Professional Learning through Mentorship in a Teaching Portfolio Workshop

Abstract

This study examines mentor teachers’ learning through supervisory experiences of mentees’ teaching portfolios and collaborative peer-mentoring meetings with other mentors, in the context of developing mentors’ reviewing skills and awareness as professional mentors during an intensive workshop. Qualitative analysis revealed the following three points: (1) mentors understood the importance of having an open attitude toward their mentees and effective communication techniques for encouraging mentees to reconsider their solutions; (2) mentors obtained additional information regarding their own mentors and second opinions from other mentors in peer-mentoring meetings; and (3) mentors benefited from other mentors’ management styles and reflected on their own expertise for engaging in effective mentorship in peer-mentoring meetings.