A workshop on Mentorship in Teacher Professional Development was held at the Freetown Teachers College (FTC) from 17 to 21 June 2019, as part of COL’s support for the In-service Education and Training (INSET) programme in Sierra Leone. The workshop aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of the educators on mentorship, facilitation and monitoring of teacher learning outcomes through the ePortfolio, a digital tool used by the teachers to record their reflections as well as evidence of professional learning and growth.

The programme contact, Mr Prince Brainard welcomed the participants, pointing out that FTC was thankful to COL for responding to their request for further capacity strengthening for teacher mentors. He said, “Mentoring occupies a central place in the implementation of the INSET programme. Educator-mentors should be able to provide the necessary guidance and advice needed by teachers within their communities of practice.”

During the workshop, the mentors shared the implementation status of the INSET programme in all 12 partcipating schools. The reports were based on the extent of coverage of the content and activities outlined in the Blueprint and Toolkit for School-Based Teacher Development – Sierra Leone, a resource adapted for the INSET programme with support from COL. The mentors also learnt how to access the ePortfolio and to add resources and assessment comments.

COL’s Adviser: Teacher Education Dr Betty Ogange said, “COL’s Teacher Futures programme is about strengthening the capacity of the teacher training institutions to be able to mentor on-going school-based teacher learning, by reinforcing and sustaining participation among the teachers and encouraging them to build evidence of their learning.”

A total of 21 participants, all drawn from FTC, attended the workshop.