Abstract:

This study explores the experiences of pedagogical mentors who initiated and led a collaborative pedagogical innovation within a special education teacher training program. The mentors co-developed and implemented an integrative approach that combined four frameworks: Project-Based Learning (PBL), Place-Based Education (PBE), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Differentiated Instruction (DI), within outdoor and cross-disciplinary environments.

The initiative stemmed from mentors' shared inquiry into how the simultaneous use of these complementary models could create a coherent pedagogical approach linking theory, practice, and inclusion. Together, the frameworks promote authentic, flexible, and context-based learning that strengthens pre-service teachers’ adaptive thinking, inclusive practice, and 21st-century competencies. The study examines how mentors conceptualized their evolving roles, supported students’ reflective and adaptive learning, and developed professionally through collaboration and experimentation.

Grounded in a view of mentoring as a reflective and relational process, the study positions mentors as co-designers of learning ecosystems rather than implementers of pre-defined frameworks. Their work involved co-constructing knowledge with students, designing experiential learning opportunities, and facilitating reflection that bridges pedagogical theory with lived practice.

Using a qualitative interpretive design, the research followed mentors from the special education department at a teacher education college who co-led the innovation during a year-long experiential course with third-year pre-service teachers. Data included semi-structured interviews, professional dialogues, supervision records, and written reflections. Interpretive content analysis identified themes related to mentoring roles, reflective practices, and professional learning.

Findings reveal mentoring as an evolving, dialogic, and emotionally demanding process. Three key dimensions emerged. Collaborative Agency: mentors’ shift from supervision to partnership and shared ownership of change; Reflective Mediation: reflection as the primary mechanism of learning for both mentors and students; and Adaptive Professionalism: the ability to respond flexibly to uncertainty and diversity across outdoor and interdisciplinary contexts.

While mentors reported growth and empowerment, they also described challenges, including time constraints, workload, and the emotional intensity of guiding complex projects. Despite these pressures, the process was experienced as transformative, expanding mentors’ confidence, creativity, and understanding of inclusion as both mindset and practice.

The study highlights the unique contribution of integrating PBL, PBE, UDL, and DI as a unified framework that anchors inclusive teacher education in authentic, place-based learning. It demonstrates that when mentors co-lead such pedagogical change, mentoring becomes a powerful form of professional learning for both mentors and students. Institutional support for mentor-led innovation, structured reflection, and recognition of mentoring as professional expertise are essential for advancing inclusive, future-oriented teacher education.

Keywords:

Pedagogical mentoring, Mentor agency, Pedagogical model integration, Collaborative innovation, Professional identity development, Inclusive teacher education, Reflective practice, Adaptive professionalism.