Conference Agenda

This symposium series, consisting of three consecutive symposia, is organised by the European network Ecologies of Teacher Induction and Mentoring in Europe (TIME) which has been organised as a network project of the Network 1 “Professional Learning and Development” of EERA since 2021. The aim of the network is to bring together researchers interested in supporting and mentoring new teachers during the induction phase. The network has organised various meetings of researchers to promote cooperation between researchers working on mentoring and induction practices, not only at the ECER conference, but also, for example, at the NERA conference. The network is also in the process of editing a European anthology of this research.

A variety of research and development work on induction and mentoring is explored as a part of teachers’ continuing professional learning and development within a broader ecosystem of educational practices. The research is based on the assumption that induction and mentoring are seen as part of teachers' ongoing professional learning and development and as part of a wider set of practices that can be called an ecosystem of professional development.

The Part 2 of this three-part symposium presents three studies on innovative mentoring programs and their impact on mentors, mentees, and the educational community at large, with a special focus on education of mentors as a common unifying element.

The first study, part of the NEST project, investigates a mentoring program across seven European education systems, specifically targeting teachers in disadvantaged schools. The adaptive mentor training was designed to address the unique needs of mentored teachers. The study, involving 229 mentors and 1,603 beginning teachers, assesses changes in mentor practices and the perceived fit between mentoring practices and mentee needs. Results show a positive shift in mentor practices over time, with the intervention group reporting higher satisfaction in the alignment between practices and needs.

The second paper explores the experiences of teachers participating in a school-based mentor education program within a University-School partnership project. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study reveals insights into professional learning (PL) and the application of mentoring competence in practice. The findings highlight the positive influence of school-based and collective mentor education on individual and collective professional learning, emphasizing the integration of mentor education into schools and its potential as a form of continuing professional learning for teachers.

The third study delves into context-based mentoring training through nine case studies from the Promentors EU Erasmus+ project, involving collaboration between Israeli colleges and European universities. Drawing on Social Emotional Competence (SEC) and Bronfenbrenner's ecological model, the study explores the unique characteristics and objectives of mentor courses developed in the program. The findings underscore the crucial role of sociocultural context in creating effective and sustainable mentor training programs, emphasizing the need for context-sensitive interventions tailored to diverse cultures and contexts.

Numerous studies show positive effects of mentoring on the mentored teachers (e.g. Ingersoll & Strong, 2011; Kraft et al., 2018). The quality of the mentoring offered is important here. Crasborn et al. (2011) and Richter et al. (2013) point out that the selection of a suitable mentoring approach is a prerequisite for positive effects on the prospective teachers. The fit between mentoring practices and the needs of the mentored teachers is therefore a quality indicator for the offered mentoring. In disadvantaged schools, it is particularly crucial to promote the professional development of teachers (Hall et al., 2020). A mentoring approach that addresses the specific needs of trainee teachers could potentially reduce teacher shortages and improve teaching quality. The research project NEST (Novice Educator Support and Training) implements a mentoring program in seven European education systems (e.g. Catalonia, Bulgaria, Romania) aimed at teachers in disadvantaged schools and tries to ensure better support for the needs of mentored teachers through adaptive mentor training. The paper examines the following research questions: 1. Do the mentors' practices change after the first training period (and during the second school year)? 2. Is there a better fit between mentoring practices and mentee needs in the novice teacher intervention group compared to the control group? A total of 229 mentors took part in the surveys on the overall project (179 of them in the intervention group, who received mentor training). The mentors in the intervention group were surveyed three times (before the training, after the first and second project year) using online questionnaires. Furthermore, a total of 1,603 beginning teachers (957 were in control groups with and without mentors) were surveyed twice (at the beginning and end of the 2021/22 and 2022/23 school years). Among other things, all groups were asked about mentoring practices. The items on mentoring styles used were based on Crasborn et al. (2008; 2011). To investigate whether the mentors' practices change over time and how well the beginning teachers assess the fit between the practices used by their mentors and their own needs, t tests were calculated. For mentors, we found an overall tendency towards a decrease in directive practices and an increase in facilitative practices. Furthermore, the intervention group is more satisfied with the fit of the practices than the respective control cohort if a significant change in the practices of the mentors was also visible during the time period.

Crasborn, F., Hennissen, P., Brouwer, N., Korthagen, F., & Bergen, T. (2008): Promoting versatility in mentor teachers’ use of supervisory skills. Teaching and Teacher Education 24 (3), S. 499–514. DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2007.05.001. Crasborn, F., Hennissen, P., Brouwer, N., Korthagen, F., & Bergen, T. (2011): Exploring a two-dimensional model of mentor teacher roles in mentoring dialogues. Teaching and Teacher Education 27 (2), S. 320–331. DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.014. Hall, C., Lundin, M., & Sibbmark, K. (2022). Strengthening Teachers in Disadvantaged Schools: Evidence from an Intervention in Sweden's Poorest City Districts. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 66(2), 208–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2020.1788154 Ingersoll, R. M. & Strong, M. (2011). The impact of induction and mentoring programs for beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 81 (2), 201-233. Kraft, M. A., Blazar, D. & Hogan, D. (2018). The effect of teacher coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence. Review of Educational Research, 88 (4), 547-588. Richter, D.; Kunter, M.; Lüdtke, O.; Klusmann, U.; Anders, Y.; Baumert, J. (2013). How different mentoring approaches affect beginning teachers' development in the first years of practice. In Teaching and Teacher Education 36, pp. 166–177. DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2013.07.012.

Mentoring has been described as a key strategy for supporting teachers who are beginning their career (Jones, 2009), and the focus of research has often been the mentee receiving mentoring and the mentoring process itself (Walters et al., 2020). Internationally, concerns have been raised about the need to place greater attention on mentors, how they are prepared for their role, and mentor education (Hobson et al., 2009; Ulvik & Sunde, 2013). Studies that explore the ways in which mentoring can benefit mentors and emphasize the professional needs and knowledge of mentors have been called for (Aspfors & Fransson, 2015; Fredriksen & Halse, 2022; Walters et al., 2020). In response, this paper focuses on the teachers taking mentor education and explores their experience of professional learning (PL) and the use of mentoring competence in practice. Moreover, it provides knowledge about organizing mentor education collectively and in a school-based manner, as well as the value of creating professional learning communities (PLCs) of mentors in schools. The context of this presentation is a University-School partnership project in which four schools completed a mentor-education program that was school-based and involved collective participation. The study is based on a mixed methods research design with quantitative and qualitative data collected at the four University-Schools. Data have been obtained through a quantitative survey (N = 83) and qualitative focus group interviews (N = 9) in the final semester of mentor education. In addition, a qualitative open-ended survey (N = 17) was distributed 2 years after the mentor education was completed. The analysis of the results revealed that teachers’ experiences of individual and collective PL through a school-based mentor-education program are characterized by the following: 1) new knowledge about mentoring and communication, 2) the use and application of mentor education in practice, 3) school-based and collective collaboration, and 4) the extended use of mentoring competence. Taking mentor education in a school-based and collective manner has resulted in mentor education being integrated into schools, and teachers’ PL is positively influenced by having to interact and collaborate with colleagues persistently over time. This thesis offers empirical contributions to research on mentor education, mentors, and the role of mentoring competence for teachers and schools. Overall, it provides evidence showing the potential of professional learning through mentor education and the use of mentoring in practice, thus showing that mentor education should be prioritized as a form of continuing professional learning for teachers.

Aspfors, J., & Fransson, G. (2015). Research on mentor education for mentors of newly qualified teachers: A qualitative meta-synthesis. Teaching and Teacher Education, 48, 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.02.004 Fredriksen, L. L., & Halse, E. (2022). Uddannelse til kompetente mentorer for nyuddannede lærere. Studier i læreruddannelse og -profession, 7(2), 53–76. https://doi.org/10.7146/lup.v7i2.132894 Hobson, A. J., Ashby, P., Malderez, A., & Tomlinson, P. D. (2009). Mentoring beginning teachers: What we know and what we don’t. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(1), 207–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.09.001 Jones, M. (2009). Supporting the supporters of novice teachers: An analysis of mentors’ needs from twelve European countries presented from an English perspective. Research in Comparative and International Education, 4(1), 4-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/rcie.2009.4.1.4 Ulvik, M., & Sunde, E. (2013). The impact of mentor education: Does mentor education matter? Professional Development in Education, 39(5), 754–770. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2012.754783

The value of mentoring for new teachers has been a topic of interest worldwide (Olsen et al. 2020). Effective mentoring promotes positive outcomes for all stakeholders: the new teachers, the school and the mentors themselves resulting in job satisfaction and retention in the workplace (Richmond et al., 2020). Thus, developing good, sustainable training programs for mentors has become a desired goal in many educational settings (Parker et al, 2021). The literature on mentoring point at the existence of multiple training models, using additional terms such as coaching, guiding, advising, supervising, supporting and more, all seeking to improve mentoring systems in the educational framework (Betlem et al. 2018). Mentor training programs are difficult to compare or evaluate due to differences in content, settings and cultures. Studies have shown that professionalization of mentoring training and creating partnerships promote co-construction of knowledge and provide optimal support for both mentors and mentees (Tonna et al. 2017; Wexler, 2019). There is need for context-sensitive mentor training, intervention training programs tailored for culture and context. This presentation will report on nine case studies from Promentors EU Erasmus project, which aimed to develop unique mentors training models for teachers. Nine colleges from Israel and four European universities participated in this project. Based on theories within Social Emotional Competence (SEC) (e.g., Collie, 2020), and on Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological model, and using qualitative case study methods of analysis (Hamilton & Cobett-Whittier, 2013) this study details objectives, curriculum and unique characteristics of mentor courses developed in the program. We investigated individual, organizational, and environmental factors related to the programs each college developed highlighting what specializes them from other more ‘traditional’ mentors’ courses. Findings show that the role of sociocultural context is crucial in creating effective sustainable mentor training programs that operate as a continuum between the academia (teacher preparation), teachers’ knowledge base, sense of preparedness and assimilation of new teachers in the workplace. It similarly contributes to the professional development of the mentors themselves. Ecological school culture and the surrounding socio-cultural context express the environments within which effective mentoring training and practices take place. We discuss the ways in which knowledge of mentoring training is distributed across different resources, places, organizations and in the culture of teaching. Implications highlight the value of context-sensitive mentor training, or intervention training programs tailored for cultures and contexts.

Betlem, E., Clary, D. & Jones, M., (2018) Mentoring the Mentor: Professional development through a school-university partnership. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 47(4), 327-346. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Collie, R.J. (2020). Social and emotional competence: advancing understanding of what, for whom, and when. Educational Psychology, 40, 663-665. Hamilton, L. & Cobett-Whittier, C. (2013). Using case Study in Education Research. London: Sage. Olsen, K.R., Bjerkholt, E.M. & Heikkinen, H.L.T., (2020), New teachers in Nordic countries: Ecologies of mentoring and induction, Cappellen Damm Akademisk. Parker, A.K., Zenkov, K., & Glaser, H. (2021). Preparing school-based teacher educators: mentor teachers’ perceptions of mentoring and mentor. Peabody Journal of Education, 96(1), 65–75. Richmond, G., Bartell, T.G., Floden, R.E., & Jones, N. D. (2020). How research sheds light on the pivotal role of mentors in teacher preparation. Journal of Teacher Education, 71(1), 6–8. Tonna, M.A., Bjerkholt, E. and Holland, E., (2017), Teacher mentoring and the reflective practitioner approach. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 6(3), 210-227. Wexler, L.J. (2019). Working together within a system: educative mentoring and novice teacher learning. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 27, 44-67.