Mentoring in teacher education: Building nurturing contexts and teaching communities for rural primary school teachers in Sindh, Pakistan
Abstract
This paper examines how mentoring can improve the performance and level of teacher education in Pakistan, especially in rural areas. It presents a qualitative case study that focuses on two teachers from rural Sindh; one male and the other female. These teachers were participants in the Mentoring Program at the Aga Khan University – Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED). Data was collected through participant observations, from structured and unstructured interviews, in the classroom and the field, and from reflective journals. The program focused on reconceptualizing the role of these teachers as mentors, developing relevant skills through critical thinking and reflective practice. The objective was to enhance teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and androgogical skills. After the program in their cluster based schools these teachers assumed roles that addressed the contextual needs of their areas. The research for this study shows that the program helped mentor teachers to move from traditional to progressive approaches to teaching in which not only personal gains were achieved but whole school improvement was observed.