WIDENING PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION:

THE KIRKLESS AND CALDERDALEMENTORING SCHEME

A GUIDE FOR MENTORS

CONTENTS
  1. Introduction
  2. Why do students need mentors?
  3. What qualities does a mentor need?
  4. What does a mentor do?
  5. What will the students be like?
  6. How are the meetings arranged and what commitment is involved?
  7. How long does mentoring last?
  8. What will we talk about?
  9. Ground Rules
  10. Setting Targets
  11. What paperwork is involved?
  12. Tips for mentoring
  13. How will we know if the programme is successful?
  14. Possible concerns
  15. Conclusions

Appendix 1:Quotes about mentoring schemes

Appendix 2:Outline Plan – the first session

Appendix 3:Mentoring Agreement

Appendix 4:Communication skills

Appendix 5:Dealing with disclosure

Appendix 6: Dealing with diversity

1.Introduction

Thank you for becoming a mentor.

Within our scheme, mentors are caring individuals who devote time and energy to befriend, motivate and empower our students.

Mentors act as role models. They:

listen to students

offer them support and reassurance

discuss their difficulties and explore possible solutions

celebrate their success.

Mentors are not:

substitute parents

teachers

social workers

money lenders!

2.Why do students need mentors?

We believe that all students would benefit from the opportunity to talk to a more experienced associate, other than a lecturer. Some of the key benefits which students derive from mentoring include:

  • positive role models – the student is linked with a mentor whom he/she can respect, and look to for advice, encouragement, support and a positive example
  • some students feel very negative about their educational experiences, they lose interest and confidence in the system, and need support and encouragement to try again
  • students may find it difficult to take problems to members of their families or lecturers; however, they may respond more positively to someone far less involved in their lives.
  • some students have very limited outlooks, and benefit from the opportunity ofbroadening their perspectives by mixing with someone outside their normal environment
  • research has shown that students of averageintelligence with high self-esteemtend to achieve more than those with high intelligence and low esteem. Often,students need someone to boost their self-esteem and give them positive encouragement.

Mentors may also help students to:

  • discover new opportunities, and take greater control of their own learning
  • explore their own thoughts and feelings and make better informed decisions
  • prepare for further and higher education
  • communicate and share experience…

3.What qualities does a mentor need?

A mentor does not have to be a manager, a trained counsellor, married with teenage children, an expert on education or a graduate.

Some of the qualities which mentors do need include:

  • interest in students
/
  • role-model potential

  • approachability
/
  • a positive disposition

  • the capacity to listen
/
  • reliability

  • commitment to the project
/
  • realism…

4.What does a mentor do?

As a mentor, you would:

  • basically, become a friend…
  • get to know the student and let him/her get to know you
  • encourage him/her to try his/her hardest at college
  • listen to the student and discuss anything that is worrying him/her
  • value his/her opinions and beliefs
  • encourage him/her to talk about his/her ambitions and hopes for the future
  • talk about any relevant experiences and any problems you have overcome
  • offer him/her constructive guidance and feedback
  • help your mentee realise his/her full potential…

(See Appendix 2)

5.What will the students be like?

All students will have different needs. Examples of students who join the scheme might include:

  • students who are bright, but are not working to full capacity
  • students who are doing well, but are lacking in confidence or social skills
  • students who are lacking support at home
  • students who need encouragement to broaden their outlook and raise their ambitions
  • students who are studying in “non-traditional” areas
  • special needs students.

Students may be nervous at first and may be wary of someone from a different environment. It is important to try not to judge on first impressions, and not to make assumptions about people because of their appearance or their initial attitude. Remember that an aggressive or disinterested attitude may hide a nervous person!

6.How are the meetings arranged and what commitment is involved?

Initially, you, along with all the other mentors, will visit the college for a session where you will be introduced to your mentee; you will also be able to learn a bit more about the college and its surroundings. The mentor and a member of the college staff will then arrange a subsequent mentoring appointment at a convenient time. The meetings should not be too long, lasting about an hour, and details will be negotiated.

To make meeting arrangements easier, you will be given booking slips to fill in so the college and the student will know exactly when to expect you.

As a rough guideline the project would not commit you to more than an hour each month in total, plus the training event at the University. The Mentoring Co-ordinator will maintain contact with mentors in order to discuss any concerns and monitor progress. There will also be regular meetings held for mentors to get together and share thoughts and concerns.

Be aware that because of the nature of the project it is important that mentors are interested and committed to its success. If you cannot give 100% commitment to the scheme – please do not volunteer. The importance of commitment cannot be emphasised enough.

7.How long does mentoring last?

The main point about mentoring is that it is concerned with individual relationships and therefore the needs of each student will vary greatly. This makes it difficult to be firm about how long mentoring should last. Certainly, scheduled meetings at College are likely to run from September through to April.

Throughout the process, the Mentoring Co-ordinator will review progress with mentors and discuss any concerns.

8.What will we talk about?

Anything and everything! There are no set rules as to what you should discuss with your mentee. First of all, you will just be getting to know each other - you can talk about the mentoring programme in general, about yourself and your studies, about the student’s likes and dislikes, about future meetings….

Some topics for discussion could stem from the information you listed on your questionnaire. Some suggested topics for discussion at the initial meeting are in Appendix 2. You might wish to add to this list and it would be useful to raise any such issues at the first meeting. It is also a good idea for both of you to sign a mentoring agreement (see Appendix 3); this will help to clearly set some ground rules to enable both of you to keep up your sides of the bargain. Remember that the aim of being a mentor is to motivate and encourage students. Try to be positive and give praise where it is due. Communication skills are key to establishing the foundations of any relationship (see appendix 4).

9.Ground rules

At the first meeting it is important to set out ground rules for the relationship. You might wish to add to this list and it would be useful to raise any such issues at the first meeting, (see above).

  1. Confidentiality

It is important that students feel that most of what is said is confidential and that they will not be gossiped about. However, students must be aware from the outset that if something very serious comes out the mentor would be obliged to discuss it with the College or the Mentoring Co-ordinator.

In other words, you as a mentor are not alone - if you feel you are out of your depth, discuss it with the College or the Co-ordinator. If you do feel that something is important enough to report to the College, you should discuss it with the student first (see Appendix 5).

  1. Communication

The College will need to be kept informed of progress by the mentor and the student and equally the mentor will need to be aware of progress made by the student. Students will be told that the College will sometimes be asking them about mentoring. At the training event you will be introduced to the College Co-ordinators who will be involved with the programme, and given times when it is easiest to contact them.

  1. Responsibility

Both people have a responsibility to attend meetings and to make sure that the other person knows well in advance if the meeting has to be cancelled. If any targets are set for either person for the next meeting, it is very important that he/she tries to stick to the agreement.

10.Setting targets

Once you have got to know your mentee, it might sometimes be useful to agree a target for them before the next meeting. This need not be anything about College. Obviously, if targets concerning college work have been set, you need to know if they have been met. Targets need to be specific, so that it is easy to see at the next meeting if they have been met. For example, “improve grades from 50% to 60%” is a good target, but “improve marks” is too vague.

Remember!

Objectives should be......

Specific

Measurable

Attributable

Realistic

Time-managed

11.What paperwork is involved?

For your own personal information, you might find it useful to make brief notes after (not during!!) each discussion you have with your student. This would refresh your memory when you meet your student and would also help you to see what progress is being made. It would also help to measure the success of the programme.

12.Tips for mentoring

There are no hard and fast rules for mentoring, but listed below are a few guidelines:

Do try to:

Agree to meet the student throughout the programme.

Attend meetings, or if you are unable to attend, inform the College in advance and re-arrange the meeting.

Support and encourage attendance, punctuality and effort.

Listen carefully to what the student is saying and show him/her that you are listening by giving appropriate responses, asking questions, not interrupting and looking at the student when he/she is talking.

Take time to establish rapport and develop a relationship with the student.

Expect gradual progress, not overnight miracles.

Realise the limitations - you can’t transform a student’s home life, but you may be able to help him/her cope better with his/her problems.

Remember that everyone has some strengths and positive qualities.

Be yourself.

Remember that the student will probably have different beliefs and values from you - try not to impose your ideas on him/her.

Try to be consistent in all dealings with your student.

Treat the student as an equal.

Take what the student says seriously. Something might appear trivial to you, but if it is important to him/her it is worth discussing.

Discuss any problems with the Mentoring Co-ordinator.

Ask questions. Try to ask open questions, not closed questions. An open question usually involves the words what/how/why etc, and has to be answered in full sentences. Closed questions can be answered yes or no and do not help in developing a discussion. E.g. “What do you like and dislike at college?”, is an open question. “Do you like Science?” is a closed question.

Be positive - give praise and constructive criticism.

Try to make the student think for himself/herself.

Be supportive and encouraging.

Try not to:

Forget or be too busy to attend meetings with your mentee. If you can’t attendfor any reason, do let the College know.

Disappoint the student by abandoning the relationship without prior discussion.

Gossip about your student. You might need to discuss information with the College or the Mentoring Co-ordinator, but in general information should be kept confidential.

Encourage the student to contact you at home.

Lend money.

Be disappointed if “your” mentee does not appear to be making any progress. Change may not be immediately obvious.

Be aware:

Students may aim low. They may have been deprived of positive role models most of their lives. Indeed, they may have received very little encouragement– this is where you fit in!

Students may be lacking in confidence and take some time before they relax with you.

(See Appendix 6 for more advice on diversity).

13.How will we know if the programme is successful?

The College will monitor the progress of the students being mentored. The College Co-ordinators will aim to make time available for a brief discussion when the mentor is visiting the College.

After the programme has been in operation for some time, an evaluative exercise will be carried out. The opinions of students, lecturers and mentors will be canvassed. This will be done using questionnaires, discussions etc.

14.Possible concerns

From the initial discussions about mentoring, a number of areas of concern have been identified. The points below are an attempt to deal with these areas:

  • As a mentor you are not on your own. You are part of a mentoring team and there will be someone to help you with any difficulties. If there is anything at all that you are worried about, contact the Mentoring Co-ordinator or speak to the College Co-ordinator. There will also be regular surgeries held for mentors wishing to discuss any concerns or ask for support, or just to get together with other mentors for an informal chat.
  • Mentoring is not about teaching or doing a student’s homework, it is about building up a relationship.
  • There is not a major time commitment - we do not want mentoring to take over your life! After the first few meetings, the time element is negotiable and it is up to you and your mentee to decide how often you want to meet.
  • Although there will be one or two forms to fill in, there is not a lot of paperwork involved.

15.Conclusion

It’s all really quite simple - it’s just about you giving a student some time, interest and attention. You can’t solve all your mentee’s problems, but you can be there for your student, to offer encouragement and support. Remember, as a mentor, you have a unique blend of skills and experiences which you can use to help your mentee.

Finally, thank you once again for your involvement in the project. If you have any queries or concerns at all, do contact the Mentoring Co-ordinator.

Remember - if you have any queries or problems which you would like to discuss, do not hesitate to contact me.

Sylvia Gibbs

Project Manager

Widening Participation Projects

Central Services Building

University of Huddersfield

Queensgate

Huddersfield

HD1 3DH

Tel: 01484 422288 E-mail:

Fax: 01484 516151

Appendix 1

Quotes from people involved in established mentoring schemes:

Students

It is helpful and gives you a chance to talk to someone about College, course work and exams, because lecturers are not always available.

I thought my mentor would treat me as a child, but he treats me as a friend.

Mentors are a good way of boosting your interest in college work….

Mentors

I enjoy being involved in something worthwhile, helping someone to improve themselves.

I am learning to listen and understand other people’s points of view.

I have a greater awareness of the education environment now and an increased awareness of the many pressures which students face.

Teachers

I believe that mentoring will prove to be one of the more effective ways of providing guidance and support to students. Although it is not totally impartial and objective, it will be seen by our students to be non-partisan and to lack vested interest.

As a result of the scheme I believe that 70% of students have shown a significant improvement and 10% have improved immensely.

Appendix 2

Outline Plan - First Session With Student

Remember that initially you may find yourself doing most of the talking! Try to encourage the student to talk. A good starting point is to discuss the quick questionnaires you both filled in.

Introduce yourselves

  • Who are you - what should the student call you?
  • Where do you work? Where do you study?
  • What do you do? What do you study?
  • What jobs have you done in the past?

Why are you there?

  • What does the student understand about mentoring - why does he/she think both of you are there?
  • What do you believe you are there for? Emphasise:

- Links to the University- Someone objective for the student to talk to

What “rules” do you need to agree?

It is important that any “rules” should be agreed at the outset.

  • Confidentiality
    You will not gossip, but you might have to discuss some issues with the College or University Co-ordinator. Equally your mentee should agree not to gossip about anything personal that you might say!
  • Responsibility
    Agree that you both have a responsibility to attend meetings and that each person will let the college know well in advance if they are unable to attend. Also, confirm that if you make an agreement, you will both stick to it, e.g. If one person promises to find out some information, etc. they will do it.

Future Possibilities

  • It should be possible for the student to spend a day at University with you.

End on a positive note - looking forward to working together etc.

NB - This is not a script! It is just some ideas on what could be said.

Second Session With Student

  • Quick recap from last session. How did the student feel about it?
  • Try to get to know student better.
  • Find out about how he/she is doing at college.
  • What subjects or elements of his/her course does your mentee enjoy?
  • What does he/she find difficult?
  • What does he/she think of college generally?
  • What does he/she think college should be like - how would he/she change it if he/shecould?
  • What does he/she enjoy doing out of college, does he/she have a part-time job?
  • Try to look for any common ground between you and the student
  • Remember this is not an interview. To build up a rapport with the student you will need to develop a conversation, rather than just ask questions. It is up to you to decide how much you want to talk about yourself. In some ways it would be helpful to share experiences from your own life, but don’t feel that you have to ‘bare your soul’!
  • Basically, in the first session you are setting the scene and discussing what will happen and you might find yourself doing more of the talking. In the second session you are finding out more about your student and he/she should be doing more of the talking. From these two meetings you will be able to have an idea of what sort of things you could discuss at future meetings.

Ideas for further sessions