Mentoring Teachers with a Critical Friend: Transforming Professional Development through Visual Tools

Abstract

My research inquiry developed and explored the implementation of a contextualised professional development model for teacher mentors and my role as their critical friend. Participatory action research engaged the mentors and myself in examining, through critical reflection, our knowledge and the interpretative categories we held about mentoring and critical friendship. Social learning theory and Arts-Based Research were employed to describe, interpret and make meaning of our learning and identity development. For researchers, who professionally develop mentors, I concluded with a conceptualisation of the critical friend role. The dissertation was presented as a visual/verbal portfolio incorporating drawing, animations, digital images together with narrative, traditional text and a 'Grab Bag' of visual reflective tools to stimulate self-reflection.