Challenges and achievements of a novice cooperating teacher at the start of her career

Abstract

This study reports the experiences of a novice Physical Education teacher in the role of cooperating teacher. The focus was the challenges, dilemmas, and learnings experienced by the novice teacher (one of the authors) in the role of mentor. The narrative construction resulted in the meanings attributed by the cooperating teacher to the mentoring experience and the preservice teachers' perceptions concerning the mentoring process. The methodological resources used were the cooperating teacher's field notes and individual interviews with the three preservice teachers. The narrative was built around four themes: i) The light weight of a meteoric rise ii) Initial difficulties, iii) Winds of change and iv) Valuing the process. The narrative emphasises that the proximity to the preservice teacher role allowed the cooperating teacher to better understand the preservice teachers’ difficulties and dilemmas and to support them in a closer and more meaningful way. The preservice teachers highlighted the research input and support for reflection as the most positive elements of the mentoring process, which enabled them to improve their performance as teachers.