3 Supporting beginner teachers’ reflective practice
Effective mentors encourage beginner teachers to critically reflect on their practice by modelling what this looks like in a variety of ways. Reflection can either be formal or informal, and it will be most powerful if the three elements of critical reflection (reflection, critical thinking and evaluation) are considered.
The importance of exploiting opportunities for informal reflection should not be underestimated. In research undertaken by Jones, Tones and Foulkes (2018), informal dialogue (which would be likely to involve some reflection) between mentors and beginner teachers was seen as where students made most progress, particularly when the relationship was both positive and collaborative.
| Strategy | Examples |
| Reflective journals or diaries | Record incidents, ideas and reflections gained from different sources such as observations and training courses. Can be a notebook or shared blog, which includes informal reflections to be considered during mentor meetings and informal feedback. |
| Mentor sessions | A set time for in-depth reflection, evaluation and target setting. |
| Shared practice | Observation of the mentor or undertaking more formal structures such as lesson study or joint planning and team teaching. |
| Observation | Lesson observations – both formal and informal. Informal: used to prompt reflective practice and to provide a basis for formative assessment and discussion. Formal: used for assessment purposes, often in collaboration with external practice assessors. |
| Feedback | Part of professional dialogue and often following a lesson observation. Can take various forms (e.g. formal, informal; general, specific; directive, open-ended). |
| Problem-based learning | Analysis of real-life scenarios. |
| Learner voice | Time for learners to complete evaluations or talk about their learning. Used to inform reflection. |
These strategies to support reflective practice are based on the ideas within the guidance on ‘Reflective practice’ (Welsh Government, 2015), with some additions.
The next activity will help you reflect on how mentoring conversations can encourage reflective practice.
Activity 3 Promoting reflective dialogue
Listen to the audios below, which capture the dialogue between two mentors and their beginner teachers. Consider what is problematic in each scene and identify possible suggestions for how the dialogue could have been more effective.
Audio 1
Transcript
| What did the beginner teacher need from their mentor in this scenario? |
| What did the beginner teacher gain from the dialogue? |
| What do you see as problematic? |
| How could the dialogue have been more effective? |
Audio 2
Transcript
| What did the beginner teacher need from their mentor in this scenario? |
| What did the beginner teacher gain from the dialogue? |
| What do you see as problematic? |
| How could the dialogue have been more effective? |
Reflecting on both scenarios, write a short response in the box below on effective mentoring conversations
Mentors have a clear role to support and challenge a beginner teacher through appropriate mentoring conversations, but they can also grow their role within their school to take on more responsibilities. This wider role is considered next.