“I wish I Had More Time” Mentor Teacher Narratives of Reflective Practice: a Case for Online Mentoring

Abstract

Processes of mentoring for teaching in primary and secondary schools has been transforming simultaneously with the structural changes in teacher education in Hungary (Act CCIV of 2011 on National Higher Education). Educational policy provisions are being introduced to make the mentor teacher certification mandatory for mentors working with pre-service teachers in schools during their practicum. Europe 2020: A Strategy for Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth and its communication document Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes (EC, 2012) as well as the national acts and provisions of education in Europe, including Hungary (Kotschy, Sallai, & Szőke-Milinte, 2015), encourage creating new ways for understanding the importance of teachers’ reflective attitude, and these exclusively focus on mentors and mentees in teacher training. Supplements and explanatory documents related to the legislation of education largely deal with the expectations from and duties of a reflective mentor, however, these focal documents still barely engage in conceptual know-how or in-depth components of mentors’ reflective practice.