Placement mentoring and student teacher' professional development

Abstract

In this article I argue that mentoring can contribute to teaching students' professional development, but also that this is just an opportunity that must be grasped in order to be realised. Norwegian and international teacher education research shows a diversity of placement mentoring practices during students' placement periods. Nevertheless, there are some characteristics common across all mentoring offered to students. Research shows that mentoring is being connected to the completion of specific actions, and that mentors to a lesser extent invite to discuss the students' intentions and aims for the educational activity. Mentors generally offers advice and acts as experts in teaching situations rather than promoting deeper reflection. Based on theories of mentoring and professions, in relations to previous teacher education research, I argue that placement mentoring may benefit from increased awareness of conversation qualities. The article demonstrates how phenomena such as asking for justifications for actions, providing opposition to justifications and establishing real cooperation between students and mentors on how teaching practice can be understood are all prerequisites for professional development knowledge processes being able to take place.