Empowering Future Educators: A Review of ‘Learning to Teach – Mentoring and Tutoring Student Teachers’
Learn how to effectively support beginner teachers in this free course by The Open University.
I found the Class Central online learning catalog quite by accident while researching online free school mentoring training. I needed this because of my professional advancement (I am a classroom teacher). The course name Learning to teach: mentoring and tutoring student teachers caught my attention and that’s how I started the training. The course is created by The Open University and available for free on the OpenLearn platform.
The course
![](https://www.classcentral.com/report/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Learning-to-teach_-mentoring-and-tutoring-student-teachers-The-difference.png)
The training is very well designed. It is very clear and I found it so interesting that I went through it “almost in one breath”. It is exactly what I needed and what I was looking for. I learned a lot about mentoring. The term “mentor” means a person who works daily with a teacher at the beginning of their career, supporting their development during their tenure. I remembered the teacher who supported me when I started working at the school.
At this training, guidelines were clearly given on what is important to follow in the role of a mentor, specific instructions and examples of what to pay attention to, and that the role of a mentor includes giving selfless advice as well as observing the emotions of your student.
I also learned that the role of a “tutor” can include providing academic support, if a student is studying for an academic qualification, and visiting the school to observe teaching. There are clear guidelines for this role as well.
Conclusion
![](https://www.classcentral.com/report/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Learning-to-teach_-mentoring-and-tutoring-student-teachers-mentor-role.png)
My opinion is this training Learning to teach: mentoring and tutoring student teachers is great, clear, does not require a lot of time, and provides a lot of information. I will wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone who is engaged in the work of a teacher.
This course will help me become a better mentor to my students, as well as a better tutor to students. After this course I have a clear idea of the role of a mentor.
What’s next
A related course that I would like to participate in is Exploring Inclusive Pedagogies.
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