Instructors

Evdokia Karavas holds a doctorate from the University of Warwick where she taught EAP for a number of years and until 1999 was lecturer at the Centre for English Language Teacher Education. She is currently Associate Professor at the Faculty of English Language and Literature of the University of Athens, co-coordinator of the Pedagogic and Teaching Competence Programme, scientific coordinator of the Teaching Practice Course and Mentor Education programme and assistant Director of the RCeL (Research Centre for Language Teaching, Testing and Assessment of the University of Athens). Within the wider context of the research, evaluation and development work undertaken by RCeL Kia Karavas is responsible for the training of oral examiners and markers for the KPG exams in English (Greek state language proficiency exams) and is the scientific coordinator of the Training programme for primary school EFL teachers. Her research interests include language teacher education and development, curriculum/ programme evaluation, implementation research. She has publications in these areas in local and international journals.

Maria (Mary) Drossou holds a doctorate in Sociolinguistics from the Faculty of English Language and Literature of the University of Athens. Since 2002 she is a teaching associate functioning as a scientific associate in the Pre-service ELT Teacher-Training Programme of the Faculty, responsible for the coordination of the Teaching Practice Course and Mentor Education Programme. Since 2002 she is also a Research Fellow at the RCeL (Research Centre for Language Teaching, Testing and Assessment of the University of Athens) involved in the development and evaluation of teaching and testing materials, as a member of the research project team responsible for the English language proficiency exam of Greece’s National Exams for Foreign Language Proficiency (KPG), specialising in the testing of speaking skills at all levels, in the training of the KPG oral examiners and script raters and in overseeing the assessment of candidates’ writing production. She has carried out research in Greece and England and has participated in many conferences and symposia. Her research interests and publications include discourse studies, particularly advertising discourse, teacher education and pedagogy and testing.

Aims and objectives of the course

The purpose of this course is to develop your awareness: 

• of the mentor role and its impact on the professional development of pre-service teachers
• of mentoring skills and qualities and how these can be enacted during the Teaching Practicum

More specifically, this course aims:

• to develop your knowledge of beginning teacher development (i.e. the teacher learning process and the qualities, concerns and characteristics of student teachers)
• to develop your awareness of the role of mentoring in professional learning
• to acquaint participants with mentoring styles, qualities and possible impacts
• to acquaint you with activities and procedures for mentoring student teachers at the department of english language and literature
• to acquaint you with the content and structure of the teaching practice course and the content of the teacher training programme that student teachers have undergone
• to develop knowledge and skill in assessing and evaluating student teachers’ work against european widely accepted standards (i.e. descriptors from the european portfolio for student teachers of languages)
• to develop your skills in providing effective feedback (i.e. sensitive language use in mentor-mentee discussions and conscious use of body language)
• to develop your skills in helping student teachers become capable of reflection and self evaluation

Structure of the course

The course consists of 4 modules

• Module 1: Understanding the student teacher and the role of the Mentor
• Module 2: The Teaching Practice Course: Nature, aims and responsibilities of student teachers and mentors
• Module 3: Using the EPOSTL for assessing student teacher performance
• Module 4: Providing feedback for student teachers