One-day Seminar on “Bridging theory and practice in foreign language instruction”

Dr. Lizana Oberholzer
University of Wolverhampton, UK

Abstract

Connor and Pokora (2017) explain that mentoring and coaching are learning relationships. In education, and in schools in particular, having a mentor who can enable new teachers is key, to help them to see what is possible, and how they can continue to move their learning journey forward. Where mentoring is strong, the Department of Education’s (DfE) (2017) data in England reflects that pre-service teachers remain in the profession – focusing on developing their skills, subject knowledge, and resilience to cope with the demands of the role. Researchers across the globe, such as Hudson and Hudson (2013) point out how mentors can make a positive impact on professional learning, equipping future teachers well for their roles to support learners.  However, where support is not strong, this can have a profound impact on the future teacher’s experience when they train to teach, as well as their future vision regarding their own career pathways in teaching. Hobson et al. (2020) state that not only do mentors need to be trained well, but their roles need to be clearly defined. Mentors need a clear understanding of the expectations of their roles to fully understand how they can best support and help develop pre-service teachers. In this keynote, I aim to explore the co-constructive learning relationship of the mentor and mentee, and what their roles entail to ensure that a successful professional learning relationship can be established to help support the pre-service teacher to flourish on their learning journey.

Biography

Lizana Oberholzer is a Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education and Postgraduate provision. She is the programme lead for the University of Wolverhampton’s International MA in Education, as well as the Early Careers Framework and National Professional Qualifications for School Leadership. She is passionate about leadership development, governance and teacher development. Lizana supports the BELMAS Research Interest Group for Governing and Governance as a Convenor. She is also a BELMAS Trustee as well as a BAMEed Trustee. Lizana works with WomenEd as a regional lead in the West Midlands. She is currently the IPDA England Chair, as well as Chair of the IPDA International committee. She chairs the UCET’s CPD forum and is a member of the UCET Executive Committee. Lizana is a member of the APPG for the Teaching Profession, and Chairs the APPG SIG for Teacher Development for the APPG for the Teaching Profession. She is a proud trustee of a Multi Academy Trust, and is a committed educator, striving to provide learners with learning opportunities and life-chances. Lizana is actively involved in the British Psychological Society’s Division of Coaching, and she is the Chair Elect for the division. Lizana is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, an IPDA Fellow as well as a CMI Fellow. Her research interests centre around professional learning, mentoring, coaching and leadership development within education.