Supporting Teachers in a Time of Change

Through the mediums of mentoring and values this document explores the interface between individuals, their actions, beliefs and the context in which the interactions take place. The submission is a journey in development, taken by the writer, illustrating the linkage between the research methodology and the increasingly theoretical framework, through a series of research projects from 1986 to 2000. Widely published it represents a substantial contribution to a developing area of work based on aspects of partnership in education. Largely empirical, using a raft of instruments including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observations of student-teachers and teachers, in schools and Higher Education Institutions, it explores the central place of individuals, their beliefs and actions in affecting and responding to change within given contexts, alongside the effect of context upon their experiences. It includes a substantial comparative international element. Set in the context of rapid change in teacher education resulting from government legislation and societal expectations, it encompasses the move to school-based training and the increasing need for supporting teachers in times of change. It clearly shows the links between the two major themes of 'partnership', including groundbreaking work on mentoring in a number of settings, and 'values'. It has and continues to influence the progress of developmental enquiry on the part of action researchers of the relationships between policy and societal contexts, personal agency and values. Beginning with the introduction of mentoring into Partnership schemes and investigating the process and roles of those involved, it presents hypotheses concerning the conditions contributing to and impeding successful programmes and the qualities, attitudes and skills possessed, and needed, by those taking part in Partnerships. It also considers mentoring genres across a wider field. It introduces the need for a 'mentoring matrix' and questions the reliability of mono-directional ratings of satisfaction in a mentoring situation. The centrality of individuals within any developing situation is drawn out and the inter-connectivity of personal and professional beliefs, attitudes and values across teaching and learning are explored, drawn from research on Values Education and the principles underlying teachers' actions. The resulting hypotheses on the importance of Partnership leading to Learning Communities present blueprints for future practice and philosophy of Teacher Education initiating and contributing substantially to the ongoing debate.