Teaching Teachers: Strategies for Mentoring Student Teachers
Support Scotland’s teachers as a School-Based Teacher Educator (SBTE) with expert guidance and tailored strategies.
1,235 enrolled on this course
Duration
5 weeksWeekly study
2 hoursLanguages
English, Español, Italiano, Français, PortuguêsEnglish, Español100% online
How it works
Teaching Teachers: Strategies for Mentoring Student Teachers
This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. Find out more.
Empower student teachers through mentorship as a skilled teacher educator
Providing supportive mentorship opportunities before teachers enter the workforce is an effective way to prevent burnout and promote high-quality education in schools.
On this five-week course from the University of Edinburgh, become a go-to support for student teachers and equip yourself with mentorship skills that matter. As you progress in your professional development, you’ll explore your responsibility as a mentor and sharpen your interpersonal skills to support student teachers as they complete their placements and learning.
Open to new and experienced mentors, this course is tailored for Scottish teachers interacting with education students.
Reflect on your role as a School-Based Teacher Educator (SBTE)
You’ll begin this course by reflecting on your identity as an SBTE. During this initial exploration, you’ll build a solid foundation for mentorship, better preparing yourself to effectively support student teachers on placement and guide them in their early teaching experiences.
Develop interpersonal skills and support strategies
You’ll enhance your interpersonal skills and emotional literacy to provide both emotional and psychological support for student teachers, helping build their confidence and fostering supportive learning environments.
Provide constructive feedback and encourage reflective learning
During the final week, you’ll wrap up this course by gaining constructive feedback and feedforward skills. In doing so, you’ll deliver guidance that fosters the emotional and professional growth of your mentees.
What’s more, you’ll be guided by the experts at the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House, ranked #1 in Scotland and #3 in the UK for education (2024 Complete University Guide) and connect with like-minded educators empowering the future of education.
Syllabus
Week 1
Reflect and develop your identity
Welcome to the course
We start with a short overview of how to use the platform and an introduction to the course. You will also have the opportunity to introduce yourself and get talking to your fellow learners.
Being a Mentor/Mentee
What does it mean to be a mentor or a mentee.
What do you think the roles and responsibilities of a mentor are?
An opportunity for you to reflect on what you think the roles and responsibilities are for a mentor
Professional Standards for Teachers
This section examines the importance of professional standards for mentees and mentors.
Other Resources and Introductory Readings
A list of resources and readings on the topic of mentoring.
Week 2
Develop your interpersonal skills
What forms of relationships exist in mentoring?
Thinking about interpersonal skills and where we might need to develop our own skills and support a student in developing their skills, as well, as well as considering different forms of relationships.
Why good interpersonal skills are important.
This section brings us on to thinking about interpersonal skills and their importance. You will consider two excerpts from advice on mentoring and reflect on your strengths.
Reflecting on your experiences as a mentor/mentee.
Sharing experiences of feedback you have received as a mentee or gave as a mentor or both. (This could be in terms of being a student on placement or in terms of ongoing professional development/annual reviews).
Distinguishing between positive and negative mentor/mentee conversations
An invitation to analyse two recordings of conversations between a mentor and a mentee, one positive, one less so.
Understanding challenges faced by student teachers from underrepresented groups
Understanding challenges faced by student teachers from underrepresented groups, ie race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, additional support needs.
How to support student teachers from underrepresented groups
Reflecting on comments of how to support underrepresented groups.
Reflecting on key learning from week 2
Reflecting on and recording on your key learning from this week.
Week 3
Strategies to scaffold support
Student support strategies
A framework for providing scaffolding and identifying when fading may be more effectual.
Reflecting on strategies you use as a mentor
Reflecting on strategies you already use as a mentor.
Scaffolding and fading
An examination of when scaffolding can be used and when to begin to fade this scaffolding.
Interventions
When and where we should look to decide an intervention is required.
Support and challenge
When you might appreciate that the student teacher requires support or challenge.
Team teaching
Team teaching and what it means for us, as well as consider the ways to use this to support/challenge our mentee.
Reflections on learning
Reflecting on your learning from this week, indicating how this is likely to impact your future thinking and practice as a mentor.
Week 4
Provide structured and constructive feedback
Introduction to feedback
A consideration of what is meant by feedback and the purpose of providing it.
Definitions of feedback
Gathering your views on what feedback is.
Models of feedback
An examination of feedback models.
Designing feedback strategies
An examination of the principles for designing feedback strategies.
Reflections on learning
A reflection on this week's learning.
Resources and readings
Recommendations for further reading.
Week 5
Empower student teachers
Empowering student teachers
Helping student to become more independent and take the lead in their development.
Promoting self-worth and self-efficacy
How to encourage self-efficacy and feelings of self-worth in beginning teachers.
Review of learning on MOOC and action points
A chance to reflect on your learning over the five weeks of the MOOC and to set action points for your future development.
Feedback on the course.
Request to complete feedback questionnaire.
Who is this accredited by?
The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Develop a range of strategies to support beginning teachers
- Develop their interpersonal skills and their ability to facilitate mentees’ critical reflection
- Examine how they can provide feedforward advice and feedback in a constructive manner
- Identify scaffolding strategies appropriate to support individual student teachers
- Empower student teachers and promote their learnacy
Who is the course for?
This is an advanced course open to any School-Based Teacher Educators (SBTEs) in Scotland, including both new and experienced mentors. It aims to enhance your skills in supporting, providing feedback to, and empowering student teachers while developing your professional capabilities.
Who will you learn with?
Who developed the course?
The University of Edinburgh
Founded in 1583, the University of Edinburgh is one of the world’s top universities and is globally recognised for research, innovation and high-quality teaching.
| Best ValueBest Value - learn more, save more! | |||
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| Choose the best way to learn for you! | $79/one-off payment | $244.99 for a whole year Automatically renews | Free |
| Fulfill your current learning need | Develop skills to further your career | Try this course - with limits | |
| Access to this course | tick | tick | Limited to 5 weeks |
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| Learn at your own pace | tick | tick | cross |
| Discuss your learning in comments | tick | tick | tick |
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Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$244.99 for a whole year
Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$79/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Start learning today
Free
Try this course - with limits
- Limited to 5 weeks
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) Sale price available until 2 November 2026 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply. | |||
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Sale price available until 2 November 2026 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.
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