Abstract:

INTRODUCTION
The incorporation of novice teachers at a university is a crucial phase for both the individuals and for the institution. Obtaining skilled staff is a challenge for any university, and developing such skills depends on the training provided by competent professionals.
Mentoring is an approach that seeks to develop an individual’s potential, based on the transfer of knowledge and on experience-based learning, within an intuitive process in which a personal relation of mutual trust is established between a mentor and a novice, providing the latter with guidance, stimulation, challenge and encouragement, in accordance with his/her needs so that optimum performance may be achieved at a personal and professional level.

METHODOLOGY
The participants in this project were, on the one hand, a team of expert university teachers (3 experienced lecturers from the Physiology Department at the University of Granada) and, on the other, a novice teacher, who had recently joined the same Department. The experimental period comprised the following phases:
1. Initial meeting in the mentoring process; 2. Initial observation of the novice teachers; 3. Observation of classes given by a senior university teacher of recognized standing; 4. Attendance of the novice teachers at the mentors’ classes; 5. Training phase in teaching techniques; 6. Second observation of the novice teachers; 7. Evaluation of the teaching intervention

RESULTS
Changes observed in the novice teacher following the intervention:
a) Improvements in body language: reduced tension, correct visual contact with students, location and posture in the classroom.
b) Improvements in phonetic issues: maintaining an appropriate tone of voice, and a dynamic rhythm.
c) Improvements in message clarity; increased use of conceptual maps, sketches and diagrams.
d) Improvements in the soundness of reasoning; greater knowledge of the subject being explained, and enhanced resources to transmit to students the significance and applicability of this subject, thus making it more substantial and of greater interest. Establishing a constructive atmosphere of joint reasoning, with classroom interaction.
e) Fresh techniques to evaluate the students’ degree of understanding of the subject explained and their level of knowledge acquisition.
f) Fresh techniques for motivating the students, achieving a much higher degree of participation, interaction and discussion.

CONCLUSIONS
The mentoring process is highly useful in training novice teachers, giving them security and a diversity of resources in the initial stages of their professional career. The creation of mentoring teams has further refined this process, achieving greater interaction and enriching the contributions aimed at the specific needs of the novice teacher.

Keywords:

Mentoring, novice lecturer.