Section archive - Teacher Educators

This article reports the findings of the authors' self-studies of their role as the mentors of groups of teacher educator colleagues, who were themselves engaged in action research on their work with teachers as their chosen mode of professional learning. From these studies of mentoring the professional learning of teacher educator colleagues, the authors have developed a conceptual model for 'contextually responsive mentoring' in teacher education. This model proposes that there are (at least) six core preoccupations of practice that tend to dominate teacher educators' thinking when engaged in these kinds of professional learning enquiries.

This article considers the professional development of 75 primary and secondary teachers in Melbourne, who had been charged with the responsibility of leading the professional learning of their colleagues in their schools. To support these leaders in their roles, the Victorian state government’s Department of Education applied to the Pedagogy and Professional Learning Research Group at Monash University to develop and implement an appropriate Professional Learning program. The participants in the program reflected on their learning through the formalised process of case writing. The article offers insights into the journey of these educators of teachers as they have developed deeper understandings of what it means to be a teacher educator.

This article presents the results of an exploratory research study into induction practices of novice teacher educators in six different countries. This study aimed to answer the question, 'How do novice teacher educators experience their induction period?' Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 11 beginning teacher educators. The findings indicated that induction is quite problematic. None of the teacher educators experienced a satisfying induction into their institute and the profession as well. The results of the interviews mirror the two levels of induction. Firstly, it refers to the organizational induction into the teacher education institute. Secondly, it is about becoming a member of the profession (professional induction).

In this article, two beginning teacher educators discuss their experiences of professional learning and identity construction during the first years of their work as academics. The authors entered teacher education after working as classroom teachers but, as has been found by others in the literature, were provided with little formal preparation for this career transition. The tensions and dilemmas inherent in being ‘expert’ teachers and ‘novice’ teacher educators are discussed. The authors emphasize particularly the complexity of developing professional connections with colleagues in the academic context.