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Mentoring cum peer coaching : a programme to enhance the professional development of beginning teachers
Author
Chua, Choon Guan
Supervisor
Moo, Swee Ngoh
Abstract
An increasing number of beginning teachers are entering schools at a time when a vast number of older teachers are reaching retirement age. Both rates are expected to accelerate within the next decade. This development poses two great challenges for educators. The first challenge is to ensure that the wealth of pedagogical knowledge acquired by our experienced teachers over the years is not lost when they retire but is harnessed for the benefit of future generations of new teachers. The other challenge is that of providing beginning teachers with effective support and enabling them to develop staying power as it is widely acknowledged that beginning teaching is a critical period in the development of a teacher.
As a Head of Department overseeing the school's induction programme for beginning teachers, the researcher strongly believes that professional development and collaborative sharing amongst teachers is a key answer to the two challenges. Novice teachers need support to develop coping skills so that they can handle the demands of the classroom and develop the skills to support the learning of their pupils. The pool of very experienced teachers in the school can help facilitate the incorporation of a mentoring cum peer coaching programme to provide assistance, support and guidance for the beginning teachers as well as the transfer of skills and knowledge to them.
This research was therefore initiated to investigate the impact of a mentoring cum collaborative peer coaching programme on the professional development of beginning teachers in the school. The study focused on three areas of investigation. These include the needs of beginning teachers that have to be met if they are to function as effective teachers in the classroom; the impact of the programme on beginning teachers' performance in the classroom and their attitude towards professional development; and the key elements of the programme that enhance the professional practice and development of the beginning teachers.
The subjects were 8 beginning teachers with less than 3 years teaching experience and 4 experienced teachers who performed the roles of mentors. Data was obtained through 2 surveys involving the beginning teachers and the mentors, researcher's conferences with the participants, and the participants' reflections in the self-assessment instrument, journal and contact logs.
Findings from the research study revealed that beginning teachers needed support in the areas of teaching resources and materials, as well as classroom management pertaining to pupil discipline, motivation and catering to differing needs of pupils. Interpersonal and collaborative support from their experienced mentors were also highly valued and appreciated by the beginning teachers.
The study also showed that that the mentoring cum collaborative peer coaching programme had a positive impact on the beginning teachers' performance in the classroom and their attitude towards professional development. The transfer of skills and knowledge from the mentors who were rich in experiential learning greatly enhanced the quality of the beginning teachers' classroom practices and their confidence level. They became more reflective, self-directed and assumed greater responsibility for their own learning.
In the area of professional development, beginning teachers were able to make the positive paradigm shifts of actively participating in the staff development programme. They demonstrated a greater willingness to experiment new strategies to improve classroom teaching and to cope with and manage change more effectively from the perspective of reflective practitioners.
The research also helped surface the key elements of the mentoring cum collaborative peer coaching programme that enhance the professional practice and development of beginning teachers. Findings revealed that beginning teachers favour a mentoring structure that is conducted outside the line of supervisory relationship to allow them to be comfortable about sharing the problems they faced and the help they needed. The commitment of the management in officially assigning mentors and peer coaches to work with beginning teachers demonstrated a high level management support for their professional development. Other factors include off-loading some aspects of the mentors' and mentees' workload and the competency and professionalism of mentors who were assigned to helping the beginning teachers.
The research findings provided a better understanding on the needs of the beginning teachers in their early years of teaching and a clear perspective of the roles to be played by the school and the processes that have to be put in place if the full benefits of the mentoring cum peer coaching programme are to be realised. In addition, the findings served to provide useful directions for follow-up studies on the issues identified here as well as future research on the challenging field of beginning teachers' professional development.
As a Head of Department overseeing the school's induction programme for beginning teachers, the researcher strongly believes that professional development and collaborative sharing amongst teachers is a key answer to the two challenges. Novice teachers need support to develop coping skills so that they can handle the demands of the classroom and develop the skills to support the learning of their pupils. The pool of very experienced teachers in the school can help facilitate the incorporation of a mentoring cum peer coaching programme to provide assistance, support and guidance for the beginning teachers as well as the transfer of skills and knowledge to them.
This research was therefore initiated to investigate the impact of a mentoring cum collaborative peer coaching programme on the professional development of beginning teachers in the school. The study focused on three areas of investigation. These include the needs of beginning teachers that have to be met if they are to function as effective teachers in the classroom; the impact of the programme on beginning teachers' performance in the classroom and their attitude towards professional development; and the key elements of the programme that enhance the professional practice and development of the beginning teachers.
The subjects were 8 beginning teachers with less than 3 years teaching experience and 4 experienced teachers who performed the roles of mentors. Data was obtained through 2 surveys involving the beginning teachers and the mentors, researcher's conferences with the participants, and the participants' reflections in the self-assessment instrument, journal and contact logs.
Findings from the research study revealed that beginning teachers needed support in the areas of teaching resources and materials, as well as classroom management pertaining to pupil discipline, motivation and catering to differing needs of pupils. Interpersonal and collaborative support from their experienced mentors were also highly valued and appreciated by the beginning teachers.
The study also showed that that the mentoring cum collaborative peer coaching programme had a positive impact on the beginning teachers' performance in the classroom and their attitude towards professional development. The transfer of skills and knowledge from the mentors who were rich in experiential learning greatly enhanced the quality of the beginning teachers' classroom practices and their confidence level. They became more reflective, self-directed and assumed greater responsibility for their own learning.
In the area of professional development, beginning teachers were able to make the positive paradigm shifts of actively participating in the staff development programme. They demonstrated a greater willingness to experiment new strategies to improve classroom teaching and to cope with and manage change more effectively from the perspective of reflective practitioners.
The research also helped surface the key elements of the mentoring cum collaborative peer coaching programme that enhance the professional practice and development of beginning teachers. Findings revealed that beginning teachers favour a mentoring structure that is conducted outside the line of supervisory relationship to allow them to be comfortable about sharing the problems they faced and the help they needed. The commitment of the management in officially assigning mentors and peer coaches to work with beginning teachers demonstrated a high level management support for their professional development. Other factors include off-loading some aspects of the mentors' and mentees' workload and the competency and professionalism of mentors who were assigned to helping the beginning teachers.
The research findings provided a better understanding on the needs of the beginning teachers in their early years of teaching and a clear perspective of the roles to be played by the school and the processes that have to be put in place if the full benefits of the mentoring cum peer coaching programme are to be realised. In addition, the findings served to provide useful directions for follow-up studies on the issues identified here as well as future research on the challenging field of beginning teachers' professional development.
Date Issued
2003
Call Number
LB1731.4 Chu
Date Submitted
2003