Learning process goes both ways: mentor is a member of the learning process. This process is a part of the professional development, but also is a tool to help teacher to deepen hers/his insight as a person and as a human being. This interaction is both side arrows, so that they learn from each other. In mentoring it is important that the mentor is able to listen, formulate questions in truthful environment, and should never impose anything.
The mentoring process and information is not a director matter.
Results and radar chart should not be taken off from the mentoring process.
Individual mentoring
Starting point:
- The first condition is that the teacher is open to the discussion and has an open mind, and is willing to change and grow professionally. The whole process is a matter of truth and trust.
- Agreement of a) confidential relationship during the mentoring; b) learn from each other; c) the use of questionnaire and radar chart as an approach tools for the professional development of the teacher; d) to perform at least two questioners results (= radar chart) from two different classes;with one the teacher has a good contact and feeling and with the other the relationship is the opposite.
- Creating a good environment and relaxed atmosphere between the teacher and the mentor (having coffee or lunch together before the mentoring sessions etc.).
- Background information: depend on the person the discussion can be direct or more careful the mentor has small notes or information already about the teacher’s situation supplied by her/him.
Mentoring sessions
- Mentor begins with questions related with: a) timing (when and where the questionnaire has been done); b) class characteristics (students’ age and knowledge level, attitude, socio-cultural environment etc); c) teacher-class relationship (what is difficult with this class, how normally enter your class, where you stand when you enter the class, where and how you stand when you are teaching, how you talk with the class, how you speak to the students,is your voice audible etc.); d) feeling and expectation about the questionnaire (what did you expect and did not expect from the results, did you expect that the results are so low or so high); e) feeling about the results; f) teacher’s suggestions related with the results.
- Mentor starts the discussion first with the strong points and later on she/he goes into the working points. Afterward, the mentor continues with the working points by formulating different kind of questions. It is worth remarking that some items from the radar chart are connected, for example, high results in autonomy could reflect in students’ abilities to structure her/his own tasks.
- To start with the working point, mentor could consider some aspects like: a) how the class starts; b) management of the class; c) the structure of the class (activities, individual and teamwork, teacher-students and student-student interaction, class facilities etc.); d) class expectation; e) the possibility and disposition of the teacher to share the results with the class; f) possible explanation for the working points.
- Define clear, realistic, challenge and achievable objectives.
- Timing your active plan and give some monitoring.
- Using mentoring process sometimes it is possible to have an influence on the school matter such as teachers’ timetables, classrooms, and environment, and generally to the factors which are not depending on the teacher. In such a case the mentor could be the mediator between the school management and the teacher.
- Naturally, for the good development process should be included some follow-up, so that the teacher and the school would be able to improve not only the general school results but also the teacher’s professional development.
Peer group mentoring
Starting point:
Mentoring sessions:
Personal active plan:
Follow-up: