Mentor Training – Bradford College University CentreMentor Training – Bradford College University Centre

PCET Mentor Training

Welcome

Overview

• What?- Definitions

• Who?- Roles and responsibilities

• Why? –mentor and mentee reasons

• How? – methods, approaches, processes and issues

Mentor

• Odysseus- Trojan War• Odysseus, king of Ithaca, goes

to fight in the Trojan War and while he is away he leaves the care of his household, especially his son Telemachus to Mentor

• Mentor (age, wisdom and trust)

So…What is Mentoring?- Official view

The following definition is given by the DfES:

“Mentoring is a structured, sustained process for supporting professional learners through significant career transitions”

One definition…

• "Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be."

Eric Parsloe, The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring

And a fluffier one..

“ Mentors are guides. They lead us along the journey of our lives. We trust them because they have been there before. They embody our hopes, cast light on the way ahead, interpret arcane signs, warn us of lurking dangers, and point out unexpected delights along the way…” Laurent A Daloz

Thinking time

• Think about my definitions and what YOU have in your mind

• Which one is you?

• What’s in it for you?

Why mentor? OR ‘What’s in it for me?’

• Provides opportunities for networking with other teachers and professionals

• Provides opportunities to share knowledge and expertise

• (Obviously …) develops your coaching and mentoring skills

• Encourages you to reflect on your own practice• It’s CPD and can be developed and formalised (e.g.

accessing Masters and BA level modules)

Roles, Responsibilities, Skills & Qualities

Defining Roles

To make mentoring work you should:

• Be clear what you both want out of it• Understand what the drivers are and where there

are likely conflicts • Communicate: a) broadly within institution and b)

effectively between each other• Tailor a programme that enables the points above

and include measurable targets• Set up methods for evaluation and review the

programme regularly

Key factors for successful mentoring

• A clear, agreed set of objectives

• Communication and training

• Matching of mentors and mentees

• Evaluation and review of the program

Tabbron et al, 1997

Qualities and skills

• What do you think are the top three qualities and skills required by a mentor?

Julie Hay in ‘Transformational Mentoring’ identifies the range of activities which may be referred to as mentoring:

• Showing people the ropes – and helping them climb them• Passing on knowledge and/or skills, formally or informally• Looking after people• Acting as a sounding board• Helping people put learning into practice• Being a role model• Being a guide• Being a champion• Talking to people about their careers• Coaching• A guide not a guru

Why we need you

• Subject specific knowledge - content AND pedagogy

• Supports us in all the generic things we do…

• ‘respond to trainees’ specific training needs, including enhancing their subject and curriculum knowledge and… expertise’ Ofsted Handbook, Sept. 2013

Aims of PCET courses

• Cert Ed. (levels 4/5) and PG Dip. (Masters level 7). Meet generic teaching standards for post-compulsory education and training

• Additional Diplomas- run alongside (concurrent) or separate - legal requirement for teaching Esol, Literacy, Numeracy and from 2013 Disabled Learners

Modules

Year 1• Teaching, learning and assessment• Theories that underpin learning• Subject specialist pedagogy or ESOL, Literacy or

Numeracy

Year 2 • Designing and Developing the Curriculum• Action research or ESOL, Literacy or Numeracy• Developing professional practice

Teaching Portfolio

This is the module you have most to do with

•Runs throughout their course

•Builds an online portfolio

•Used to collate all the evidence required of their professional development

•Observations are a major part of this

•N.B. Includes Teaching Practice Portfolio – you must get it when observing

PCET OBSERVATIONS

Trainees need 8 observations during their course

• 4 done by staff in PCET team

• 4 to be done by subject specialist mentor

Observation Guidelines

• Supportive/ developmental• Agree time/date- balance through year (no

good bunched!)• Has to be a class of at least 6 learners

with a ‘taught’ element• Can be in a workshop but shouldn’t be

solely a workshop!• 1 hour ( 1st observation with PCET team)• Complete the form provided

Forms

Task:

Have a look through the observation form

•Which sections do you feel particularly confident about?

•Which do you feel less confident about?

Impressions of the form

Observation of Teaching & giving feedback

Pause this training and…

Click on the link to the example lesson and use the observation form to record your observations of the lesson.

Was the form useful? Are you comfortable in using this form to observe your mentee?

At the start of session trainees should provide the observer with:

What you should be given•A current scheme of work and lesson plan for the class (with accompanying handouts, activities etc.)

•A rationale that includes an overview of the session, specific learners and action points developed from previous observations

•Register•Introduce you to the group

Feedback

• Brief oral feedback ASAP afterwards

• Detailed feedback on form after that - use handwritten or typed versions

• Don’t be afraid of referring the session

Focus of your feedback

• PLEASE focus on the subject specific teaching skills of the trainee.

• This is one of the reasons you are so important in the development of the trainee teacher.

Analysis of Verbal feedback

• Pause this training and…

…Watch the ‘A Critical Friend’.

Who gets a copy of the observation form?

• The trainee. This must be kept in their Personal and Professional Development Portfolio

• You

• Their Personal Tutor. Please email it or post it directly if possible

Other Observations

• We would like them to observe you

• It is also a requirement that they observe one of their peers

For both observations the trainees should use the Peer Observation Form

they have been given

Meetings with Mentees

• Assignments ( you are not expected to help them with the writing!)

• Targets

• Action plans

• Observations

• Issues etc.

• Reflections!