Mentoring is…
The acrostic below represents my thinking about the fundamental aspects essential to any mentoring relationship.
Mutual • Mentoring relationships that flourish are reciprocal – all parties learn and grow
Evolving • Mentors exhibit flexibility of stance and role based on the needs of the person they are supporting
Non-evaluative • Mentoring supports are not connected to evaluation or judgement of a colleague’s performance
Trusting • Relational trust is built through effective listening and fostered in an environment characterized by emotional safety and mutual respect
Open • Through powerful learning designs (e.g., observation and debriefing) practice is deprivatized and the intentional sharing of knowledge and practice occurs
Real • Mentoring activities are personalized, based on each person’s authentic learning goals and connected to their “real world”
Supported • Conditions to foster effective mentoring relationships are supported at both the school and board level (e.g., joint release days, foundational learning for mentors)
Honouring strengths • A deliberate seeking out of the strengths and attributes that each person brings to the mentoring relationship sets the context for meaningful sharing to occur
Invitational • All parties have voluntarily chosen to engage in mentorship
Personalized • Each person may choose to engage in multiple models of mentorship as they build a web of mentoring supports
Reciprocal learning is a foundational component of all mentoring relationships. One of the most powerful outcomes of mentorship is that it serves as a means for job embedded deprivatization of practice and fosters reflection, learning and growth of mentors themselves.
In summary, mentorship is an act of learning.
Connecting our Hearts
Inside all of our students who come to school each day are their hearts, and inside every heart of every student are their hopes, dreams, and wishes for their lives and learning.
We know creating a safe place for the hearts of our students is a critical precondition for learning but in order to do this I think it is essential that the hearts of the educators supporting our students are also safe, and secure, and supported.
I see this as a reciprocal process. In other words, our students can become part of our mentoring web and we can become part of theirs.
Looking in the Mirror
Mentoring is an act of learning. One of the most powerful things a mentor can do is help their colleague hold up a mirror to their practice and in this mirror see all their strengths and attributes, not just the flaws and challenges of what isn’t working.
Through this de-privatization of practice, the quiet victories and moments of beauty that teaching provides can be surfaced, elevated and celebrated.
As mentors one of our biggest challenges is to hold up this same mirror to ourselves and not just see our own flaws.
Simply put, as a profession we are incredibly hard on ourselves. Our day ends and we don't celebrate our 17 quiet victories, we reflect upon the one (or two or three!) things that went wrong.
In other words, we fail the “best edu-friend” test. If our colleague came to us with their challenges, concerns and worries we’d be so accepting and understanding but somehow it’s difficult to give this same level of acceptance to ourselves. We’re reluctant to acknowledge celebrate and elevate our own strengths and attributes.
Webs of Support
Our learning from the New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) is helpful here. Through our longitudinal research we found that high growth new teachers access 5 – 7 different mentor supports (i.e. they built a mentoring web). The more strands in each of our webs, the stronger and more resilient the webs are.
With these supportive webs, our hearts as educators are warmed and our well-being is supported. Our warm hearts create a space for continued personal and professional learning and growth – for ourselves, for our educator colleagues and ultimately for every student.
Goal Setting Conversations
Mentoring is a powerful, personalized learning design. Yet the dynamics of mentoring relationships are complex. When there is a misalignment of expectations significant challenges can arise. Engaging in collaborative goal setting conversations at the beginning of any mentoring relationship helps to set the stage for success. Two potentially powerful outcomes of these learning focused conversations are:
- Building relational trust
- Clarifying roles and expectations
Building Relational Trust
Being “present” by applying the elements of effective listening is at the core of building trust and rapport in any relationship.
Clarifying Roles and Expectations
Positioning yourself as a co-learner by sharing your own learning goals for the mentoring relationship is a powerful approach. Mentoring relationships that flourish are reciprocal – all parties learn and grow.
Possible Goal Setting Conversation Questions
- What strengths and attributes do you bring to your role?
- What are your hopes, wishes and dreams for your students?
- What goals do you have for your professional learning this year?
- How do you see our collaboration best working?
- What are the best ways for us to communicate? (preferred tools, times, methods)
- Who else can provide support and mentorship?
- What are the next steps in our collaboration?
Goal Setting Conversations with your Teacher-Candidate Video (1 min 11 sec)
Professional Wisdom
Our new teachers are considering foundational questions as they enter the profession:
- Who am I as an educator and as a mentor?
- What do I believe is truly important about teaching and learning?
- How am I living these beliefs in my classroom, school, district and beyond?
Teaching and learning are complex and when you are new to your role there are a lot of firsts. The first time a student challenges you as a teacher. The first time a parent calls the school with a concern. The first time you write report cards. As a mentor you face all of these same challenges but you have a lot fewer firsts. For all of us in education, experience has been a teacher. Through your lived experiences in classrooms and schools you have developed professional wisdom. Your professional wisdom can provide a valuable starting point for newer colleagues to consider as they reflect on their practice and begin to form their professional identity. Professional wisdom is a gift you have to offer and also a gift you continue to receive. Being intellectually humble allows us to listen with uncertainty and to be open to continued learning and growth from our new and experienced colleagues (and our students). Placing students at the centre of our shared thinking and learning grounds our mentoring conversations in why we are all here. It reminds us at that any age, stage or phase of our career we continue to learn. That is the beauty of mentorship...it is an act of learning.
Roles & Stances of an Effective Mentor (3Cs)
In their book Mentoring Matters: A Practical Guide to Learning-Focused Relationships Laura Lipton and Bruce Wellman describe a practical framework for mentors to consider. The chart below provides an at a glance guide to the 3Cs adapted with permission from their work.
Consultant
Offering Support and Providing Resources
- Mentor shares key information about logistics, school or work site culture, policies and practices
- Beyond simple advice, a consultant provides the why and how of their thinking
Cues
- Credible voice / Use of pronoun “I” / Phrases like “it’s important to”…. “keep in mind that”
Cautions
- We tend to default to this stance / Overuse can build dependency on the mentor
Collaborator
Creating Challenge and Encouraging Growth
- Mentor and colleague co-develop strategies and approaches
- 50/50 pattern of interaction and idea production
Cues
- Confident, approachable voice / Use of pronoun “we” / Phrases like “let’s think about”…. “how might we”
Cautions
- Mentors need to ensure collaboration is authentic and they don’t take over
Coach
Facilitating Professional Vision
- Mentor supports internal idea production through inquiry and paraphrase
- Ultimate aim is to develop colleague’s internal resources for self-coaching and independence
Cues
- Approachable voice, attending fully / Use of pronoun “you” / Questions like “what might be some ways to?”.... “given all that you know, what options are you considering?”
Cautions
- Stance can cause frustration if colleague lacks internal resources for idea generation
Scaling Questions as a Tool for Debriefing
Opportunities for individuals to reflect on practice and debrief with mentors can be powerful learning for both parties. One approach to debriefing conversations is scaling questions adapted from the solution-focussed conversation work of Nancy McConkey.
Scaling Questions Conversation Map at a Glance
- On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst lesson you’ve experienced and 10 being the best, how was this lesson for you?
- Oh a <e.g., 6> – What were the positive things that made it a 6?
- How might you bump it up a notch to a 7? (specific ideas)
- Continue with Coaching stance or shift to Consultant or Collaborator based on needs
A purposeful seeking out of strengths is at the heart of this approach with the debriefing beginning with the positive impressions of the educator no matter what the number. In my experience with using this approach, very often the input or advice you were going to provide comes from the teacher themselves. The person has given their challenges considerable thought and the “bump up” question acts as a prompt for them to articulate specific ideas for improvement. As a skilled mentor, you then take your cue from your colleague in terms of next steps and support moving forward.
Supporting Resources
These videos are part of the Associate Teacher Partnership Project I participated in when I was at the Ontario Ministry of Education. It was led by Lakehead University in collaboration with 7 local school districts to support the mentoring of Associate Teachers.
- Complexity of Teaching and Learning (1 min 56 sec)
- Scaling Questions as a Tool for Debriefing (2 min 43 sec)
When I was the program coordinator for beginning teachers in TDSB I collaborated with OISE in support of associate teachers as part of a project entitled Authentic Voices from the Field.
New Teacher Induction Program Learning
Longitudinal research in Ontario has shown us that mentoring plays a critical role in the professional growth of new teachers.
New teachers receiving supports report meaningful and sustained improvement in their confidence, efficacy, instructional practice, and commitment to ongoing learning. I would submit the factors summarized below influence the growth of not just new teachers but all educators at every age, stage, and phase of their career.
Mentoring Web
Having a formally assigned mentor is not linked to growth…being mentored is. High growth new teachers accessed 5 to 7 different mentorship supports (i.e. they built a mentoring web).
Differentiated Learning
High growth new teachers constructed their learning via a menu of authentic learning opportunities using joint release days with multiple mentors. Classroom observation and debriefing was the learning design with the strongest correlation to growth in instructional practice.
Principal Encouragement
Ongoing feedback and encouragement from the Principal was the strongest predictor of growth for new teachers. This speaks to the power of listening, the power of encouragement, and the ability of the principal to provide a meaningful piece of a mentoring web for a new teacher.
School Culture
A collaborative school culture was an important factor in building a sense of confidence and efficacy for new teachers. When you’re new you tend to adapt or adopt the culture you find yourself in … so again the importance of all mentors, colleagues and supports for all learners in the school.
Mentoring as Learning
In our research we were particularly interested in what actions mentors and colleagues took that new teachers found most helpful in supporting their growth. I’ve mapped our learning to the 3 Cs below.
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Consultant
- Providing ongoing formal and informal supports
- Sharing resources
Collaborator
- Fostering collaboration with beginning teachers, mentors and colleagues (i.e. helping to build a mentoring web)
Coach
- Engaging in classroom observation and debriefing
- Providing ongoing feedback
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One of the most powerful outcomes of intentionally sharing knowledge and practice is the learning and growth of mentors themselves. Here are the powerful insights that mentors have shared about the reciprocal learning they engage in with beginning teachers:
Increases Reflection on Current Practice
- Mentoring has opened me up to the possibility of growth and to the potential of new ideas…. this has helped me become more reflective about my own practice.
Fosters Inspirational Connections with Colleagues
- Mentoring has improved my relationships with other teachers (not just new teachers). I’ve become more aware of the value of colleagues, and more encouraged to share.
Impacts Teaching Practice & Learning of Students
- Learning about the importance of listening and coaching didn’t just help me support beginning teachers, it helped me become a better mentor for my students!
Mentoring for Mentors Resources
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Mentoring Essentials eBooks & Glideshows
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All Mentoring for Mentors Resources
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Wishing you a mentoring journey filled with quiet moments of beauty and thanking you for the difference you are making to the lives and learning of your colleagues and ultimately our students.
In appreciation,