Transforming beginner teacher mentoring interventions for social reform

• Published in: South African journal of education Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 1 - 12
• Main Authors: Smit, Tanya, Du Toit, Pieter H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bloemfontein Education Association of South Africa (EASA) 01.08.2016; Education Association of South Africa
• Subjects: Action Research; Beginning Teachers; Brain; Cognitive style; Communities of Practice; Education & Educational Research; Education, Scientific Disciplines; Educational Change; Educational Practices; Educational Principles; Elementary School Teachers; Faculty Development; Feedback (Response); Foreign Countries; Interpersonal Relationship; Intervention; Learning styles; Mentoring; Mentoring practice; Mentoring programs; Mentors; Novices; Professional development; Profiles; Qualitative Research; Questionnaires; Social Action; Social change; Social reform; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Teaching practice; Teaching styles; Transformational Leadership; Whole Brain Learning; Whole Brain Mentoring; Whole Brain Teaching; Whole Brain® Learning; Whole Brain® Mentoring; South Africa; Whole Brain® Teaching; learning styles; teaching practice; Whole Brain® Mentoring; Action research; Whole Brain® Learning; teaching styles; professional development; mentoring practice
• ISSN: 0256-0100; 2076-3433; 2076-3433
• DOI: 10.15700/saje.v36n3a1134

This article reports on an investigation into the use of action research for beginner teachers' professional development through the use of peer mentoring. Action research principles were applied by the mentor and the participating mentees/peers, forming a scholarly community of practice. The mentees were empowered to transform their teaching practice by applying the principles of Whole Brain® Learning (Herrmann, 1995) as a means to enact the role of facilitator and to take responsibility for developing scholarship of teaching, as it is aligned with the role of scholar and lifelong learner. The mentor (first author) who also was a beginner teacher at the time of the execution of the research project, had to enact the same roles with a view to transforming her mentorship practice, thereby enacting the role of transformative leader (Wolvaardt & Du Toit, 2012). Data collection methods included brain profiling and feedback questionnaires, observations, and video and photographic evidence. Some of the qualitative data collected by means of a feedback questionnaire are reported. Facilitating the mentoring programme offered the mentor the opportunity to develop professionally by using action research as a means to taking responsibility for her professional development per se.