Mentoring in a Cohort Model of Practicum: Mentors and Preservice Teachers’ Experiences in a Rural South African School
Little is known about mentoring student cohorts from largely urban backgrounds doing practicum at one school, living alongside the community, and sharing residential facilities with teacher educators in a rural context. This article reports Bachelor of Education students’ and mentors’ school-based m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2017-05-01
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| Series: | SAGE Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017709863 |
| _version_ | 1818142906902380544 |
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| author | Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi |
| author_facet | Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi |
| author_sort | Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Little is known about mentoring student cohorts from largely urban backgrounds doing practicum at one school, living alongside the community, and sharing residential facilities with teacher educators in a rural context. This article reports Bachelor of Education students’ and mentors’ school-based mentoring experiences during a 4-week residential practicum in a rural setting. Data generated through in-depth group discussions with students and mentors were analyzed using content analysis. Experiences revolved around professional support, lesson observations and feedback, collaboration, and modeling. Notwithstanding that mentors were a source of wisdom in practical knowledge for students, they gained valuable professional knowledge around teaching styles and learner engagement from students. Collaborations rejuvenated mentor practices and stimulated their reflection, enthusiasm, and passion for work. Nondevelopmental experiences related to poor mentor communication, lack of modeling lessons, and objectivity in feedback. Although the overall impression from participants was positive, there is evidence of unequal mentor–mentee relationships and failure to construct the mentoring process as a journey of initiation into the preservice teacher’s life role. I illustrate that in-school mentoring in the South African education context may be enhanced, if school-based teacher educators are exposed to mentoring practices and school-based supports through comprehensive ongoing training to better prepare them for supporting not only preservice teachers but also novice teachers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T11:23:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-907e5f57f57b47ec8a489f4e737096f3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2158-2440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T11:23:13Z |
| publishDate | 2017-05-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SAGE Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-907e5f57f57b47ec8a489f4e737096f32022-12-22T01:09:04ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402017-05-01710.1177/2158244017709863Mentoring in a Cohort Model of Practicum: Mentors and Preservice Teachers’ Experiences in a Rural South African SchoolTabitha Grace Mukeredzi0Durban University of Technology, Pietermaritzburg, South AfricaLittle is known about mentoring student cohorts from largely urban backgrounds doing practicum at one school, living alongside the community, and sharing residential facilities with teacher educators in a rural context. This article reports Bachelor of Education students’ and mentors’ school-based mentoring experiences during a 4-week residential practicum in a rural setting. Data generated through in-depth group discussions with students and mentors were analyzed using content analysis. Experiences revolved around professional support, lesson observations and feedback, collaboration, and modeling. Notwithstanding that mentors were a source of wisdom in practical knowledge for students, they gained valuable professional knowledge around teaching styles and learner engagement from students. Collaborations rejuvenated mentor practices and stimulated their reflection, enthusiasm, and passion for work. Nondevelopmental experiences related to poor mentor communication, lack of modeling lessons, and objectivity in feedback. Although the overall impression from participants was positive, there is evidence of unequal mentor–mentee relationships and failure to construct the mentoring process as a journey of initiation into the preservice teacher’s life role. I illustrate that in-school mentoring in the South African education context may be enhanced, if school-based teacher educators are exposed to mentoring practices and school-based supports through comprehensive ongoing training to better prepare them for supporting not only preservice teachers but also novice teachers.https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017709863 |
| spellingShingle | Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi Mentoring in a Cohort Model of Practicum: Mentors and Preservice Teachers’ Experiences in a Rural South African School SAGE Open |
| title | Mentoring in a Cohort Model of Practicum: Mentors and Preservice Teachers’ Experiences in a Rural South African School |
| title_full | Mentoring in a Cohort Model of Practicum: Mentors and Preservice Teachers’ Experiences in a Rural South African School |
| title_fullStr | Mentoring in a Cohort Model of Practicum: Mentors and Preservice Teachers’ Experiences in a Rural South African School |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mentoring in a Cohort Model of Practicum: Mentors and Preservice Teachers’ Experiences in a Rural South African School |
| title_short | Mentoring in a Cohort Model of Practicum: Mentors and Preservice Teachers’ Experiences in a Rural South African School |
| title_sort | mentoring in a cohort model of practicum mentors and preservice teachers experiences in a rural south african school |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017709863 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tabithagracemukeredzi mentoringinacohortmodelofpracticummentorsandpreserviceteachersexperiencesinaruralsouthafricanschool |