Mentoring pre-service primary teachers in two differing architectural school buildings

The mandated change in the New Zealand context to develop open learning spaces has shifted the work of teaching in these spaces to one where teachers no longer work alone: teachers are expected to work collaboratively with peers in these Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs). Such differences in pedagogical practices have the potential to impact on the mentoring of pre-service teachers who are expected to navigate between these two differing architectures. To determine mentoring practices across the two differing learning spaces, eight mentor teachers in schools in New Zealand were interviewed, along with seven pre-service teachers taking Initial Teacher Education qualifications with one provider. Qualitative analyses of the interview responses were conducted. The study identified three key themes. One, establishing effective relationships is key, but the design of learning space may impact the development of these relationships. Two, the dynamic influence of innovative learning environments as a shared space can influence the learning and teaching environment for the pre-service teacher. Three, mentors facilitated constructive pedagogies and scaffolded learning irrespective of the type of learning environment, which led to positive relationships between mentor and mentee. Collegial rapport was important irrespective of the architecture of the classroom.