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

Share

COinS