PhD project
Reciprocal learning of mentor and mentee during the secondary school internship
How can reciprocal learning of mentor and mentee about PCK (Pedagogical Content Knowledge) during the secondary school internship be established?
- Duration
- 2024 - 2029
- Contact
- Geerte Holwerda-van den Berg
Researchers
- drs. G.H. Holwerda-van den Berg - PhD candidate
- prof.dr.ir. F.J.J.M. Janssen - supervisor
- dr. A. Logtenberg - co-supervisor
- dr. L. Post - co-supervisor
Project description
An important part of new secondary school teacher learning takes place at internship schools where a student-teacher is guided by a school-based mentor who teaches the same subject. This relationship between mentor and mentee provides many learning opportunities and has been the object of extensive research.
However, most research on mentoring doesn’t specifically focus on subject-specific mentoring, whereas in most countries, the daily mentors of student teachers teach the same subject. This is particularly noteworthy because especially the development of knowledge of how to teach a specific topic to specific students (called PCK, Pedagogical Content Knowledge) requires ample time and attention (Smets & Tuithof 2024). Moreover, although the mentoring relationship provides many opportunities for reciprocal learning of mentor and mentee, research on learning within the mentoring relationship has mostly stayed one-sidedly focused on the student. Mentorship mostly follows expert-novice models in which mentors are not really expected to learn from their mentees.
Research on teacher professional learning has shown that the best conditions for professional learning of in-service teachers are created when this learning: relates to daily teaching practice in particular with a subject-specific didactic focus, is inquiry-based, takes place together with colleagues, is awarded substantial time and is embedded within the school organization (van Veen et al. 2010). Reciprocal learning of mentor and mentee during the school internship can meet most of these conditions and provide valuable learning opportunities for mentors as well as mentees.
Therefore this research project aims to establish reciprocal of mentor and mentee about PCK (Pedagogical Content Knowledge), in order to deepen the learning of both novice and experienced teachers, combining initial teacher training and teacher professional development.
The research is conducted among History teachers in secondary education.
In the first qualitative study, laddering interviews were conducted with 20 mentoring pairs from different contexts to identify opportunities for reciprocal learning about PCK. This was done by starting from existing practices and taking into account the goals and beliefs of mentors and mentees about learning (Janssen 2013). Factors influencing the existence of reciprocal learning opportunities were also identified.
In a follow-up study, reciprocal learning will be evoked to promote learning about PCK and the use of technology in lessons. Finally, research will be conducted on how reciprocal learning can be organized at the level of training schools and institutes.
This research project contributes to knowledge on the development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, the organization of reciprocal learning within mentoring relationships and at meso-level, and its effects on teacher learning in schools.
References
- Janssen, F., Westbroek, H., Doyle, W., & Van Driel, J. (2013). How to Make Innovations Practical. Teachers College Record, 115(7), 1-43.
- Smets, Wouter and Hanneke Tuithof (2024). “Disentangling pre-service history eachers’ pedagogical content knowledge.” Teaching and Teacher Education.
- Veen, van, K., Zwart, R. C., Meirink, J. A., & Verloop, N. (2010). Professionele ontwikkeling van leraren: een reviewstudie naar effectieve kenmerken van professionaliseringsinterventies van leraren. ICLON/Expertisecentrum Leren van Docenten.