This collection offers an evidence-based approach to mentoring and supporting design and technology teachers and educators in the secondary school and provides tried and tested strategies to support this role. Contributors offer tasks and reflections to inspire and motivate mentors to get the best out of beginning teachers in the early stages of their career. Key topics explored include:
• Helping new D&T teachers appreciate the fundamental nature of design and technology and how this informs both why it is taught and how it is taught.
• Understanding yourself as a mentor - beliefs, values and attitudes, and how your experiences influence your approaches to teaching.
• Observing design and technology teachers’ lessons and offering tools for observation and analysis.
• Risk taking in the classroom: moving teachers forward from pedestrian to innovative practice.
Filled with practical guidance on lesson planning, risk taking, and learning conversation, Mentoring Design and Technology Teachers in the Secondary School offers advice and guidance to support mentors in developing inspirational D&T teachers of the future. This essential guide is perfect for mentors of beginning teachers, whether trainee, newly qualified, or those who find themselves teaching the subject for the first time.
Table of Contents:
1. MODELS OF MENTORING, 2. UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF, 3. WHAT KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING AND SKILLS DO MENTORS OF NEW D&T TEACHERS NEED?, 4. HELPING NEW DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS GET THE BIG PICTURE, 5. HELPING BEGINNING DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS TO ANALYSE AND DEVELOP KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING OF FOOD PREPARATION AND NUTRITION, 6. HELPING NEW D&T TEACHERS TO ANALYSE AND DEVELOP KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING IN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY, 7. A SKILLS AUDIT: IDENTIFYING GAPS IN BEGINNING DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (D&T) TEACHERS’ SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING, 8. HELPING D&T TEACHERS PLAN, DELIVER AND EVALUATE LESSONS, 9. HELPING D&T TEACHERS TO PLAN PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING HEALTH AND SAFETY), 10. OBSERVING DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS’ LESSONS: TOOLS FOR OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS, 11. SUPPORTING THE BEGINNING TEACHER THROUGH PROFESSIONAL CONVERSATIONS, 12. RISK TAKING IN THE CLASSROOM, 13. A STAKEHOLDER VIEW OF MENTORING – REFLECTIONS FROM THOSE WHO MENTOR AND HAVE BEEN MENTORED
About the Author :
Suzanne Lawson is the PGCE secondary course leader at the University of Worcester. Previous to this she worked as a senior lecturer at Birmingham City University. She has fourteen years teaching experience working in a range of schools in the UK with a further 15 years’ experience in teacher training.
Susan Wood-Griffiths was the PGCE Secondary Design and Technology subject leader at the University of Worcester until 2018. Before moving into Higher Education, she taught for 21 years in the UK and overseas. Sue has worked with many teachers and aims to develop innovative, creative teachers who share ideas and take ‘intelligent’ risks.
Review :
Reviews
John Robson, Associate Lecturer D&T, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
There is a real need for this book, given the growth of the number of routes that now exist to gain entry into the teaching profession. In particular, most growth has been seen in school-led schemes. There is a worrying variance in the quality of these. Much of the variance is to be found in the quality of the mentoring being provided. The proposed publication would be a step towards resolving this issue…..and ultimately improving and maintaining the quality of teachers and the teaching of the subject!
I suspect that the market for this type of book to grow, given the growth of school-led teacher training and decline of provision for this in HEIs. Teachers in school require this kind of publication to guide their work in developing quality ITT and to reduce the variance I have already referred to. With fewer academics from HEIs to call upon, I can only see the demand for texts of this kind growing. Of course, the book will also usefully serve the needs of University-based courses (where these exist!) when considering practice in schools
Major strengths and distinctive features:
- It is a practical guide for mentors
- Can also be used by trainee teachers, NQTs and potentially more experienced teachers in their own CPD
- Provides ideas for practical tasks / things to do as part of the mentoring process
- Daws evidence from research, observation and experience
- Case studies are used to illuminate issues, ideas and theme
- Provides a subject focus
- Can be used across a range of different teacher education providers and schemes
- Supports the work of the busy teacher in school who has the role of Mentor
- Inclusion of risk taking in the classroom – moving teachers – moving from pedestrian to innovative practice
- Access to a range of supporting resources both in the book and from an associated website
Weaknesses and the necessary modifications needed:
- Mentor as counsellor – the soft skills required
- Mentor as role model
- There is much about "What to do". It might be good to include "What not to do"
- Supporting the weaker trainee. What about how the weaker trainee and providing the appropriate support? I think not enough attention is paid to this and is quite crucial. A strong trainee will succeed anyway - even despite inadequate mentoring. The weakest link is in the mentoring always!
Do you recommend that we should publish this book?
I recommend that you should publish this book. It is long overdue!
