Partnership Mentoring for Improving Mentees' Teacher Learning

The purpose of this study was to investigate the assistance of teacher learning activities and to find the factors of improving mentees' teaching change through implementation of a partnership mentoring in a practice school. There were five teacher learning activities in partnership mentoring including apprenticeship mentoring, classroom observation, dialogical meeting, collaborative action research, and group discussion. Data were mainly collected from participant observation and interview with two mentees to evaluate teacher learning activities, and to trace the changes of their practical concepts and teaching practice. Multiple data such as interview and questionnaires from two mentors, and their students were supported to analyze and interpret. The findings revealed that teacher learning activities with characteristics of providing opportunities of teaching inquiry, teaching discussion, autonomy, and professional identity, were beneficial to mentees' professional development, such as group discussion, collaborative action, and classroom observation. It was necessary to provide supports of teaching skill, cognition and emotion for mentees' teaching change. The most effective strategies for enhancing mentees' cognition about teaching practice were listening to students' voice, argumentation about perspective, and mentees' centered teaching research.