Unit
1 provided a basic introduction to teachers'
professional conversation as they engaged in
lesson conferencing. This Unit takes the idea
of lesson conferencing further, in discussing
pre and post-lesson conferences and in identifying
some key hallmarks of a good conference.
Lesson conferencing is structured professional
conversation aimed at analysing and improving
learning and teaching. It is often used in the
contexts of mentoring, peer-review and when conducting
learning studies. The key idea
is that each participant in the conference is
involved in a mutually beneficial professional
dialogue. Moreover, each member is engaging in
professional development as he or she reflects
deeply and analytically on the content of the
lesson and the teaching methods employed.
There are two main types of lesson conference.
The first type is conducted prior to the teaching
of the lesson and is called a pre-lesson conference.
The other type occurs after the lesson and is
called a post-lesson conference. Both kinds of
conference can involve a number of participants.
In the context of mentoring a student teacher,
where the student teacher, mentor (supporting
teacher) and supervisor are involved, the conference
is called a tripartite (three-way) conference.
Preliminary notes are provided on both pre-lesson
and post-lesson conferences as background to
the activities.
In addition to introducing the two main types
of lesson conferencing, the Unit covers the importance
of:
- rehearsing the lesson, to make certain that
the teacher has a very clear appreciation of
the learning content and the methods that she/he
will use;
- appreciating and responding tactfully to
different personality types when acting as
a mentor;
- getting the lesson conference off to a good
start, so that it leads to a productive conversation;
- producing a good lesson conference.
The Unit also highlights the important contribution
of the school mentor when supporting novice teachers.
School mentors have 'situated knowledge' of the
actual school and the pupils, which means that
their contribution to the novice teacher, both
generally and when participating in conferencing,
is contextualised in the actual practical situation.
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