The Teacher Trainees’ Viewpoints on Demonstration/Modelling as A Mentoring Tool

Abstract

This study analyses the perceptions of teacher trainees in relation to the assistance they receive specifically through modelling by their mentors during teaching practice. A questionnaire survey was conducted among one hundred and twenty (120) teacher trainees by using the five point Likert scale. Respondents were asked to evaluate statements on mentors’ modelling by giving it a quantitative value. The results provides sufficient evidence that school based mentors use modelling as one of the mentoring tools to assist University of Botswana teacher trainees when on teaching practice. The use of modelling in conjunction with other mentoring tools provides student teachers with adequate skills they need in order to work independently in any environment where they will not be constantly supervised as they develop in their professions. According to this study, while most teacher trainees receive adequate demonstration from their mentors on several dimensions of teaching a minority of students did not benefit from the use of modelling as a mentoring tool by their mentors. It is evident that modelling is an important ingredient in any mentoring programme, and that teacher-trainees can internalise some of the positive qualities they observe from their mentors, and in that way become better teachers upon completion of their teacher training programme.

Keywords: teacher trainees, modelling, demonstration, mentors