We make no apology for having based several of our episodes around the person that many student teachers report is the single most important person in their teacher education journey: the mentor. They're the school-based colleague who looks after the student teacher on placement, gives them advice, feedback and support, and assesses their teaching.

It just so happens that one of Emma's many jobs is to be on the team that supports those all-important mentors, and today we're joined by Sian Wickersham, who's another member of that mentor support group.

In this episode, we chew over some of the difficult issues that arise in trying to define the role of mentor, how the university can support them, and what research tells us about some of the tricky contradictions that sit at the heart of the job.

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Recorded in Studio B2.15 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus on 12th February 2025.