary's University 25 Sep 2024

The practice of mentoring beginner teachers needs to be underpinned by a ‘deep understanding of the curriculum, the relevant research base which informs it and their role in supporting its delivery and practice’ (DfE, 2022, p. 30). As mandated by the DfE (2019a; DfE, 2019b; DfE, 2024) the practice of school-based mentors needs to be grounded in a deep knowledge of research-based pedagogy.

Our response to the DfE guidance (2022) does not question the value of research-informed practice in developing beginner teachers. Rather, it questions how mentors can become increasingly research-informed when workload is one of the main reasons why teachers leave the profession (Education Support, 2023). Working alongside mentors to both trainee and early career teachers has provided insight into ‘policy’ becoming practice and how schools might be best supported in embracing research-informed approaches to teacher development.

Echoing Czerniawski and colleagues (2023), our work with mentors highlights obstacles which teachers encounter when engaging with research. These include availability, accessibility and the confidence to engage critically with publications. Mentors also questioned the extent to which they had credibility to actively engage with research in their settings. However, it was a teacher’s workload which presented the most immediate barrier to meaningfully working with research. Therefore, the issue is how one becomes more research-informed without adding significant burden to practitioners.

‘The issue is how one becomes more research-informed without adding significant burden to practitioners.’

Teacher professionalism requires an iterative critique and contextualised application to claims of evidence-based pedagogy (Müller & Cook, 2024). Our time spent with mentors highlighted the importance of immersing oneself in professional learning, which allowed mentors to recognise the value of research literature in their role before developing their confidence when practically engaging with it. Deconstructing literature and rebuilding it in context afforded mentors an increased sense of commitment, ownership and autonomy in their application of research, but it was only through taking the time to work together in this way that allowed our mentors to develop their confidence in utilising research as part of their practice.

Facilitating professional learning spaces for mentors emphasised the relevance of Lave and Wenger’s (1991) theory of situated learning positioning the importance of exploring concepts as a community of practice. This collaborative work resulted in reports of optimism, an increased desire to pursue research-informed pedagogy and an enhanced confidence in their mentoring practice. To establish a research-informed community of practice, dedicated time and space for professional dialogue is a necessity. This may take the form of protected time for colleagues to engage with research, incorporating literature into meetings or facilitating opportunities for professional dialogue. Collaborative research engagement would scaffold the use of literature in daily practice, thereby enabling schools to engender research-informed pedagogy.

At a time when initial teacher education within higher education institutions (HEIs) is ever more threatened, universities can provide practitioners with accessible resources to inform their professional development practices. This is part of a systemic approach to initial teacher education, including the provision of clearly structured training plans, summaries of key literature and the collation of professional development materials. Our work on research-informed mentoring highlights the value of both university-based teaching and school-based training in the formation of committed and research-informed future practitioners.

‘Our work on research-informed mentoring highlights the value of both university-based teaching and school-based training in the formation of committed and research-informed future practitioners.’

HEIs seek to enrich trainees’ capacity to become research-informed practitioners working alongside expert colleagues, who themselves use research to facilitate deep reflection on impactful pedagogy. Georgiou and colleagues (2020) underscore the relationship between research engagement, effective practice and confidence. Reflecting on our observations of mentors becoming more research engaged, we feel this solidifies the HEI’s vital place in the new landscape of initial teacher education.

References

Czerniawski, G., Guberman, A., MacPhil, A., & Vanassche, E. (2023). Identifying school-based teacher educators’ professional learning needs: An international survey. European Journal of Teacher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2023.2251658

Department for Education [DfE]. (2019a). Initial teacher training core content framework. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6061eb9cd3bf7f5cde260984/ITT_core_content_framework_.pdf

Department for Education [DfE]. (2019b). Early career framework. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60795936d3bf7f400b462d74/Early-Career_Framework_April_2021.pdf

Department for Education [DfE]. (2022). Initial teacher training (ITT) provider guidance on stage 2. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/637b75ddd3bf7f7209bf2de5/ITT_Provider_Guidance_Stage_2.pdf

Department for Education [DfE]. (2024). Initial Teacher Training Early Career Framework. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/661d24ac08c3be25cfbd3e61/Initial_Teacher_Training_and_Early_Career_Framework.pdf

Education Support. (2023). Teaching: The new reality. https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/media/cxkexon2/teaching-the-new-reality.pdf

Georgiou, D., Mok, S. Y., Fischer, F., Vermunt, J. D., & Seidel, T. (2020). Evidence-based practice in teacher education: The mediating role of self-efficacy beliefs and practical knowledge. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.559192

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.

Müller, L., & Cook, V. (2024). Revisiting the notion of teacher professionalism: A working paper. Chartered College of Teaching.

Jemima Davey, Ms

ITT Partnership Lead and Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at St Mary's University

Jemima Davey is Subject Lead for Education Partnerships and a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, teaching across both undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education routes. Her role involves leading on school-based training for initial teacher education by working closely with mentors and training coordinators in partnership schools. Jemima’s areas of research interest include professional identity, teacher wellbeing and resilience, effective support for both emerging and experienced practitioners, and mentoring and supervision in education. She is currently a doctoral student exploring the role of reflective practice and supervision in the development of mentors’ professional identity. Jemima is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), member of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and member of the Chartered College of Teaching (MCCT).

Jane Chambers, Dr

Head of the School of Education at St Mary's University

Jane Chambers is associate professor and the Head of the School of Education at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. She is responsible for initial teacher education, the school’s undergraduate provision, its portfolio of postgraduate taught awards, postgraduate research, continuing professional development offer and the school’s centres of excellence. Jane’s areas of research interest are concerned with the professional identity of teacher educators who have caring responsibilities, and of school-based teacher educators. Jane teaches on the Professional Doctorate in Education programme and is a doctoral research supervisor. She is an experienced examiner and is currently a Chief University External Examiner for Post Graduate Taught programmes in education. Jane is a member of the British Educational Research Association and the Chartered College of Teaching. Jane is chair of the Cathedrals’ Group Education Sub-Committee.