Browsing by Author "Tuominen, Riku"

The beginning of a new teacher’s career is often described as being a challenging time when the realities of working life reveal themselves to the teacher. A teacher's first working year has been described as a reality or cultural shock that teachers often face with a “sink or swim” mentality. The purpose of this Bachelor's thesis is to describe factors related to supporting teacher's professional development at the induction phase. In addition, the thesis focuses especially on the possibilities provided by peer group mentoring to meet these needs. Research shows that novice teachers find it hard to articulate their own needs and shortcomings in their work and ask for help from their colleagues. With the increasing responsibilities teachers are facing, they are forced to balance between their own weaknesses and their position as a professional, which may cause novice teachers to feel that they need to try and prove their skills. Frequently, time management also proves to be challenging, when personal development needs are confronted by the responsibilities a teacher's job presents. As regards the practical carrying-out of their work assignments, novices also need clear practical advice, although they wish also to maintain their own professional philosophy and independence. The support of the community plays a vital role in the success of the induction phase, even when taking into account the risks of decreasing one’s critical thinking. The principal of the school, who is in charge of the success of the process, plays a major role in creating favorable circumstances for this within the school community. Teacher peers facing a similar situation, as well as the students being taught, have significant influence on this process.  Peer group mentoring corresponds in many respects with the needs for support that have been found to be important in the early stages of a teacher's career. In the light of professional development, it provides time for constructive discussions that take place in a confidential environment with other teachers in the same situation. On the other hand, peer mentoring also raises issues that have to do with the nature of constructive dialogue, group formation and the work community's perspective.