Teaching, Practice and Mentoring: The Key to Effective Literacy, Language and Numeracy Teacher Training

Teaching practice is one of the most important elements of initial teacher training, but in the post-16 sector it has often played a secondary or even minor role. The DfES Standards Unit has called for 'a step change in the quality of teacher training' and outlined a major reform programme accompanied by substantial new funding, highlighting the role of teaching practice and the need for professional mentoring of teachers in the workplace. A recent Ofsted report on initial teacher training specifically identified mentoring and support for teaching practice as general weaknesses in most training programmes. This book supports the process of developing better techniques of teaching practice by disseminating a range of excellent organisational approaches being taken by different programmes across the country. It details how successful programmes provide high-quality teaching practice placements and the professional mentoring required to ensure that the trainees get the most out of their teaching practice. It suggests ways of supporting mentors more effectively, through partnership working, strategic planning, training, professional development and the provision of materials and resources. The main sources of the ideas and models in this booklet are talent London, which supports partnership working in LLN teacher training and professional development across the London region, and RETRO (Recruitment and Training Opportunities for new literacy, language and numeracy teachers), a DfES/SfLSU-funded project managed by NIACE, which developed models for regional infrastructures for initial teacher training.

Table of Contents:
Contents Introduction and acknowledgements Chapter 1 What is meant by teaching practice and mentoring? Why is it important? Chapter 2 Initial teacher training and Skills for Life Chapter 3 The initial teacher training team The role of TP mentors Formal assessment of teaching practice Mentoring, capacity-building, and career development Chapter 4 Models and settings for teaching practice: The 'scaffolded approach' The 'scaffolded approach' to teaching practice Model One: Training groups Model Two: Buddy-apprenticeship with simultaneous teaching Model Three: Buddy-apprenticeship alternating teaching Model Four: Apprenticeship Model Five: Teacher in employment Summary Chapter 5 Observation of teaching practice: assessment and feedback Guidelines for TP feedback summaries To sum up Chapter 6 Training for teaching practice mentors 1 Lessons on video 2. Role plays 3. Slips to sort 4. Case studies 5. Sharing ideas 6. Activity to raise awareness of the trainee teacher's point of view Chapter 7 Developing new teaching practice and mentoring placements Chapter 8 Quality assurance for teaching practice and mentoring 1. Teaching practice 2. Mentoring Appendix 1 Useful publications Appendix 2 Useful contacts and websites Appendix 3 Glossary