As can be seen, the existing literature is focused on mentoring as a general concept or mentoring in the FE sector. As yet, there is no specific research into the mentoring models which would be appropriate for trainee teachers in
the VCS (although there is one piece of research by Turner, Thomas and Rose (2008) which examines how the introduction of QTLS will impact on the Third Sector). Whilst it may not be essential to differentiate between different parts of the education sector in order to introduce a successful mentoring system, it is necessary to have regard for the effect of context. Clutterbuck (2003) identifies the impact that contextual factors can have on the mentoring relationship and scheme. These include the motivations that the mentor and mentee bring to the relationship, the level of training both have received, whether the relationship is supported and personal attributes such as race, age or gender. Clutterbuck does not discuss the influence of the organisational context or the context in which the organisation operates. In term of teachers in the VCS setting, it will be important to identify factors such as legislation, qualifications and professional expectations related to teaching and learning as well as finances, ethos and operational constraints associated with being a VCS body. It will also be important to acknowledge the motivation of teachers and mentors as many people join the VCS after careers elsewhere or as part of their own development before joining the workforce. This may mean that some volunteers are less willing or able to undertake formal teacher training and mentoring may need to be tailored to address these issues before dealing with the ITT requirements.
The need to understand the specific nature of organisations is identified by Hankey (2004) as she believes it is important for the Higher Education Institution (HEI) providing teacher-training (which makes the assumption that it is HEI based) and the organisation providing a teaching placement (which
makes the assumption that it is one institution which may not be the case for part-time teachers) to reach a clear understanding about the nature of the mentoring relationship. It is the duality of the organisational context and the personal attributes brought to the relationship which is likely to be particular to mentors and mentees in the VCS. Cunningham (2005:34) acknowledges the mentoring ‘mix’ as an important balance between the practical and the ‘psychosocial’ where the trainees’ wellbeing and development are included. This is likely to be an important consideration in the VCS as the ethos of the organisation may be one which encourages nurturing and a holistic approach to development.
As most VCS providers are new to mentoring for teacher-trainees they do not have an existing body of knowledge or practice to refer to when developing their systems. Hankey (2004) believes that FE needs to build on good practice in mentoring. This may be difficult for VCS providers as they have not been engaged in mentoring so will need to look to other sectors for examples of good practice and tailor these accordingly. As such, there is no sector- specific ‘community of practice’ (Wenger, 2004) for them to join which means that they are already excluded from discourses around mentoring and may be disadvantaged when influencing discourses that will affect the way in which their teaching staff are mentored by others in the wider sector. Although some writers look to generic mentoring tools, such as collegiality, in the development of new and experienced staff the specific nature of the VCS may mean that this is not always appropriate. For instance, Turner and Harkin (2003:21) believe that collegiality ‘whereby likeminded teachers communicate
and work closely with each other’ has a positive effect on self-directed professional development. This implies that teachers all have the same interests or that some form of matching is required to ensure likemindedness. Whilst it is likely that all teachers will share some similar experiences it is also important to recognise the impact of professional and personal differences. In terms of the VCS, it may well be that support from colleagues within the organisations or from similar organisations is welcome because the colleagues are likeminded enough to offer empathy. The use of such generic tools without thought for the specific context of application may be more detrimental than helpful.
One of the biggest issues for VCS providers, when deciding on the appropriate model of mentoring, will be the practical constraints. Time, existing knowledge and skills, capacity to give dedicated mentoring support, even a room for a confidential conversation may all be very limited or non- existent. Some of the practices available to FE may appear like a luxury to the VCS. For example, Matthews (2003:327) states that people may need more than one mentor during their career ‘to grow and develop with the staff member’. It is unlikely that many small VCS providers will have the capacity to offer more than one mentor.
Cunningham (2005:68) also spends time exploring ways for the mentor to make the experience of beginning teaching less intimidating in terms of the learners and the classroom setting. For new teachers working in the VCS this is much less likely to be an issue in that most will come from either a
professional background (such as nursing or accountancy) or have been volunteers within the organisation and are familiar with the client group. Their ‘entry’ into teaching will not be as sudden as for many teachers in FE colleges and the mentor will need to take into account their wealth of previous experience, both as a professional and as a learner.
Conclusion
Examining the literature has highlighted several points which will need to inform the decisions taken by VCS providers as they introduce mentoring systems to support the ITT –
• How are mentor and mentoring defined? • How will mentors be chosen?
• How will mentors be trained and supported?
• What are the boundaries of the mentoring relationship?
• How will the organisation meet the subject-specific mentoring requirements of ITT?
The literature is, and can only be, part of the context in which VCS providers will need to create mentoring systems that meet the specific needs of their organisations. In turn, the development of mentoring systems will give rise to new opportunities for empirical research and comparative studies to provide a better understanding of the links between mentoring theory and practice.
The next chapter describes the methodology used to collect the research data.