Teacher Thinking Associated With Science-Specific Mentor Preparation
Department
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-2010
Abstract
Framed by sociocultural theory, the purpose of the study was to understand the cultural tools used by science teachers when leaning to mentor and how tool use may lead to the construction of new understandings about mentoring. The participants were 37 experienced teachers enrolled in a federally funded science-specific mentor preparation program. Data took the form of interview transcripts, electronic bulletin board postings, and written cases. Program participants were found to use a range of tools to mediate their thinking about science teacher mentoring. Analysis of data revealed that the participants used the discourse of science teaching as well as such tools as classroom observation strategies and interpersonal mentoring approaches, to mediate their thinking about mentoring. The participants tools also included images that mediated their responses to specific mentoring challenges and dilemmas that highlighted for them contradictions in their thinking about mentoring. The cultural tools used by the science teachers when learning to mentor provide insight into how they think about science teacher mentoring and the nature of the professional learning experiences needed to enable them to develop as mentors
Journal Title
Science Education
Journal ISSN
0036-8326
Volume
94
Issue
6
First Page
1072
Last Page
1091
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1002/sce.20400