Table Of ContentMENTORING SCIENCE
TEACHERS IN THE
SECONDARY SCHOOL
This practical guide helps mentors of new science teachers in both developing their own
mentoring skills and providing the essential guidance their trainees need as they navigate
the rollercoaster of the first years in the classroom. Offering tried-and-tested strategies
based on the best research, it covers the knowledge, skills and understanding every men-
tor needs and offers practical tools such as lesson plans and feedback guides, observation
sheets and examples of dialogue with trainees.
Together with analytical tools for self-evaluation, this book is a vital source of support and
inspiration for all those involved in developing the next generation of outstanding science
teachers. Key topics explained include:
• Roles and responsibilities of mentors
• Developing a mentor—mentee relationship
• Guiding beginning science teachers through the lesson planning, teaching and self-
evaluation processes
• Observations and pre- and post-lesson discussions and regular mentoring meetings
• Supporting beginning teachers to enhance scientific knowledge and effective pedagog-
ical practices
• Building confidence among beginning teachers to cope with pupils’ contingent questions
and assess scientific knowledge and skills
• Supporting beginning teachers’ planning and teaching to enhance scientific literacy and
inquiry among pupils
• Developing autonomous science teachers with an attitude to promote the learning of
science for all the learners
Filled with tried-and-tested strategies based on the latest research, Mentoring Science
Teachers in the Secondary School is a vital guide for mentors of science teachers, both
trainee and newly qualified, with ready-to-use strategies that support and inspire both men-
tors and beginning teachers alike.
Saima Salehjee is a Lecturer in Chemistry Education at the University of Strathclyde. She
is responsible for teaching and research work with particular emphasis on STEM education.
MENTORING TRAINEE AND
NEWLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS
Series edited by: Susan Capel, Trevor Wright, Julia Lawrence and
Sarah Younie
The Mentoring Trainee and Newly Qualified Teachers Series offers subject-specific, prac-
tical books designed to reinforce and develop mentors’ understanding of the different
aspects of their role, as well as exploring issues that mentees encounter in the course of
learning to teach. The books have two main foci: First, challenging mentors to reflect crit-
ically on theory, research and evidence, on their own knowledge, their approaches to men-
toring and how they work with beginning teachers in order to move their practice forward.
Second, supporting mentors to effectively facilitate the development of beginning teachers.
Although the basic structure of all the subject books is similar, each book is different to
reflect the needs of mentors in relation to the unique nature of each subject. Elements
of appropriate theory introduce each topic or issue with emphasis placed on the practical
application of material. The chapter authors in the subject books have been engaged with
mentoring over a long period of time and share research, evidence and their experience. We,
as series editors, are pleased to extend the work in initial teacher education to the work of
mentors of beginning teachers.
We hope that this series of books supports you in developing into an effective, reflective
mentor as you support the development of the next generation of subject teachers.
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/
Mentoring-Trainee-and-Newly-Qualified-Teachers/book-series/MTNQT
Titles in the series
Mentoring Physical Education Teachers in the Secondary School
Edited by Susan Capel and Julia Lawrence
Mentoring Design and Technology Teachers in the Secondary School
Edited by Suzanne Lawson and Susan Wood-Griffith
Mentoring English Teachers in the Secondary School
Edited by Debbie Hickman
Mentoring Science Teachers in the Secondary School
Edited by Saima Salehjee
MENTORING SCIENCE
TEACHERS IN THE
SECONDARY SCHOOL
A Practical Guide
Edited by Saima Salehjee
First published 2021
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 selection and editorial matter, Saima Salehjee; individual chapters,
the contributors
The right of Saima Salehjee to be identified as the author of the editorial material,
and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Salehjee, Saima, editor.
Title: Mentoring science teachers in the secondary school : a practical
guide / edited by Saima Salehjee.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2021. | Series:
Mentoring trainee and newly qualified teachers | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020028603 (print) | LCCN 2020028604 (ebook) | ISBN
9780367023119 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367023126 (paperback) | ISBN
9780429400308 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Science--Study and teaching (Secondary) | Science
teachers--In-service training. | Mentoring in education.
Classification: LCC Q181 .M436 2021 (print) | LCC Q181 (ebook) | DDC
507.1/2--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028603
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028604
ISBN: 978-0-367-02311-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-02312-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-40030-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Interstate
by SPi Global, India
Visit the eResources: www.routledge.com/9780367023126
This book is dedicated to an inspirational science educator, Professor Mike Watts, whose
mentoring support has (trans)formed a large cohort of science graduates to become effec-
tive teachers and researchers in the UK and beyond.
CONTENTS
List of illustrations x
Tasks xiii
Case studies xvii
Appendices xviii
List of contributors xix
Acknowledgements xxiv
An introduction to the series: Mentoring trainee and newly qualified teachers xxv
Introduction: A practical guide to mentoring science education 1
SECTION 1 FOUNDATIONS OF MENTORING 9
1 Models of mentoring 11
Gill Golder, Alison Keyworth and Clare Shaw
2 About you as a mentor 22
Nicklas Lindstrom
3 Beginning science teachers’ expectations of their mentors 32
Stephen P. Day
4 Accountabilities of a reflective mentor 47
Jodi Roffey-Barentsen and Richard Malthouse
5 Developing a mentor–mentee relationship 59
Michelle Wormald
viii Contents
SECTION 2 BASIC MENTORING PRACTICES 71
6 Supporting beginning teachers with lesson planning 73
Gareth Bates, Ralph Littler, Morag Findlay and Saima Salehjee
7 Supporting beginning science teachers to teach and evaluate their lessons 93
Morag Findlay, Saima Salehjee and Stavros A. Nikou
8 Pre-lesson discussions, lesson observation and post-lesson discussions in
mentoring beginning science teachers 116
Morag Findlay
9 Holding weekly mentoring meetings 137
Stephen P. Day
SECTION 3 EXTENDING BASIC MENTORING PRACTICES 153
10 Supporting beginning teachers to develop pedagogical content knowledge 155
Michael Allen and Simon Parry
11 Supporting beginning teachers to cope with contingencies 171
Mike Watts
12 Supporting beginning teachers to develop their ability to assess pupils 183
Helen Gourlay
13 Supporting beginning teachers to link learning, memory and inquiry 201
Jonathan Firth
14 Supporting a beginning teacher to apply features of the nature of science 214
Nqobile Nkala
15 Supporting beginning teachers in embedding scientific literacy 228
Saima Salehjee and Mike Watts
16 Mentoring beginning teachers in implementing process-oriented
guided inquiry learning: An example of an inquiry-based pedagogical
approach of teaching science 244
Sheila S. Qureshi, Adam H. Larson and Venkat Rao Vishnumolakala
Contents ix
SECTION 4 MOVING BEYOND 263
17 Supporting a beginning teacher to become autonomous 265
Gareth Bates and Ralph Littler
18 Supporting a beginning teacher to implement extension and enrichment 278
Jane Essex
19 Supporting beginning teachers to work with pupils with special
educational needs and disability 291
Darren Moore and Alison Black
20 To conclude 305
Saima Salehjee
References 309
Author index 325
Subject index 328
