Estimated time required to complete this module: 8 h
Estimated time required to complete this unit: 4 h
Estimated time required to complete this unit: 4 h
The Mentor Teacher as role model
Regrettably, student teachers often return from school experience disheartened. When their supervisor enquires about the main reasons for this discouragement, they realize that the student teacher has had a ‘Mr Grumpy’ as a mentor teacher. Fortunately, many also return from the school practicum period indicating how valuable the experience was. Inevitably, a positive experience directly reflects the quality of the mentoring relationship and the good role modelling that the student teacher has experienced.
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A role model is a person looked up to by others as an example to be imitated. Mentor teachers, willingly or unwillingly, model to student teachers what it means to be a teacher. Through your conduct you convey values and ways of thinking. If you are tasked with mentoring a student teacher, you need to understand that your actions will speak more loudly than your words. |
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