General description on research questions, objectives and theoretical framework In this paper, we introduce an innovative model to support newly qualified teachers in the induction phase. In the VERME project (2008-10), our activities are premised on the basis of a life long continuum of teachers’ professional development. Our special aim is to develop a national support system based on peer group mentoring for newly qualified teachers.. The project is funded by The Finnish Work Environment Fund, Ministry of Education, and the cities and municipalities mentioned below. In our initiative, there are two main principles. Firstly, the mentoring process takes place in voluntary peer mentoring groups where novices and more experienced teachers share their ideas and problems in their work. Secondly, the mentors are trained in a mentor education programme which takes an academic year. Theoretically, the project is based on the ideas of dialogue, narrativity, shared expertise and constructivism. The methodological framework is that of action research. Our earlier studies have indicated that the group-based solution is the most vital form of mentoring. One-to-one mentoring has its profits, but it also has proven vulnerable as a support system. The results of the three case studies from years 2003-08 indicate that whatever the model of mentoring is, the mentors need training and support (Jokinen, Heikkinen & Välijärvi 2006; Heikkinen, Jokinen & Tynjälä 2008). Also a number of other researchers have pointed out (e.g. Evertson and Smithey (2000) that training for mentors is crucial. In addition, research shows that mentors who have completed a special training are more efficient supporters for novice teachers both in terms of teaching and the process of analysis (Evertson & Smithey, 2000). Thus, in our national action research initiative VERME, there is a strong emphasis on mentor education. VERME is actualised in Oulu, Kokkola, Hämeenlinna and Jyväskylä cities. The local teacher education institutions are also involved in each city. In the mentor education programme, we use dialogical, narrative and collaborative methods which the mentors can apply in their own groups. In this paper, our focus is on the mentors’ experiences of the mentor education programme carried out parallelly with the mentoring group work among newly qualified teachers locally. The main research question is how the mentors have experienced the dialogical, narrative and collaborative methods and how they have actualized these methods in their own mentoring groups.

Methods/methodology The methodological framework of the VERME project is action research where the idea is at the same time to develop and study mentoring activities. That’s why the aims of study are presented as research tasks and more specific research questions will be formulated during the research process according to the nature of action research. The empirical data concerning the mentor training were collected from the mentors participating in the VERME training programme. They were asked to write their opinions of training periods, their ideas of how to use training experiences in their mentoring groups and their problems in the mentoring groups. Furthermore, mentors had local meetings and discussions between training periods. After the training programme, focus group interviews of the mentors were also conducted and recorded The data is being analysed with narrative analytic methods (Gubrium & Holstein 2009).

Expected Outcomes/results In the VERME project, we have seen the power of shared expertise; everyone who works in the field of education can learn something from others. Meaningful learning is based on personal and authentic experiences. One of the best ways to learn at work is to share problems and solve them with others. For this reason, the continuing professional development in VERME is not based on ready-made and pre-formulated modules of information. Instead, the group itself focuses on the issue and figures out a road map that might lead to a solution The expected outcomes of the VERME project will be models and contents for educating mentors and models for recruiting mentors. Above all we will produce a comparative conceptualization of functioning peer group mentoring systems and and provide empirical results of the process and tools of peer group mentoring.