Mentorship Training Programme

Mentorship Training Programme
17^th – 18^th May 2019, ISTANBUL


Rationale

Mentoring plays a crucial role in the enhancement of teachers’ personal and professional development. It has a positive impact on teachers’ early teaching experiences, teacher retention, teacher collaboration and collegiality (Delaney, 2012) by fostering a culture of lifelong learning and professional support. Mentoring can also be considered as a key practice in promoting a positive school ethos through a growth-oriented mindset both at the individual and the institutional level.

Aims

The Cambridge Teacher Development Mentorship Training Programme aims to provide participants with the values, attitudes, knowledge and skills required for effective mentoring with a view to enhancing language learning and teaching practices in their schools. The programme views mentoring as an essential CPD activity, which supports the further personal and professional development of teachers as well as the enhancement of school effectiveness.

Target Group

The programme is designed for ELT professionals who, within their schools, would like to further develop their leading positions of responsibility with respect to their mentoring practices.

Key Themes & Topics

The programme will focus on the following key themes and topics:

• school ethos and culture
• appreciative inquiry
• collegial relationships
• learning and growth mindsets
• collaborative learning
• mentoring roles
• mentoring skills and approaches
• classroom and learner-based research
• formative feedback on teaching and learning
• observation-based professional development activities

Pre & Post-Course Processes

Prior to the programme, participants will be invited to take part in an on-line survey to share information on their school contexts, professional roles, strengths and challenges, expectations from the programme and other useful information in order to ensure that their needs and interests are catered for effectively. A week before the start of the programme, participants will be sent the finalized programme schedule along with several pre-course tasks to be completed before the start of the programme. Following the completion of the programme, participants will be sent an on-line feedback survey where they will be invited to reflect back on the programme and provide feedback. Several months after the programme, they will be sent a second on-line survey for additional feedback in order to allow for further data having started to implement/having implemented what they have learned and practised in the programme. After the programme, participants will also continue to be provided with further resources on mentoring through a shared on-line platform and the programme network.
 
Programme Methodology

The programme will be carried out in the form of interactive sessions through collaborative learning tasks, discussions, workshops, and individual reflection tasks through a variety of activities such as ideas generation, jigsaw reading, role-plays, case studies, and video observations. During the programme, participants will also be assigned short reading and/or reflection tasks to be completed outside session hours.

Programme Materials

All relevant materials will be shared on a Padlet wall designed specifically for the programme with access to readings, specifically for the programme with access to readings,

Programme Tutor
Deniz KURTOGLU EKEN

Deniz Kurtoğlu Eken (PhD) works as an instructor and as Projects, Development and Research Coordinator at Sabancı University, School of Languages where she also worked as the director of the school for 10 years. Over the years, she has been involved in teaching, curriculum development, qualitative research studies, academic management, teacher and trainer training and development, including formal training courses with UCLES, the British Council in Turkey and in the UK, the U.S. Embassy, the Turkish Ministry of Education and with different schools and universities in Turkey. Dr. Kurtoğlu Eken has designed and directed formal trainer training courses at private Turkish universities as well as the SLTEP and provided consultancy and training to many institutions on a wide range of topics. She is an author, editor and series editor as well as a regular presenter at national and international conferences in Turkey and abroad. For information on Dr. Kurtoğlu Eken's professional activities, presentations and publications, please visit her website at:  http://myweb.sabanciuniv.edu/kurtoglueken/