E-mentoring in vocational teacher education

Abstract

This paper investigates innovative methods of e-mentoring and e-coaching, and developments in supporting technologies, as applied to the field of vocational teacher education. Three recently completed projects are used as the basis of the investigation: the first, an EC-funded and Europe-wide project, involved the sharing of expertise in technological innovation in the training of vocational teachers; the second established mentor provision as part of a UK-based initiative on subject specialist on-line communities; the third was an evaluation of an experiment in immediate coaching, where feedback is provided synchronously with (during) the teaching performance. The projects are therefore chosen to highlight specific e-mentoring issues: the choice of mentor, the nature of the mentoring process, the timing of the mentoring intervention. Results from the projects are reported, along with related findings from current research in the field, and directions for future developments are identified. A new project is proposed, which will forward the use of technology in mentoring components of teacher education programmes, with a particular focus on the development of synchronous e-mentoring systems.