RSS feed for A mentoring mindset (Meddylfryd mentora)

Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

This course, A mentoring mindset (Meddylfryd mentora), will help you to develop your understanding of effective school-based mentoring of beginner teachers, whether they are in initial teacher education (ITE) or have just qualified as a teacher. The course enables you to consider the principles of effective mentoring, and how your role may move towards coaching as the beginner teacher you are mentoring grows as a teacher.

Being a mentor is an important role as you are a teacher-educator within your school-based context. Beginner teachers must progress along a continuum of familiarisation and consolidation of principles of teaching and learning, through to autonomous practice if they are to take their place as a professional teacher. You will provide the support and challenge they need to do this.

Mentoring is a challenging but rewarding role, as you engage in reflection on your own teaching and leadership practices, and help others take their place in the community of professional and effective teachers.

Learning outcomes

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

After studying this course, you should be able to:

understand the principles of effective mentoring in initial teacher education and the role of the mentor as a teacher educator within a school-based context
understand that mentoring is a continuum which also includes coaching
apply theories of mentoring and coaching within teacher-practice when supporting beginner teachers
understand mentoring as a professional learning opportunity for the development of personal teaching and leadership development.

Get started with Week 1

Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

This week will help to develop your understanding of effective school-based mentoring of beginner teachers. It is designed to enable you to understand effective mentoring. As is made clear, mentors have an important role as teacher-educators within the school-based context, supporting and challenging beginner teachers to ensure they progress from needing familiarisation with the role and mores of being a teacher through to consolidation of those ideas and ultimaely to be able to become an autonomous teacher. The rewards of mentoring are also explored, as you engage in reflection on your own teaching and leadership practices.

Table _unit2.1.1 Activity planner
Activity	Learning actions	Time
Activity 1 Mentoring from different perspectives	Watch the video and identify the different expectations people place on the role of the mentor in school.	20 mins
Activity 2 Reflecting on and auditing mentoring skills	Fill in a table of mentoring skills and audit your current skills.	30 mins
Activity 3 Promoting reflective dialogue	Review two dialogues and suggest improvements.	30 mins

Learning outcomes

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

articulate what is expected of a mentor for a beginner teacher in school
audit your own mentoring skills
know how to support a beginner teacher as they start in school
convey what a wider role in mentoring in school could mean.

1 What does it mean to be a teacher-educator in school?

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Teaching is complex. It is no surprise then that learning to teach (as the mentee) and teaching to teach (as a mentor) can be just as complex. Most programmes of initial teacher education in the United Kingdom (UK) now place an emphasis on the crucial role a mentor plays in supporting beginner-teachers’ learning, positioning the mentor as an expert teacher-educator in the school context. The following activity will help you reflect on what mentoring means from differing perspectives.

Activity _unit2.3.1 Activity 1 Mentoring from different perspectives

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes

Watch the video and consider the importance of mentoring in initial teacher education (ITE) from different perspectives.

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1

Video _unit2.3.1 Video 1 What is great mentoring?

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript: Video 1 What is great mentoring?

[WHAT IS GREAT MENTORING?]

[THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE]

Holly

Above all, I believe that communication is key and can really help develop a strong mentor-student relationship. You’ll have four more observations and mentor meetings, but daily check ins, feedback, motivation can be very effective. And just to be told you are doing a good job, can go a long way.

Andrew

My mentor supports me through every aspect of my PGCE. So like I said, while mentoring means to me. It’s not only when I’m teaching or planning or evaluating but through all of my University work. So everything in school, the workload, mental well-being. Just someone who is always there and someone always there to help me. So a mentor is someone who to me is approachable. I can see their work ethic but also guides me in the correct way, but also lets me find how I want to become a teacher. Yes, it has that support but he’s always there and letting me find my own fate. So that’s why I’d say a good mentor is, what they mean to me.

Rachel Thomas

The mentors really helped to distil the key strengths and development needs for each student and then work closely with me to help decide on the next steps. So that we have that continuity and progression between placements.

Catherine Bleasdale

I think great mentoring is really a balance of things. So there’s a balance between the input of the mentor and the mentee, so that there’s a good relationship that allows the mentee to develop in the way that they want to develop as a teacher. But the mentor supports them and challenges them to reach that end goal really. So I think there’s a balance of support and challenge, there’s a balance of sharing your experience as a mentor, but also being open to new ideas that the student teacher might bring with them. And there’s a balance of being approachable but not being a counselor, of being professional but also recognising the person that the student teacher is underneath their own professional identity. So I think it really is a balancing act. Maybe in the same way that a great teacher is a great teacher, because they can teach in the way that the pupil learns best. I think maybe that’s the same for a great mentor. That they work out what the mentee is like and how they can help them best to develop to the best of their potential. And then they provide in the way that is most appropriate for that individual.

End transcript: Video 1 What is great mentoring?

Download

Video _unit2.3.1 Video 1 What is great mentoring?

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Identify the different expectations people may place on the role of the mentor in your school, and note down your thoughts in the box below.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

An important aspect of the mentor’s role is to help the beginner teacher bring together the more theoretical learning that tends to be part of their university study with the experiential learning they do in school – this will be discussed next.

1.1 Bringing together school and university

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Beginner teachers often view their time spent in school as one of the most useful aspects of their learning. It is where they learn about good practice in the practical context of their school and start the difficult process of learning how to draw on the ‘craft knowledge’ of more experienced teachers (Hagger and McIntyre, 2006).

Figure _unit2.3.1 Figure 1

There is also important research-based knowledge that beginner teachers must understand, and this is traditionally where universities have played a central role. However, in modern initial teacher education (ITE) programmes there is an increasing emphasis on the need for students to understand, blend and apply intellectual and experiential forms of knowledge, and for programmes of ITE to design their provision and curricula to support this integration (Lofthouse, 2018). Hagger and McIntyre (2006) call this process ‘practical theorizing’. In this process, a beginner teacher draws on theory and research to identify ideas to improve their practice and then begins to critically examine the usefulness of these ideas in the context of their own practice, their subject or phase, their pupils and their school. The mentor has a key role to play in this process. They support beginner teachers to develop sufficient competence to use practical theorizing as they move towards teaching independently.

How the work of a mentor is perceived will vary greatly in schools. Senior leaders have a duty to choose as mentors those teachers who have a sound knowledge of the programmes the students are engaged in, strong interpersonal skills and a clear understanding of the needs of a beginner teacher working towards the expected standards (Estyn, 2018).

A mentor must also support a beginner teacher by nurturing the growth of particular dispositions. These dispositions include recognising the need for continuing development by taking responsibility for their own professional learning throughout their career, and developing an appetite for critical engagement with research to continually improve and innovate their classroom practice and their response to the learners for whom they are responsible.

1.2 Effective mentoring

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Hobson and Malderez (2013) define mentoring as:

The one to one support of a novice or less experienced practitioner (mentee) by a more experienced practitioner (mentor), designed primarily to assist the development of the mentee’s expertise and to facilitate their induction into the culture of the profession [teaching] and into the specific local context [school].

Hobson and Malderez, 2013, p. 1

This definition makes clear that one of the primary roles mentors play is both acculturator and sponsor (Hobson and Malderez, 2013). Mentors support beginner teachers to move progressively into the community of practice of the school by helping them to learn the practices and expectations of teaching and of the school context.

Mentors also work in a developmental capacity. Close support is offered initially and then, as the beginner teachers’ skills, knowledge and understanding increase and they become both more proficient and confident, the emphasis shifts to empowering and enabling (Clutterbuck, 2004). The mentor’s role is to support the beginner teacher along this continuum as they move towards autonomy.

Mentoring is also about bridging the beginner teacher’s school and university or academic experiences – taking a wider interest in your mentee’s academic work will also help provide holistic support. The effective mentor works to shape the beginner teachers’ understanding of the interrelationship between learning from research, theory and experience and how the context itself affects learning (Mutton, Hagger and Burn, 2011). Here the mentor is educator, collaborator and model.

Lastly, mentors also need to provide emotional support for beginner teachers in order to ensure their wellbeing. This role can often be under-emphasised by mentors who may place more significant focus on practical issues such as classroom management or subject knowledge.

The variety of roles that effective mentors need to play are summarised in Figure 2 (to view a larger pdf version: open this link in a new tab or window by holding down Ctrl, or Cmd on a Mac, when you click)

Figure _unit2.3.2 Figure 2 The variety of roles a mentor takes on

Long description

The next activity will help you consider your own mentoring skills and identify where your strengths may be.

Activity _unit2.3.2 Activity 2 Reflecting on and auditing mentoring skills

Timing: Allow approximately 30 minutes

Reflect on the different elements of a mentor’s role as set out in Figure 2. Consider what you do (or can do) to help you accomplish this aspect of mentoring. Reflect on your personal areas of strength and where you need to develop your skills using the table below. Rate your proficency from 1 to 5.

Table _unit2.3.1 Table 1 Auditing your skills
Mentor skills	How do I achieve this?	1 (Not very strong)	2	3	4	5 (Very strong)
I can act as a positive role model.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 1, Your response 1	Table 1 Auditing your skills 2, Your response 2	Table 1 Auditing your skills 3, Your response 3	Table 1 Auditing your skills 4, Your response 4	Table 1 Auditing your skills 5, Your response 5	Table 1 Auditing your skills 6, Your response 6
I am able to enthuse a beginner teacher in relation to the content to be taught.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 7, Your response 7	Table 1 Auditing your skills 8, Your response 8	Table 1 Auditing your skills 9, Your response 9	Table 1 Auditing your skills 10, Your response 10	Table 1 Auditing your skills 11, Your response 11	Table 1 Auditing your skills 12, Your response 12
I can help beginner teachers to understand the school context and how this affects practice.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 13, Your response 13	Table 1 Auditing your skills 14, Your response 14	Table 1 Auditing your skills 15, Your response 15	Table 1 Auditing your skills 16, Your response 16	Table 1 Auditing your skills 17, Your response 17	Table 1 Auditing your skills 18, Your response 18
I recognise when I need to draw on the expertise of other colleagues to support the beginner teacher’s needs.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 19, Your response 19	Table 1 Auditing your skills 20, Your response 20	Table 1 Auditing your skills 21, Your response 21	Table 1 Auditing your skills 22, Your response 22	Table 1 Auditing your skills 23, Your response 23	Table 1 Auditing your skills 24, Your response 24
I am open to professional learning opportunities, including exploring research.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 25, Your response 25	Table 1 Auditing your skills 26, Your response 26	Table 1 Auditing your skills 27, Your response 27	Table 1 Auditing your skills 28, Your response 28	Table 1 Auditing your skills 29, Your response 29	Table 1 Auditing your skills 30, Your response 30
Through my mentoring, I am able to develop my beginner teacher’s quality and depth of reflection.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 31, Your response 31	Table 1 Auditing your skills 32, Your response 32	Table 1 Auditing your skills 33, Your response 33	Table 1 Auditing your skills 34, Your response 34	Table 1 Auditing your skills 35, Your response 35	Table 1 Auditing your skills 36, Your response 36
I set SMART targets to support my beginner teacher to progress and to meet professional standards.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 37, Your response 37	Table 1 Auditing your skills 38, Your response 38	Table 1 Auditing your skills 39, Your response 39	Table 1 Auditing your skills 40, Your response 40	Table 1 Auditing your skills 41, Your response 41	Table 1 Auditing your skills 42, Your response 42
I understand how to assess my beginner teacher’s progress effectively and accurately.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 43, Your response 43	Table 1 Auditing your skills 44, Your response 44	Table 1 Auditing your skills 45, Your response 45	Table 1 Auditing your skills 46, Your response 46	Table 1 Auditing your skills 47, Your response 47	Table 1 Auditing your skills 48, Your response 48
I use observation of my beginner teacher’s practice to provide helpful feedback to enhance their pedagogical learning.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 49, Your response 49	Table 1 Auditing your skills 50, Your response 50	Table 1 Auditing your skills 51, Your response 51	Table 1 Auditing your skills 52, Your response 52	Table 1 Auditing your skills 53, Your response 53	Table 1 Auditing your skills 54, Your response 54
I facilitate a range of development experiences across the school to support my beginner teacher’s practice needs.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 55, Your response 55	Table 1 Auditing your skills 56, Your response 56	Table 1 Auditing your skills 57, Your response 57	Table 1 Auditing your skills 58, Your response 58	Table 1 Auditing your skills 59, Your response 59	Table 1 Auditing your skills 60, Your response 60
I am familiar with my beginner teacher’s ITE or induction programme design, requirements and assessment methods.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 61, Your response 61	Table 1 Auditing your skills 62, Your response 62	Table 1 Auditing your skills 63, Your response 63	Table 1 Auditing your skills 64, Your response 64	Table 1 Auditing your skills 65, Your response 65	Table 1 Auditing your skills 66, Your response 66
I plan specific opportunities and methods to provide support and challenge for my beginner teacher.	Table 1 Auditing your skills 67, Your response 67	Table 1 Auditing your skills 68, Your response 68	Table 1 Auditing your skills 69, Your response 69	Table 1 Auditing your skills 70, Your response 70	Table 1 Auditing your skills 71, Your response 71	Table 1 Auditing your skills 72, Your response 72

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

You can use your audit findings to reflect on your strengths and areas for development. You may also wish to consider setting yourself some targets to realise as you complete the course. In Week 4, you will return to this activity to consider your progress.

2 Supporting your beginner teacher in the early stages

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Learning to teach, or inducting a new teacher into a school, require mentoring roles that lie along a continuum – from close and careful support and challenge at the start, to being there as a back-up and an encourager as the beginner teacher moves towards autonomy. Mentoring calls for different skills at different times and a consideration of the structure of learning opportunities over time, in order to give the beginner teacher new challenges and responsibilities as their expertise develops.

2.1 Consider how ready your mentee is to engage in the mentoring process

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

At the start of the process, it is important to establish the beginner teacher’s expectations of you as a mentor and to consider how these align to your own expectations. Beginner teachers do not arrive as a ‘blank slate’ – while you will have clear ideas about the expectations for teaching and learning in your school, they will also be bringing in their own personal dispositions and perhaps those of their university’s community of practice too. Making the expectations of both parties clear will set the relationship off well.

2.2 Establish a focus on ‘practical theorizing’ early on

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Consider how you can support and challenge your beginner teacher, while promoting reflection on the approaches and rationale they have chosen in their teaching. Feedback that promotes thought and reflection is an especially important part of the mentoring dialogue. Helpful feedback affirms successful practice but also highlights where the beginner teacher may need new approaches or ideas, and it encourages them to look to theory and research for innovation (Mutton, Hagger and Burn, 2011).

Think about how you can prompt important aspects of discussion such as critical reflection, pedagogical issues, principles underpinning practice or issues of social reform or justice, as part of your professional dialogue (Hobson and Malderez, 2013). Articulating ideas in a critically reflective way supports the growth of practical theorizing, allowing dynamic mentoring conversations that both assist the beginner teacher and allow the experienced mentor to co-construct new ideas for teaching (Lofthouse, 2018).

2.3 Focus on building a positive relationship with your mentee

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

The most effective mentors build positive relationships with beginner teachers and provide support for emotional wellbeing. They help beginner teachers to feel welcome, accepted and included within their wider school community. It is true that mentors have an important role to play in assessing the beginner teacher’s progress in relation to regulatory requirements such as professional standards. But, if too much focus is placed on the role of ‘assessor’ early in the mentor-mentee relationship, tension can be caused. Focus on establishing a solid relationship built on trust, in which you provide a safe environment for learning and risk-taking in the initial stages (Lofthouse, 2018). Take care not to overwhelm your beginner teacher with too much feedback in the early stages, or to make it too critical: focus on what they can do and on giving a few clear targets that they can achieve.

3 Supporting beginner teachers’ reflective practice

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Effective mentors encourage beginner teachers to critically reflect on their practice by modelling what this looks like in a variety of ways. Reflection can either be formal or informal, and it will be most powerful if the three elements of critical reflection (reflection, critical thinking and evaluation) are considered.

The importance of exploiting opportunities for informal reflection should not be underestimated. In research undertaken by Jones, Tones and Foulkes (2018), informal dialogue (which would be likely to involve some reflection) between mentors and beginner teachers was seen as where students made most progress, particularly when the relationship was both positive and collaborative.

Table _unit2.5.1 Table 2 Some ideas for approaches that support reflective practice
Strategy	Examples
Reflective journals or diaries	Record incidents, ideas and reflections gained from different sources such as observations and training courses. Can be a notebook or shared blog, which includes informal reflections to be considered during mentor meetings and informal feedback.
Mentor sessions	A set time for in-depth reflection, evaluation and target setting.
Shared practice	Observation of the mentor or undertaking more formal structures such as lesson study or joint planning and team teaching.
Observation	Lesson observations – both formal and informal. Informal: used to prompt reflective practice and to provide a basis for formative assessment and discussion. Formal: used for assessment purposes, often in collaboration with external practice assessors.
Feedback	Part of professional dialogue and often following a lesson observation. Can take various forms (e.g. formal, informal; general, specific; directive, open-ended).
Problem-based learning	Analysis of real-life scenarios.
Learner voice	Time for learners to complete evaluations or talk about their learning. Used to inform reflection.

These strategies to support reflective practice are based on the ideas within the guidance on ‘Reflective practice’ (Welsh Government, 2015), with some additions.

The next activity will help you reflect on how mentoring conversations can encourage reflective practice.

Activity _unit2.5.1 Activity 3 Promoting reflective dialogue

Timing: Allow approximately 30 minutes

Listen to the audios below, which capture the dialogue between two mentors and their beginner teachers. Consider what is problematic in each scene and identify possible suggestions for how the dialogue could have been more effective.

Audio 1

Download this audio clip.Audio player: mpgce_w1_a3_scen1.mp3

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript

[BELL RINGING]

Beginner teacher

Hi. Could you have a look at my lesson plan?

Mentor

I’m pretty busy. I’ve got about five minutes.

Beginner teacher

Oh. I was thinking about trying out a new strategy at the start. It’s a give me five technique. They put their hand up, and I list five things I’m looking for, eyes on me, listening.

Mentor

I would stick to what they do in class. They’re used to that. Don’t want to confuse them. And they are instructed to you.

Beginner teacher

Oh. OK.

Mentor

This plan is very detailed. I’m not sure you need all of this. In fact, what we use in the school is much, much easier. I suppose you have to follow what you’ve been told, I guess.

Beginner teacher

Should I still continue to work on the targets you gave me last week?

Mentor

Sorry, which ones are they?

Beginner teacher

Well, there was the improve discipline, increase pace of the lesson, improve timings, and the use of ICT.

Mentor

Oh. Oh. Oh yah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, they are ongoing, aren’t they. I mean, I can see that you have got your introduction planned with a PowerPoint, so that is covered. You got some timings here. Yeah. It looks good.

Beginner teacher

Do you think I should prioritise any of them?

Mentor

Well, they are all important, really. Look, I’m really sorry, I’ve got a parent waiting for me. OK? All right?

End transcript

Download

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Table _unit2.5.2
What did the beginner teacher need from their mentor in this scenario? 73, Your response 1
What did the beginner teacher gain from the dialogue? 74, Your response 2
What do you see as problematic? 75, Your response 3
How could the dialogue have been more effective? 76, Your response 4

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Audio 2

Download this audio clip.Audio player: mpgce_w1_a3_scen2.mp3

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript

Mentor

Would it be possible for us to have a quick discussion of the lesson that you did before lunch?

Beginner teacher

Yes, of course.

Mentor

Great. I thought there was some really nice bits in the session. I like the way that you were trying some new things out, which was great. How did you think it went?

Beginner teacher

Pretty pleased, if I’m honest.

Mentor

What did you think went well in the lesson?

Beginner teacher

Most of it. Everything I gave them, they did. They all seemed to enjoy the work.

Mentor

OK. Well, was there anything you would have done differently or could have improved on?

Beginner teacher

Not really. I was really pleased with what I did. Why? Is there anything you think I missed?

Mentor

Well, I suppose I would be thinking about the work that the pupils produced at the end of the day. Is it about the learning that takes place? Were you pleased with what they did?

Beginner teacher

Well, they all did the tasks. They had all finished the work, so yeah, I was pretty pleased.

Mentor

Have you had a chance to look at any of the work yet?

Beginner teacher

No, I’ll look at that after school, probably.

Mentor

What about in the lesson? Do you think all of the pupils understood what they were doing?

Beginner teacher

As I said, they all did the tasks.

Mentor

I know, but did you ask or question any particular pupils during the lesson about whether they understood the topic?

Beginner teacher

I did ask at the beginning if they knew what they have to do. They all said yes, so I think they did.

Mentor

What about the different abilities in the class? Did you think that they all managed to understand the work?

Beginner teacher

I tried to keep the task quite straightforward so that they could all do the same. They much prefer that. I believe in treating everyone the same.

Mentor

I see.

End transcript

Download

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Table _unit2.5.3
What did the beginner teacher need from their mentor in this scenario? 77, Your response 5
What did the beginner teacher gain from the dialogue? 78, Your response 6
What do you see as problematic? 79, Your response 7
How could the dialogue have been more effective? 80, Your response 8

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Reflecting on both scenarios, write a short response in the box below on effective mentoring conversations

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Mentors have a clear role to support and challenge a beginner teacher through appropriate mentoring conversations, but they can also grow their role within their school to take on more responsibilities. This wider role is considered next.

4 Mentoring as a wider role

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Mentoring can involve the support of one beginner teacher, or it can grow to take wider responsibilities for several beginner teachers in school or to a whole-school, strategic approach to mentoring.

Taking on a wider role is likely to involve working closely with one or more ITE partnerships to ensure the cohesive design of beginner teachers’ learning experiences, and a shared vision of effective mentoring practices across your school (and perhaps other schools in your network).

A wider mentoring role will also require ensuring a number of practical structural supports are provided within the school, such as: enabling additional release time for mentors to undertake their work; timetable structures to enable mentor/mentee time together in the classroom; and professional learning support and recognition for the work of mentoring (Hobson and Malderez, 2013). Establishing a collegial learning culture, with access to support for both mentors and beginner teachers outside of their mentoring relationship, is also an important aspect of the role.

Box _unit2.6.1 Reflection point

What whole-school structures are in place in your school to support mentors and the effectiveness of mentoring?
How are these intended to support your practice as a mentor?
How would you collaborate with others in your school or wider school networks to support your mentoring?

5 Week 1 summary

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

This week you have considered the role of the mentor in school. A mentor is viewed as a teacher-educator in their own right, and helps the beginner teacher bring together experiential and intellectual forms of knowledge.

Mentoring is recognised as a continuum along which mentors apply a range of skills tailored to the needs and expertise of their beginner teacher, offering both support and challenge as needed. At the start, the mentor welcomes the beginner teacher into the school and helps them understand the school context. As soon as the beginner teacher is settled, the mentor moves on to supporting the beginner teacher to articulate and reflect on their practice, enabling them to become increasingly autonomous and able to meet standards for entry into the profession.

Mentors also support beginner teachers to explore research and theory, and to include innovations in their practice. Effective mentors set beginner teachers on a journey of professional learning for their whole career. Mentors understand how and when to collaborate with others to support the beginner teacher. Importantly, effective mentors know how to build and draw on wider networks of expertise to support their own mentoring practice, and the teaching knowledge of beginner teachers.

You can now go to Week 2.

Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

In Week 1 you were introduced to the principles of effective mentoring. This week focuses on how mentoring may develop and change as both you and your mentee gain experience and confidence. In the first part, the main factors in this continuum will be discussed, and then the focus will move to theories of mentoring and how these apply to practice. The week will end with a consideration of how research can support your mentoring practice.

Table _unit3.1.1 Activity planner
Activity	Learning actions	Time
Activity 1 Support or challenge?	Review table of scenarios and consider how you would react.	20 mins
Activity 2 Symbiotic relationships	Watch a video, reflect on your own experience.	30 mins
Activity 3 Supporting reflection in different situations	Reacting to scenarios.	20 mins
Activity 4 Theories into practice	Reacting to scenarios.	10 mins
Activity 5 Professional learning	Using Lofthouse’s model to think about professional learning.	20 mins

Learning outcomes

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

recognise that mentoring can be viewed as a continuum
consider how your mentoring relationship with your beginner teacher may change and grow
consider how theory can be applied to practice as a mentor
reflect on how mentoring is part of professional learning.

1 Growing with your mentee – mentoring as a continuum

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

A beginner teacher must first familiarise themselves with what is expected of them, the routines within school and how classes are organised and taught. A period of consolidation follows as the beginner teacher works to understand more clearly their role in school, and gradually they move towards autonomy, taking on the role and responsibilities of a teacher.

Beginner teachers’ progress as they enter and proceed through their practice learning can be conceptualised as:

Figure _unit3.3.1 Figure 1 The beginner teacher’s journey towards autonomy

Long description

Box _unit3.3.1 Reflection point

How does the role of a mentor change as the beginner teacher progresses through this continuum?

Effective mentoring at all stages of the beginner teacher’s progress requires a mixture of support and challenge. Good mentors recognise when to support and when to challenge. According to Daloz (1989), mentor support affirms a beginner teacher's experiences and builds trust, whereas challenge requires trust in the beginner teacher. Offering challenge sometimes means that contradictory ideas are introduced and tacit assumptions are questioned. Some tension may develop, but this can support the development of agency in the beginner teacher. Daloz (1989) argues that any interchange between a mentor and a mentee can and indeed should involve both challenge and support, and that what may be perceived as support by one beginner teacher could be viewed as challenge by another. He presents Figure 2 to suggest that growth occurs when both high challenge and high support are given.

Figure _unit3.3.2 Figure 2 The outcomes of varying levels of support and challenge (Daloz, 1989)

Long description

Activity _unit3.3.1 Activity 1 Support or challenge?

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes

Consider each scenario and note how you might offer support or challenge.

Table _unit3.3.1
Scenario	Support	Challenge
A beginner teacher beginning first placement offers to teach all the lessons for a particular class/subject because he/she wants to become fully involved from the start.	81, Your response 1	82, Your response 2
A beginner teacher lacks confidence in teaching a particular class/subject.	83, Your response 3	84, Your response 4
A beginner teacher reprimands a learner with additional learning needs for not trying hard enough, leading to a loss of confidence in the learner and a complaint from the parent.	85, Your response 5	86, Your response 6
A beginner teacher wants to try a new set of resources that he/she has discovered, but you feel they may be problematic with a particular class.	87, Your response 7	88, Your response 8

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Challenging and supporting the beginner teacher you mentor will help them to grow; at the same time, your skills and capabilities as a mentor must grow. This is discussed next.

1.1 Mentoring relationships: growth as a mentor

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

How might the challenge and support you offer as a mentor change at the different stages of a beginner teacher’s journey, ensuring their continued growth as demonstrated in Figure 2? How might the ideas in Figure 2 also help you to continue to grow as a mentor? Who might support and challenge you? How might having beginner teachers and mentors at different stages of their development – for example, a mentor at the familiarisation stage with a beginner teacher who is ready for autonomy – impact the relationship?

Haggar and McIntyre (2006) argue that in a mentoring relationship, beginner teachers may not:

recognise what they need to learn
ask for ideas or information
understand how they can apply ideas observed in experienced teachers’ practice to their own teaching.

In turn, experienced teachers may take their ‘tacit and intuitive expertise’ for granted and not draw attention to what the beginner teacher needs to know. This may mean time is not given to important aspects, such as sharing thinking about complex planning and teaching decisions. It is true that beginner teachers often want quick solutions to problems, but mentors must supply the support and challenge that will allow beginner teachers to understand the complex nature of teaching. The mentor’s role is to ask the questions that allow the beginner teacher to relate the specific contexts observed and the teachers’ reasoning for their decisions, building an understanding of the teachers’ craft knowledge. This will be explored further in Week 3. Discussing the reasoning behind decision-making can be difficult at first because of the tacit and intuitive nature of these decisions, but the benefits of focused discussion in supporting beginner teachers’ understanding and in developing autonomy cannot be overstated.

Activity _unit3.3.2 Activity 2 Symbiotic relationships

Timing: Allow approximately 15 minutes

Watch the short audio clip of Kellie talking about the symbiotic relationship between mentor and mentee.

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1

Video _unit3.3.1 Video 1 Kellie: Symbiotic relationships

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript: Video 1 Kellie: Symbiotic relationships

Kellie

Today in education, lesson planning can seem overwhelming sometimes. But I think when you are planning together, you’ve got that shared responsibility as well. And sometimes with a more innovative idea, when you're working with someone else, it gives you the confidence to try different things in class.

I think when you plan collaboratively and student-teachers planning with other teachers or mentors, I think it's important to remember that often the student-teacher, when they come in, will offer something new, something different. Because occasionally, for experienced teachers, sometimes you can get stuck into just repeating the same sort of activities. And I think it's important to remember that we can learn so much from student-teachers and some of the new ideas, the fresh approaches, that student-teachers can bring into the classroom. And I think that shouldn’t be underestimated.

End transcript: Video 1 Kellie: Symbiotic relationships

Download

Video _unit3.3.1 Video 1 Kellie: Symbiotic relationships

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Reflect on what it means to grow as a mentor. How much does working with your beginner contribute to that growth? What else will help you to grow as a mentor?

Write a reflective piece on what has helped or may help you grow as a mentor in the box below. Consider sharing your ideas with a fellow mentor or someone who has mentored you and asking them if they feel the same.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Several authors have developed theories which apply to mentoring, and which will help you reflect on the relationship you have with your beginner teacher as they grow in the profession. The next section will discuss these theories.

2 Theories of mentoring

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

The aim of the relationship between mentor and beginner teacher is to allow the beginner teacher to learn and take their place in an ever-evolving and complex profession. According to Cain (2009), there are two theories of mentoring: the first is that the mentor promotes learning by reflection, and the second is that learning occurs through an apprenticeship model. Both of these resonate with the idea of nurturing a beginner teacher into taking on the role of a teacher. However, Lave and Wenger (1991) see learning as a growing participation in a community of practice that may better theorise the complexities of the mentor’s role in helping a student develop their professional identity as a teacher.

2.1 Learning by reflection

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Dewey (1933) and Schön (1987) are perhaps the best-known theorists who see reflection as an important tool in professional learning. Reflection can enable a beginner teacher to relate theoretical ideas or the ideas promoted by a national curriculum to the hurly-burly of the classroom. It is a way to more closely align a beginner teacher’s professional actions with the values that they espouse.

Essentially reflection is seen ‘as a good thing’, but also as a habit of mind that is difficult to achieve at sufficient depth to make a difference. Beginner teachers may reflect on their experience and use reflection to seek solutions to complex problems. Exploring ‘their ideal’ and what factors might limit the achievement of that ideal can prompt the depth of reflection that will lead to learning. In this theory, the mentor’s role is to prompt the beginner teacher to explore and make overt their inner beliefs and values, in order to activate their competencies and plan new and improved ways of acting within the classroom.

There are difficulties with basing mentoring on this theory. These include finding a reflective space in school in which to explore beliefs and feelings in this way, and also finding the time necessary to build solutions to issues. Time is a big issue for the mentoring relationship, especially when the student needs something organised, wants your views on how to teach a difficult concept, needs a form signed, and so on.

Activity _unit3.4.1 Activity 3 Supporting reflection in different situations

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes

Consider the scenarios below and identify how you might support reflection in each situation.

Table _unit3.4.1
Scenario	How might I support reflection effectively?
You are undertaking work in the classroom while the beginner teacher takes the last lesson of the day. The beginner teacher sets work that is too easy for the learners, and they start to become disengaged. You have a meeting straight after school and will not see the beginner teacher until the next day.	89, Your response 1
The beginner teacher decides to try a new approach to group work, which results in disruption in the lesson; you feel you need to intervene to prevent further disruption.	90, Your response 2
A beginner teacher shares some learner work which he/she is particularly pleased with, but you feel the beginner teacher has not taken into account the prior learning of the class.	91, Your response 3
A beginner teacher is highly self-critical, completing every lesson with a list of things that went wrong.	92, Your response 4

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Rather than simply telling them what needs to be done, it’s usually far more effective to ask questions in a way that encourages beginner teachers to reflect and recognise for themselves where development is needed. Creating opportunities for an open discussion, encouraging the beginner teacher to consider why something might have occurred, is the best mentoring practice – but often the timing of such conversations needs careful consideration. Meeting immediately after a disastrous lesson may not be the most appropriate time to dissect what happened, although the beginner teacher is likely to need some reassurance. Waiting some time can bring perspective, as the beginner teacher can process their immediate feelings, allowing deeper reflection to take place.

Beginner teachers may need to be supported in recognising positive aspects of their teaching. Encouraging initial discussion about positives and where progress has been made will usually allow an honest discussion of points for development to take place, resulting in the creation of specific, achievable targets.

When time is precious, questions that encourage deep reflection could be jotted onto lesson planning or in a notebook that may be shared with the beginner teacher. For example, questions that ask the beginner teacher to consider why something happened in a lesson could be jotted down in the moment, and then followed up in a regular meeting.

2.2 Learning through apprenticeship

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

There are those who view teaching as a craft (e.g. Brown and McIntyre, 1993) and see learning to teach as an apprenticeship, in which experience improves performance and learning is a slow process. In this theory, the mentor is viewed as a master craftsperson guiding the beginner teacher into taking on more and more complex roles (Brown and McIntyre, 1993). The mentor advises, directs and offers practical tips in order to enable the beginner teacher to make good decisions in the essential immediacy of the classroom. The beginner teacher learns by observing and imitating how the mentor relates to students, positions themselves, uses the board, and so on.

Such a theoretical description fits well with the way that many mentors see themselves as not just supporting, but actively teaching beginner teachers, through advising, informing and suggesting practical approaches. Mentors also act as assessors, giving feedback on lessons and making summative assessments of the beginner teachers’ progress. These dual roles can be a source of tension: some mentors find the roles of supporter and judge to be at odds with one another.

This theory receives criticism. Mentors in general do not want their beginner teachers to become a ‘mini-me’ but rather to take on their own professional identity. Mentors also see that the complex, relationship-dependant profession of teaching is not about giving useful tips or passing on ‘one size fits all’ solutions, but is rather an intellectually demanding pursuit requiring commitment, passion and creativity.

2.3 Learning as acquiring a professional identity within a community of practice

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

In both the new Welsh and Scottish Curriculum, teachers are required to exercise high degrees of professional agency (Biesta, Priestley and Robinson, 2015). Agency is not something that someone has. Rather, it is something the teacher is allowed and encouraged to exercise within the resources offered by the context in which they act, thereby developing a professional identity within a community of those that exercise such agency.

Professional identity is an ongoing process of making sense of and reinterpreting values and experiences (Flores and Day, 2006). The beginner teacher must come to see themselves as a teacher (Coldron and Smith, 2010); they must acquire and redefine an identity that is legitimised by the community of which they form a part. Agency is required in order to develop an identity as a teacher: to become a teacher, a beginner teacher must be allowed and encouraged to participate as a decision maker within the community of the school.

Lave and Wenger (1991) see a teacher’s professional identity as being formed through legitimate peripheral participation in the community of the school. Seen in this way, becoming a teacher requires movement from peripheral participation to full membership by mastering skills, knowledge and sociocultural practices. A beginner teacher takes part in a range of experiences, develops relationships and encounters ways of behaving, allowing them to become a full member of that community.

Thinking about learning as induction into a community of practice requires the mentor’s role to be facilitating the beginner teacher’s sense of belonging to and their ability to exercise agency within the community. Unequal relations of power (Lave and Wenger, 1991) are inherent within communities of practice – the mentor’s role is to welcome the novice into the community, and support and legitimise their movement from peripheral to full participation in active membership of the community.

Teaching is a complex endeavour, and learning to teach is equally complex. Any attempt to simplify this approach is likely to risk losing some vital part of the undertaking.

2.4 The three theories of mentoring

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

The three theories of how mentors may support beginner teachers’ learning do not have to be mutually exclusive. Furlong and Maynard (1995) suggest that mentors may alternate between apprenticeship and reflection theories, starting more apprentice-like and moving towards more reflective approaches. This may be seen as particularly appropriate as a mentor inducts a beginner teacher from peripheral to full participation in the community of practice that is a school. Taking the stance of co-inquirer (Smith, 2010) into how practice within all aspects of the mentoring relationship can grow may well offer a good basis for this complex relationship.

Activity _unit3.4.2 Activity 4 Theories into practice

Timing: Allow approximately 10 minutes

Using the same scenarios as in Activity 3, consider how you might respond if you were strictly following each theoretical position in mentoring. Fill in your ideas in the empty boxes. Some have been done for you to give you some ideas.

Table _unit3.4.2
Scenario	Actions that may promote learning by reflection	Actions that may promote learning as apprenticeship	Actions that may promote learning as becoming part of a community
1. You are undertaking work in the classroom while the beginner-teacher takes the last lesson of the day. The beginner-teacher sets work that is too easy for the learners, and they start to become disengaged.	Question beginner teacher as to what they felt had happened to lead to the disengagement.	Tell the beginner teacher they need to have more challenging work available in case this happens again and where you look to find that work.	Set up an observation for the beginner teacher of how another teacher who is known for their expertise in assessing prior knowledge so that the work is better aligned to what the students need.
2. The beginner teacher decides to try a new approach to group work, which results in disruption in the lesson; you feel you need to intervene to prevent further disruption.	93, Your response 1	Take over the organisation and settling of the groups so that the beginner-teacher can see how it is done then tell the class that they will lead the rest of the lesson.	94, Your response 2
3. A beginner-teacher shares some learner work which he/she is particularly pleased with, but you feel the beginner-teacher has not taken into account the prior learning of the class.	Ask the beginner teacher how they will know that the class are ready to use these ideas in their class.	95, Your response 3	96, Your response 4

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

3 Professional learning for mentor growth

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Lofthouse (2018) proposed a practice development model for individual professional learning through mentoring. The professional learning through mentoring shown in the model is complex and interrelated as both the mentor and beginner teacher develop their practice together. Mentoring is often experienced as activity, sometimes highly productive, sometimes rather repetitive and always undertaken in the midst of other professional or training activity.

View larger image

Figure _unit3.5.1 Figure 3 Lofthouse’s (2018) model for practice development through teaching

Long description

On the left-hand side of the model are the enablers of professional learning, including institutional and interpersonal cultural conditions and individual and intrapersonal personal attributes. At the centre is mentoring. The right-hand side of the model shows the practices that both mentor and beginner teacher should be willing and able to engage in to promote professional learning. The shape and arrows on the model represent the cumulative effects of learning and growth, which sustain and renew opportunities for professional learning through mentoring cycles, with the potential that each cycle allows for further practice development.

Activity _unit3.5.1 Activity 5 Professional learning

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes

Look closely at Lofthouse’s professional development model in Figure 3. Note particular examples of the theoretical concepts that may be evident in the mentor’s and beginner teachers practice or development. Some examples have been added as a start for you.

Table _unit3.5.1
Theoretical concept	… in the mentor’s practice/ and or development	… in the beginner teacher’s practice/and or development
A growing and changing relationship	97, Your response 1	Developing critical friends
Support and challenge	98, Your response 2	Problem solving and innovating
Learning by reflection	Explaining practice and thinking to others	99, Your response 3
Learning through apprenticeship	Understanding and engaging with others	100, Your response 4
Learning as acquiring a professional identity within a community of practice	101, Your response 5	Developing dialogic thinking and self-regulation

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Professional learning will always involve aspects of research, whether that means engaging with others’ learning from research, engaging in research yourself, or both.

4 How can mentors use research?

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Cain (2009) makes four suggestions about how mentors can make use of research and theory in the development of their own practice, and in their support and challenge of beginner teachers. He suggests mentoring can be better understood:

through the mentors’ reading and understanding of research
by using theoretical frameworks – such as the one used by Lofthouse (2018)
by considering case studies and what they may tell us
by mentors undertaking an inquiry into their own practice.

Box _unit3.6.1 Reflection point

Consider Cain’s suggestions above.

Which have you engaged in recently?
Which do you think would be valuable as you grow into your role?
Which could you employ during your time as a mentor?

5 Week 2 summary

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

In this week of the course you have looked at the stages of the journey that every beginning teacher must go through as they move towards taking their place in the professional community of teachers. You have considered how essential it is to both support and challenge your mentee to be sure that they grow at a pace appropriate for them.

You have also looked at how research into mentoring has provided different models for the relationship. You’ve thought about how you see yourself as a mentor, and how best to enable the professional learning beginning teachers need. This week finished with a brief look at how mentors can make use of research and theory in their role.

You can now go to Week 3.

Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

This week you will consider how the relationship between mentor and mentee may change and develop over time, drawing on the concept of mentoring as a continuum, as discussed in Week 2.

Over time, the relationship between mentor and mentee will change and develop. As part of this change, the mentor may move towards a coaching role. This is seen as a role more aligned with supporting someone who is beginning to take on the role and identity of a teacher: a beginner teacher who is towards the ‘autonomous’ end of the continuum.

It is widely acknowledged that both the terms ‘mentor’ and ‘coach’ are not easily defined. In addition, both terms are sometimes mistakenly interchanged (Mullen, 2012). Certainly, there are many similarities between the roles of mentor and coach. For example, in an educational context, both mentor and coach are involved with:

supporting a fellow professional
facilitating professional development
building a working relationship
discussing ideas with trust, respect and openness.

(Ng, 2012, p. 25)

This week you will look at how a coaching role may look within a school-based setting, and how effective use of coaching techniques can support early career teachers in the initial teacher education and newly qualified phases.

Table _unit4.1.1 Activity planner
Activity	Learning actions	Time
Activity 1 Mentoring or coaching?	Understanding the difference between mentoring and coaching.	10 mins
Activity 2 A coaching dialogue	Looking at and rephrasing questions.	2 x 15 mins
Activity 3 Developing listening skills	Watch a video and list four or five action points.	10 mins
Activity 4 Improving coaching dialogue	Using coaching techniques in practice.	20 mins
Activity 5 Observing and supporting	Outline your thoughts on lesson observation.	20 mins

Learning outcomes

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

articulate the principles of effective coaching
reflect on how coaching can support professional development
make informed decisions about which techniques to try in your own context.

1 Coaching within a school-based setting

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

The terms ‘coach’ and ‘mentor’ have different nuances in different fields: they may mean different things when used in an educational context compared to business, counselling or sport, for example. Even within education, there are different interpretations of the mentoring and coaching roles. Lancer, Clutterbuck and Megginson (2016) believe that the confusion between terms has arisen because of the complex nature of both coaching and mentoring, and due to the wide range of coaching and mentoring approaches, with elements of these overlapping.

As an experienced teacher supporting a beginner teacher’s professional development, you may have an opportunity to work with different ITE providers. In doing so, you will come across a profusion of labels for the roles of mentor/coach. In a review of literature on mentoring provision in Wales, commonly used terms were found to be: cooperating teacher; mentor teacher; supervisor and assessor (Bethell et al., 2020). It is also the case that beginner teachers may be called by various terms, including: student-teacher; trainee teacher; early career teacher or beginning teacher (Hobson and Malderez, 2013).

To aid in understanding how coaching differs from mentoring, this course will draw on the research of Lofthouse et al. (2010) on developing coaching among teachers. Read the following quote to help you complete Activity 1.

It is widely accepted that mentoring usually takes place at significant career events, such as induction and taking on new roles, it has an element of gatekeeping and the mentor is almost always someone more senior in the organisation and indeed there is an organisational motive for the process. Coaching … is associated with developing repertoire through focused experimenting with new classroom strategies and often has the objective of assisting in the development of open and collaborative cultures. Coaches do not have to be senior staff just someone with particular expertise and they should be supportive and not judgemental.

Lofthouse et al., 2010, p. 7

Activity _unit4.3.1 Activity 1 Mentoring or coaching?

Timing: Allow approximately 10 minutes

To help clarify your understanding of how coaching and mentoring may differ, read the short scenarios below and indicate whether you think they are examples of mentoring or coaching.

Often takes place at a key development point within a teacher’s career.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Goals will be discussed and agreed, perhaps in relation to external targets.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

May involve two similarly positioned staff members collaborating on an area of development.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Involves a more senior member of staff guiding a fellow professional.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Usually used to support autonomous professional development.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

May involve one professional making a judgement on another.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Often involves one professional making a judgement on another.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

An individual’s goals will be self-determined.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

This activity has demonstrated a few aspects that will be used to differentiate mentoring and coaching on this course, as well as when either is an appropriate role to take in enabling a beginner teacher to move towards autonomy. The next section will discuss more about coaching.

2 Applications of coaching

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

In general, coaching techniques are used when a fellow professional can work autonomously and determine their own development needs or goals. When supporting teachers during the initial teacher education phase, a move from mentoring to coaching would take place towards the latter part of their university course, when a certain level of competence has been met.

2.1 Providing appropriate challenge

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

As was seen in Week 2, whether taking a mentoring or a coaching stance, there is a need to strike a balance between support and challenge.

Providing appropriate challenge is considered to play ‘a crucial role in supporting the student teachers’ learning’ (Mutton, Burn and Hagger, 2008, p. 78). As you aim to provide appropriate challenge, research shows that effective practice should include:

the development of knowledge and expertise in a progressive and systematic way (da Cunha, Batista and Graca, 2018)
ensuring that guidance and support is provided (Lofthouse and Thomas, 2017)
taking a collaborative and co-enquiry approach.

Within these practices, professional dialogue and effective use of questioning are considered to be key elements (Cheliotes and Reilly, 2010; Fletcher, 2012).

3 Dialogue in coaching

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

In this section, you will consider how a coach can support independent professional development by using carefully considered questions rather than offering solutions. A conversation between coach and coachee becomes a ‘coaching conversation’ when it takes the form of professional dialogue rather than an ad-hoc conversation (Cheliotes and Reilly, 2010).

A ‘coaching conversation’ should:

have a purpose/intention
be focused on the coachee, their strengths and challenges
aim to ensure professional development and change.

(Based on Cheliotes and Reilly, 2010, p. 3)

You may occasionally come across a situation that gives you cause for concern. In these instances, it will be necessary to change tack and resume a mentoring role. Specific guidance may sometimes be needed as the beginner teacher could be unsure about how to develop their practice. However, the guidance should be given from a supportive standpoint and many of the principles of effective dialogue can be used when taking either a mentoring or a coaching stance.

The use of questioning plays a central role in the dialogue between coach and coachee, as questions may be used to draw out ideas and actions (Fletcher, 2012). Use of open questions can support the practice of reflecting on a learning experience. Offering solutions should be avoided by the coach. Giving advice can undermine confidence – the coachee should be viewed as being capable of finding their own solutions (Cheliotes and Reilly, 2010, p. 13). As a result, questions should not lead the coachee into one way of thinking or indicate that a judgement has been made.

In the following activity, consider how you could adapt the questions to move from an advice-giving perspective to one of prompting learning.

Activity _unit4.5.1 Activity 2 A coaching dialogue

Timing: Allow approximately 30 minutes

The coach’s role is to build confidence and autonomy, by emphasising that the coachee is capable of finding their own solutions. Read each of the following questions and consider why they might undermine an early career teacher’s confidence.

Do you think changing pupil groupings could help with classroom management problems?
Have you thought about giving pupils more thinking time?
Are you aware of the range of Assessment for Learning (AfL) techniques we use at our school?
Would you agree that the plenary needs adapting?
How about including more experiential learning activities in your sessions?

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Discussion

This is an example of a leading question and the coach is giving a strong suggestion about the necessary course of action.
With this type of loaded question, the coach is controlling the direction of the discussion.
This question could undermine confidence as it suggests that the use of Assessment for Learning (AfL) is limited.
Another loaded question, conveying a negative opinion of the plenary.
This could almost be interpreted as a statement; the coach is driving the agenda and the direction of change.

Now consider the questions from a coaching perspective. Rewrite the questions so that they might improve the quality of dialogue and non-judgemental support given.

Do you think changing pupil groupings could help with classroom management problems?
Have you thought about giving pupils more thinking time?
Are you aware of the range of Assessment for Learning (AfL) techniques we use at our school?
Would you agree that the plenary needs adapting?
How about including more experiential learning activities in your sessions?

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

While asking the right questions in the right way is important in establishing a coaching dialogue, listening to what the beginner teacher is trying to discuss may be even more important. The next section discusses the art of listening.

4 The art of listening

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

When a question is asked, really listening to the answer is vital in establishing true dialogue. Being able to listen may seem simple and straightforward, but truly listening – without interrupting or making any possibly unwanted suggestions – can be surprisingly difficult.

Non-judgemental listening ensures the coachee has space to reflect and think of actions or next steps. Within a coaching dialogue, the coach’s ability to listen is considered particularly important (Cheliotes and Reilly, 2010; Whitmore, 2010).

This notion of ‘committed’ listening is also considered to be an integral part of ‘developing relational trust’ (Cheliotes and Reilly, 2010, p. 25). Such focused listening does not mean that you necessarily agree with everything that is being said, but you are avoiding making a judgement while showing respect towards the speaker’s views (Edge, 2015).

Activity _unit4.6.1 Activity 3 Developing listening skills

Timing: Allow approximately 10 minutes

The aim of this activity is to help you reflect on your listening practices. It is not always easy to listen:

with empathy
prepared to allow for silence
without offering personal views and opinions.

Watch the following video and then create a list of four or five action points that could help you become a listening coach (make sure to open this link in a new tab/window so you can easily return to this page).

How To Improve Your Listening Skills

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Establishing a coaching dialogue requires asking the right questions and listening to the answers. In the next section, two models will be discussed that may support you in the difficult task of establishing a coaching dialogue.

5 Scaffolding the dialogue

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Engaging in conversations with the purpose of supporting educational improvement can be challenging (Earl and Timperley, 2009). The complexities coaches face are also acknowledged in other fields and, as a result, different fields have adopted models that can be used to support coaches. This section will briefly introduce two models that could help you scaffold your discussions as a coach.

5.1 The GROW model

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Originating in the field of business (Whitmore, 2010), this model has been adopted by schools and other education settings (Fletcher, 2012). The acronym is used as a four-step tool to structure the coaching conversation, but the order may vary:

G – Goal setting. What are the aims of the discussion? What are the areas for improvement?
R – Reality check. Discussing the current situation.
O – Options available. Possible solutions or steps to take.
W – Wrap up. What is the course of action? What steps will be taken – by whom and by when?

(Based on Whitmore, 2010, p. 48)

5.2 The RESULTS model

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Another acronym-based model designed to scaffold conversations when coaching as a school leader (Kee et al., 2010). Each letter represents a step in a process that could be adapted to different situations.

R – Resolve to change results. A decision that change is needed.

E – Establish goal clarity. There is a specific aim.

S – Seek integrity. A trusting and open commitment to change.

U – Unveil multiple pathways. Considering different options or approaches to achieving the aim.

L – Leverage options. Prioritising which approach to take.

T – Take action. Acting on the chosen approach.

S – Seize success. Monitoring progress, acknowledging and celebrating when a goal has been met.

(Based on Kee et al., 2010)

There are countless coaching models to consider, but a coach could also be successful without adopting a prescribed approach. As a professional, you will be best placed to make informed decisions about which techniques you wish to try in your own context.

Activity _unit4.7.1 Activity 4 Improving coaching dialogue

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes

Consider your own context of supporting beginner teachers in the initial teacher education or newly qualified phases: are there elements of coaching techniques you could consider using to improve your own coaching dialogue?

Reflect on your experiences and note possible changes you could make to your dialogue techniques in the box below.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Supporting beginner teachers as a mentor will always involve judging their practice. Most of the time this will be in order to offer appropriate support, but the next section discusses the full meaning of assessment as a mentor.

6 The role of assessment

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Unlike coaching activity between qualified teachers, assessment forms an important part of supporting beginner teachers. The element of assessment can add pressure on all involved parties.

In university-based ITE, a mentor or coach will play a socialising role. The role is one of helping to make sense of both educational and learning theory, and also their links to pedagogy and practice. In addition, school-based mentors/coaches are often asked to assess the competence of the early career teacher against a set of standards (e.g. the Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) standards). In this case, they act as gatekeepers of acceptance into the teaching profession.

When assessing early career teachers, coaching techniques can be applied to promote independent learning and a recognition of next steps. Discussing and co-constructing understanding of a classroom situation (i.e. a coaching style) has been found to promote development (Furlong and Maynard, 1995).

On the other hand, providing an excess of judgements and evaluations can prove to be an obstacle in school-based mentoring/coaching relationships. Adopting an assessor’s role provides challenge for the early career teacher, but little or no support. This has been termed ‘judge mentoring’ (Hobson and Malderez, 2013) and is considered an impediment to both the professional learning and wellbeing of early career teachers.

The need to balance support and challenge was discussed earlier, along with some techniques that can promote more balanced professional discussions. Research suggests that being able to practice their roles without fear of failure (Bauer et al., 2007), and in the absence of a performance climate (Černe, Jaklič and Škerlavaj, 2013), is beneficial to both early career teachers (in terms of extending or challenging their own range of pedagogies) and their schools (by keeping up to date with recent trends and evidence-based pedagogies).

Lesson observation is a common form of assessment for early career teachers. Love (2020) identifies four key lesson observation types:

absent
brutal
collegial
inspection.

Reflecting on each of these different types of lesson observation is useful when you are seeking to support an early career teacher. The next activity will support you as you deliberate on how the way observations are conducted can impact those being observed.

Activity _unit4.8.1 Activity 5 Observing and supporting

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes

This activity outlines the characteristics of the four types of lesson observation identified by Love (2020). As you read each one, consider the observation experience from the perspective of the person being observed. For example, how will this type of observation and feedback impact their development or their wellbeing?

Write brief notes to outline your thoughts.

Table _unit4.8.1
Type of observation	Likely purpose of the observation	Characteristics of the observation	Characteristics of the feedback
Absent	To check that the teacher is carrying out school ‘non-negotiables’ and the level of student engagement.	Unannounced, short, drop-in style observation, less than 20 minutes in length – could have several in a day and more than one in a lesson.	Either non-existent or minimal, usually a copy of the observation pro-forma attached to an email. Usually graded 1–4 according to inspectorate criteria.
Possible impact of an absent-type observation on the observed: 102, Your response 1
Brutal	To assess teacher capabilities and check they are carrying out the school ‘non-negotiables’ and the level of student engagement.	Planned or unannounced observation lasting 20 minutes or longer.	Non-developmental, delivered with little or no empathy, observer lists what the teacher has done wrong or not done, with little or no suggestions on how to improve. Usually graded 1–4.
Possible impact of a brutal-type observation on the observed: 103, Your response 2
Collegial	To help teacher development with issues such as behaviour or trying new teaching strategies.	Agreed time and class, could be short or a longer observation depending on agreed purpose.	Developmental/two-way conversation that allows teacher to explain their choices and concerns, ungraded.
Possible impact of a collegial-type observation on the observed: 104, Your response 3
Inspection	To assess teaching across the school.	Short, drop-in or longer unannounced observations.	May be non-graded, usually developmental with suggestions on how to improve.
Possible impact of an inspection-type observation on the observed: 105, Your response 4

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Ideally, assessment of beginner teachers should be a mix of collegial- and inspection-type lesson observations. Key aspects to include within an effective observation are:

an agreed purpose
a willingness to try things out
the promotion of positive self-esteem
constructive feedback to support future development.

7 Week 3 summary

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

The complex relationship between mentor and mentee is highly rewarding, and provides significant rewards in terms of the professional development of the mentee and the mentor. As the beginner teacher moves towards taking on the full role of a teacher, the role the mentor takes could be more accurately called a coaching role – and what this means has been discussed in this week.

As part of discussing a coaching dialogue, the vital skills of asking the right questions in the right way and listening to the answer have been emphasised. When mentoring or coaching is approached intentionally and empathetically, it has the power to inspire and instil in the beginner teacher the desire to take their teaching and the profession forward.

You can now go to Week 4.

Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Figure _unit5.1.1 Figure 1 A word cloud of words associated with mentoring and coaching

Long description

Having an effective mentor can make all the difference to a beginner teacher, allowing them to grow from someone who is unfamiliar with the role of a teacher into an autonomous professional. In this final week, you will study the idea of strategic mentoring and how it can fit into the whole school, and the principles of effective mentoring. Finally, you will be asked to reflect back on your learning throughout the course, and consider how you might move forward in becoming the kind of mentor you would like to be.

Table _unit5.1.1 Activity planner
Activity	Learning actions	Time
Activity 1 Personalised mentoring	Consider a scenario and write a 200-word reflection.	20 mins
Activity 2 The twelve principles of mentoring	Watch a video and place in order the 12 principles of mentoring.	10 mins
Activity 3 The benefits of mentoring	Watch a video on the benefits of mentoring.	5 mins
Activity 4 Reflecting on your own mentoring practice	Watch a video and return to initial audit.	40 mins

Learning outcomes

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

consider strategic mentoring and a whole-school approach
reflect on the principles of effective mentoring and how coaching can support professional development
reflect on your own practice as a mentor.

1 Strategic mentoring

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

It can be hard to strike a balance between being an effective mentor and keeping up with the paperwork and your own teaching workload. If the mentee is making good progress then they can be a huge benefit while, at the other end of the spectrum, some mentees will double your workload and present multiple challenges. As a mentor you may be the difference that stops a talented student quitting when the going gets tough, or you might find yourself having to have a difficult conversation about alternative careers. But, overall, if you get the balance right there is nothing better than enabling others to succeed.

As a mentor, you must be available: ensure you make time to see how things are going and if any planning needs tweaking. But you must set boundaries: perhaps you will allow the beginner teacher to contact you at evenings and weekends, but only when you say. Be strategic, because both you and the beginner teacher are human.

Figure _unit5.3.1 Figure 2 Getting the balance right is key for a successful mentor

You will give feedback that sometimes will be challenging and could be seen as negative. While it is important to highlight the strengths of your beginner teacher, as they can often be hard on themselves, honest feedback is needed, especially when the beginner teacher is struggling with a class or group of learners. It is important not to over-exaggerate positive features to compensate for significant weaknesses. Be sensitive when a lesson goes horribly wrong: as long as it’s not a regular feature, teach your beginner teacher to chalk it up to experience. Encourage self-reflection and reiterate what a challenging (yet rewarding) job it is.

Being strategic is also about recognising when the beginner teacher’s needs would be better met by someone else within or beyond the school. Mentoring should be seen as a whole-school job and the whole school should celebrate when they succeed. Look for opportunities for the beginner teacher to develop: if the school up the road has amazing English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision, organise a visit. If they need to see PE in another key stage, encourage them to organise it. Do not do everything for them. Check their folders and paperwork regularly in mentor meetings, but they must check they have taught/observed the right lessons for writing up assignments or meeting standards themselves.

1.1 Mentoring at differing stages

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Mentoring strategically means providing the mentoring or coaching that the particular beginner teacher needs at the particular point they have reached in their career. Consider the scenario where two beginner teachers who are at different points in their studies are placed in your school, and you are mentoring both. One student is exceeding expectations (first school placement on a part-time programme) while the other is only doing enough to reach the desired requirements (second school placement at the latter stage of their course). How do you ensure both continue to make progress?

Ensuring both students are treated as individuals is vital, and this means avoiding comparisons and group discussions when giving feedback, as this would be unethical. You will also need to build a clear understanding of the expectations at each level of study, as this will be imperative in order to advise and set appropriate and achievable targets. Making sure each student is given appropriate observation opportunities is important, so that both students are able to benefit from seeing and learning from experienced staff at work. You will also need to engage in discussions with the school co-ordinator / practice tutor during visits to gain some personal coaching on dealing with the challenging circumstances involved.

Activity _unit5.3.1 Activity 1 Personalised mentoring

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes

Considering the scenario given above, how would you ensure a personalised approach for each beginner teacher?

Write a short 200-word description explaining your response.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Considering the values that you hold as a mentor and the principles within which you wish to act will be important as you deal with difficult situations and support beginner teachers. The next section will help you to determine your principles.

2 Principles of effective mentoring

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Being an effective mentor requires much from anyone who takes on this role, and their school must understand the extent of what is needed. This section will clarify the principles of effective mentoring.

Watch the video where Dr Matthew Dicken outlines the 12 principles of mentoring.

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1

Video _unit5.4.1 Video 1 Dr Matthew Dicken

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript: Video 1 Dr Matthew Dicken

Matthew Dicken

Hi. My name is Doctor Matthew Dicken. I’m a teacher first and foremost, but also a specialist in personal and professional development and personality assessment. As part of my research into mentoring and coaching as effective methods of developing school based staff. I’ve completed a series of in-depth action research projects and published a few books on the principles that underpin co-development and mentor mentee relationships. We’re all different. We all have different abilities, we all have different skills. How can we celebrate those differences? How can we develop our weaknesses? As human beings we are constantly developing. There’s nothing we can do to stop this. We are constantly changing and we are constantly growing. However, we do not always realize that we’re on this journey of change. But as a school based staff and students in initial teacher training, we can be so caught up in the day-to-day busyness and the day-to-day necessities of our work that we do not take enough time to adequately reflect upon the direction of our development. And this is where you and I as mentors come into the equation. We are called to be supportive colleagues who build up a relationship to facilitate and challenge the direction and pace of development of an individual. You see the key word there is relationship. Relationship. Effective mentoring is built on the solid foundation of an encouraging relationship. One of my favorite authors Maya Angelou was a prolific writer and understood to the very core of her being, that people matter. She said these outstanding words, I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. But surely you say mentoring is about guiding an individual and telling them the right things that need to be done. Well, in a way it is. It’s about having those quality conversations and those really hard conversations. But more than that, it’s about empowering an individual to reach their goals and potential. It’s about sharing in the good times as well as the bad. And most of all, it’s about being present and available. Not just saying that we’re present and available, it’s about actually being present, listening, and guiding an individual to excellence. It is perfectly natural that there would be a range of emotions and experiences during the course of the process. However, our job as mentors is to advocate for the creation of a safe space so that honest conversations can be held. It is about the creation of an atmosphere of psychological safety that precedes development. Negativity and mistakes should be seen as learning opportunities so that the mentee can secure a future success in pursuit of personal and professional development. Our attitudes and behaviours are key to the success of our goals. Building upon the foundation of positive relationship, we build with a set of key values and principles that facilitate development. Upon the building blocks, successful partnerships are built and developed. These building blocks are a shared set of values and principles that are applicable to both a mentor and mentee. Adoption of all 12 principles allow for constructive dialogue, active participation, respect, and the intentional achieving of goals. The first of these building blocks is that of accountability and responsibility. It is the role of both a mentor and mentee to keep each other accountable for the roles and responsibilities that are undertaken. This is as the OECD says mutual accountability. And when we have this mutual accountability in place, we build commitment and diligence. Have you ever been in a team where there’s just one individual who doesn’t pull their weight? I’m sure we all have. And the next question is this, have we ever lost respect for a leader because their commitment and diligence just isn’t there? Again, I’m sure we all have. Abraham Lincoln said, commitment is what transforms a promise into a reality. As a mentor, your commitment to another success will mark you out as an effective leader. It’s about valuing someone else and in a way it’s about servant leadership.

But none of this can happen without the third of our building blocks is the block of effective communication and cooperation. Formal discussion and casual talking is key to the success of a mentoring framework. Both parties must seek to keep the channels of communication open and work out differences if they occur. Lack of communication ruins everything because instead of knowing how the other person is feeling and developing, we just assume. This means that it’s about healthy balance between active listening and talking. Psychologists tell us that when we are not listened to by a mentor whom we respect and aim to be like, the reaction in our brain is similar to that of physical pain. This communication and cooperation means that we are continually developing the fourth block, understanding and relationship building. As the mentor mentee get to know each other better, it’s important that they demonstrate an interest in one another and attempt to understand each other with empathy. I’m a firm believer that if we could truly understand each other, the unique challenges of faces each of us would come to the surface and create transparency and an atmosphere of professional critical friendship. This does not mean for one minute that we are weak as mentors when we take into account another’s feelings. It actually means we are strong and firm and guide with compassion and understanding for the best of the individual even when that means having to disagree with clarity or share bad news. This transparency and understanding leads to trust and honesty which is our fifth building block. It is a safe space that you have built with your mentee in which openness, positivity, constructive criticism can be shared. We all know that sometimes the truth hurts. And I heard it put like this by a minister of religion she said, truth is like surgery, it hurts but it cures. Skirting around truth is like a paracetamol tablet, it gives temporary relief but doesn’t get to the root cause of the issue. Encouragement is one of the key tools in your toolkit. Encouragement and feedback, our sixth building block is characterized by the phrase, effective balance. It is a balance between praising the good and teasing out areas of possible weakness and development. It is the role of the mentee to receive feedback positively and then with independence act upon the plan for improvement and development. Effective mentoring is allowing the mentee to think for themselves and the role of the mentor is not to be overbearing and too directive in their approach. This will not develop effective teachers, just one to wherever dependent on others to think. There’s thousands of jokes about light bulbs and change, and I’m sure you could run off a few right now. But if we were developing thinking people, thinking teachers of the future, mentors and our models and champions of innovation and the willingness to change. This is our 1/8 building block. It is the role of both mentee and mentor to think about new directions and new ideas. In some sense, code learning and co-development is essential here. And mentor is not one who knows everything. If that was the case, none of us would be good enough to mentor.

I say this because when I mentor individuals, I’m open to learning. Open to change myself and open to develop. Excellence and integrity come as a result, a ninth building block. When a mentor is guiding an individual, but also co learning and co-developing we model good practice and show our striving as we show our high expectations. As people who always want the best for the pupils in our care are students, are children. Our high expectations becomes part of who we are. The building block of motivation driving force is key and requires both a mentor and mentee to remain focused and intentional in their thinking and actions. It is the role of the mentor to help encourage motivation and to be consistent in their support. Effective code planning and prioritization on this intentional journey is key because the fruits of success grow from the roots of our motivation. The danger with motivation to get up and go on with the doing is that the reflection and evaluation becomes neglected. And this is another building block. It is both people’s roles to take time to reflect and intentionally think about the ideas that come out of discussion. Encouraging self-reflection and self evaluation is one of the most precious gifts we can give to our mentees. Our last building block, for effective mentoring, relationships brings us full circle to where we began. It is the building block of tolerance and respect. Each of us has different thoughts and beliefs as such is the role of both mentor and mentee to value each other’s opinions and perspectives. Chances are that you’ve been asked to engage in mentoring relationships, because you are a person who values the culture of your school as a staff learning development environment. As a mentor, you’re called to fulfill exactly what Michelle Obama said in a rousing speech some years ago. When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked to that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it behind you reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.

End transcript: Video 1 Dr Matthew Dicken

Download

Video _unit5.4.1 Video 1 Dr Matthew Dicken

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

The 12 principles of mentoring

1 Accountability and responsibility: It is the role of both the mentor and mentee to keep each other accountable for the roles and responsibilities that are undertaken.
2 Commitment and diligence: It is the role of both parties to be committed and diligent. The mentee must be diligent in pursuit of their goals. The mentor must be committed and diligent in showing that they value the mentee.
3 Communication and co-operation: Formal discussion and casual talking is key to the success of this framework. Both parties must seek to keep the channels of communication open and work out differences if they occur.
4 Understanding and relationship building: As the mentor and mentee get to know each other better, it is important that they demonstrate an interest in one another and attempt to understand each other with empathy.
5 Encouragement and feedback: It is the role of the mentor to be balanced in their feedback by encouraging and teasing out areas of possible weakness and development. It is the role of the mentee to receive feedback positively.
6 Trust and honesty: When discussing, it is important that both mentor and mentee can trust each other, and therefore share with honesty.
7 Independence: It is the role of the mentee to think for themselves and the role of the mentor not to be overbearing and categorically stipulate at any point in the journey.
8 Innovation and willingness to change: It is the role of both mentee and mentor to think about new directions and new ideas. The mentor has the responsibility to be willing to change and develop.
9 Integrity and excellence: It is the role of both parties involved to do the right thing, and to do so to the best of their abilities. Both mentor and mentee should be motivated by the concept of striving for excellence.
10 Motivation and driving force: It is important that both the mentee and mentor remain focused and intentional in their thinking and actions.
11 Reflection and evaluation: It is both people’s roles to take time to reflect and intentionally think about the ideas that come out of discussion. Similarly, it is both the mentor and mentee’s role to evaluate developments.
12 Tolerance and respect: Each of us has different thoughts and beliefs. As such, it is the role of both mentor and mentee to value each other’s opinions and perspectives.

Activity _unit5.4.1 Activity 2 The twelve principles of mentoring

Timing: Allow approximately 10 minutes

Place the principles in the order of your personal priorities, according to your needs as a school:

Accountability and responsibility; Commitment and diligence; Communication and co-operation; Understanding and relationship building; Encouragement and feedback; Trust and honesty; Independence; Innovation and willingness to change; Integrity and excellence; Motivation and driving force; Reflection and evaluation; Tolerance and respect.

You can type them or copy the list into the box below.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

Mentoring requires a principled stance, especially when dealing with the difficulties that beginner teachers sometimes experience, but it is a rewarding role. The next section considers the potential rewards.

3 Mentoring: what’s in it for me?

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Mentoring is often seen to have a valuable role in teachers’ own professional development. A mentor’s knowledge and expertise provides a wealth of opportunities for beginner teachers to learn from throughout their early careers (HMIE Scotland, 2008) and, as was seen in Week 2, it is a two-way process where students learn from mentors and mentors learn from their students. Mentoring requires making overt what up to now has been tacit knowledge, and understanding of the way that the classroom works and the teacher within it. Mentors come to a fuller understanding of their own expertise, which in turn gives the mentor confidence as they work with the beginner teacher in school and in their wider roles within school and across schools.

Activity _unit5.5.1 Activity 3 The benefits of mentoring

Timing: Allow approximately 5 minutes

Watch the video of Sarah Jennings talking about the benefits of mentoring.

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 2

Video _unit5.5.1 Video 2 Sarah Jennings

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript: Video 2 Sarah Jennings

Sarah Jennings

Hello. Sarah dw i. Hello, I'm Sarah Jennings. I'm currently a director with Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales, but have worked across multiple sectors in my career. And I think as a coach and a mentor, I think the benefits are amazing. You feel like you've been part of someone's journey. It's a real privilege. But you also help unleash that person's best side of them. And there's a real sense of satisfaction. And I have made some great long-term business and professional relationships with the people I've coached that continue to this day. So if you're thinking about becoming a coach, or finding a mentor, or being coached and mentoring, I would definitely say try it. And I think probably if each of us coached one person a year and we were coached by somebody every year and the same with mentoring. Then, this world would be transformed and people would be both giving and taking, and finding a new confident voice to go forward for whatever sector people are in. So give it a try. You will not regret it and it will be transformational. Pob lwc. Good luck.

End transcript: Video 2 Sarah Jennings

Download

Video _unit5.5.1 Video 2 Sarah Jennings

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

As a mentor, continuing professional development (CPD) and networking opportunities are part and parcel of the role. Mentoring often extends beyond the school gates, and affords opportunities for collaboration with external stakeholders and other institutions and individuals. Mentors will often collaborate with other schools, allowing for cross-pollination of expertise and support. Mentoring can also heighten one’s own reflective stance and practices through observation and discussion. It can also be an opportunity to further your own career development and create more extensive networks, as seen in the example below. Mentors help the beginner teacher to understand and use research to innovate in their teaching, and potentially collaborate in action-research projects in their school and beyond through collaboration with partner institutions.

Activity _unit5.5.2 Activity 4 Reflecting on your own mentoring practice

Timing: Allow approximately 40 minutes

Task 1

Watch the video from Rhian’s school, noting her strengths with regard to mentoring, and then revisit your areas of strength in regard to mentoring by completing Task 2.

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 4

Video _unit5.5.2 Video 4 Rhian Edwards-Jones

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript: Video 4 Rhian Edwards-Jones

Rhian Edwards-Jones

My name is Rhian Edwards-Jones. And I’m deputy head at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe in Swansea. Coaching-mentoring has become quite an integral part, really, of our life here at Bryn Tawe, especially within our professional development program. Our research team at the school has taken the lead, really, into researching different strategies and models that they think would work well within our school community and looking at the best options for us.

And one mentoring model that we’ve adopted, quite significantly, really, especially within our professional development program, is the GROW model. I'm sure you’ve heard of it, but just to emphasize, maybe, the G, of course, is the Goal, the end goal. The R, then, is the Reality. And the O are the Options available to us as individuals. And then the W at the end is the What will I do, or that commitment to do something based on that process.

So for example, a member of staff, maybe at the beginning of the year, will decide on a teaching and learning priority for them as individuals based on personal reflection. And then they will go, then, through that GROW process through the year with a mentor or coach designated to them for that year.

So for example, a member of staff might decide on trying to strengthen their questioner's skills during that year. So that first step, then, is the end goal. So what are they trying to achieve from an individual perspective?

What is the end goal? During that perfect lesson, how will my questioning look. And more importantly, maybe, what will the pupils be doing? How will they be reacting? And what exactly is the end goal in sight?

And then the R, then, is the Reality. And that individual will be able to - really, to reflect on how the questioning is at the moment, which strategies they do use, what do they find effective, and maybe where they see, maybe, the weaknesses are at the moment. And then their mentor-coach will be able to come into a lesson and observe their questioning skills with a real focus on questioning, not looking at everything else, so just to look at their questioning, and also to have that discussion with regards to, this is what I saw during that lesson, and this was what I saw is the reality at the moment, and you will do these strategies, but maybe you need to look at these elements.

And then the O, then, is obviously the Options. And that is, maybe, the strength of this kind of model, is to look at different options. And that mentor-coach then will guide, maybe, that teacher through different options. And they will sort of tell them about different websites, and research, and podcasts, looking at particular books and articles, and really to guide them through different options there would be available to them to look further into strengthening their questioning skills in the classroom.

And then after that professional dialogue, that member of staff, then, the individual, will commit possibly to look in the three strategies, and to really to trial and to see how they could strengthen their questioning skills further by doing those three things. And that has to come, of course, from that individual.

And then after that, what we’re trying to enforce in the school is having that ethos of open-door policy. So for example, rather than having a one whole lesson observation, maybe that individual will contact the mentor and say, come in to see quarter of an hour, the beginning of a lesson next week, or come and see the end of this lesson in two or three weeks' time, because I've been trialing, then, this strategy.

So it’s a very fluid process where that individual can really look at different strategies and invite the mentor-coach in to be able to discuss and have-- further that professional dialogue. And that's something that we’ve worked on this year from September and something that we are hoping to develop even further from next year onwards.

And we've certainly seen a strength for those individuals to take responsibility for their own professional development but also to have that professional dialogue with another member of staff, where they can actually discuss things and think about different options, and for them to ask questions, and to guide them, maybe, through that process, for us all to become better teachers at the end of the day.

End transcript: Video 4 Rhian Edwards-Jones

Download

Video _unit5.5.2 Video 4 Rhian Edwards-Jones

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Task 2

In Week 1, you made an assessment of your personal areas of strength and where you may need to develop. Now you have watched the videos above and have worked through the rest of the course, you may have changed your self-assessment. Reflect again on the different elements of a mentor’s role and adjust your assessments as necessary. Consider what you might do to continue to develop your learning and skills in each area.

Table _unit5.5.1
Mentor skills	1 Not very strong	2	3	4	5 Very strong	What might I do to continue to develop my learning and skills in this area?
I can act as a positive role model.	106, Your response 1	107, Your response 2	108, Your response 3	109, Your response 4	110, Your response 5	111, Your response 6
I am able to enthuse a beginner teacher in relation to the content to be taught.	112, Your response 7	113, Your response 8	114, Your response 9	115, Your response 10	116, Your response 11	117, Your response 12
I can help beginner teachers to understand the school context and how this affects practice.	118, Your response 13	119, Your response 14	120, Your response 15	121, Your response 16	122, Your response 17	123, Your response 18
I recognise when I need to draw on the expertise of other colleagues to support the beginner teacher’s needs.	124, Your response 19	125, Your response 20	126, Your response 21	127, Your response 22	128, Your response 23	129, Your response 24
I am open to professional learning opportunities, including exploring research.	130, Your response 25	131, Your response 26	132, Your response 27	133, Your response 28	134, Your response 29	135, Your response 30
Through my mentoring, I am able to develop my beginner teacher’s quality and depth of reflection.	136, Your response 31	137, Your response 32	138, Your response 33	139, Your response 34	140, Your response 35	141, Your response 36
I set SMART targets to support my beginner teacher to progress and to meet professional standards.	142, Your response 37	143, Your response 38	144, Your response 39	145, Your response 40	146, Your response 41	147, Your response 42
I understand how to assess my beginner teacher’s progress effectively and accurately.	148, Your response 43	149, Your response 44	150, Your response 45	151, Your response 46	152, Your response 47	153, Your response 48
I use observation of my beginner teacher’s practice to provide helpful feedback to enhance their pedagogical learning.	154, Your response 49	155, Your response 50	156, Your response 51	157, Your response 52	158, Your response 53	159, Your response 54
I facilitate a range of development experiences across the school to support my beginner teacher’s practice needs.	160, Your response 55	161, Your response 56	162, Your response 57	163, Your response 58	164, Your response 59	165, Your response 60
I am familiar with my beginner teacher’s ITE or induction programme design, requirements and assessment methods.	166, Your response 61	167, Your response 62	168, Your response 63	169, Your response 64	170, Your response 65	171, Your response 66
I plan specific opportunities and methods to provide support and challenge for my beginner teacher.	172, Your response 67	173, Your response 68	174, Your response 69	175, Your response 70	176, Your response 71	177, Your response 72

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Task 3

Think of three points explored in this course that have had – or will have – the greatest impact on your own understanding and practice. Note down these three points in the box below.

Interactive content appears here. Please visit the website to use it

You will have strengths to bring to the role of mentor, and areas that you need to develop. Sometimes it may feel that you could promote reflection and listen better if you only had the time. So perhaps that is a conversation that needs to be had with the leadership team at your school. However, mentoring is and will always be a rewarding role, and well worth the time and effort you put in to being the best mentor you can.

4 Week 4 summary

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

This week you have reflected as an individual and as part of a school on your mentoring experiences, and ways in which they can promote professional development and progression. You have been prompted and given opportunities to really assess where you are now, and how you can work at the skills of mentoring so that beginner teachers flourish within your care. It bears repeating that mentoring is a rewarding role that’s well worth the time and effort you put in to being the best mentor you can.

Course summary

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Mentoring is considered a valued and worthwhile undertaking for all teachers, and one that can offer benefits beyond the immediate gains. Throughout this course, many potential opportunities for transformative practice have been presented, enabling you to gain a clearer vision of where mentoring resides within your setting and how it can contribute to progression for staff and students alike. Mentoring may already be embedded within your school culture, but hopefully this course has deepened your understanding and kindled a desire to further enrich your practice and engage in mentoring opportunities.

References

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

Clutterbuck, D. (2004) Everyone needs a mentor: fostering talent in your organisation. London: CIPD Publishing.

Estyn (2018) Improving teaching. Cardiff: Estyn. Available at: https://www.estyn.gov.wales/ thematic-report/ improving-teaching (Accessed: 20 May 2022).

Hagger, H., Burn, K., Mutton, T. and Brindley, S. (2008) ‘Practice makes perfect? Learning to learn as a teacher’, Oxford Review of Education, 34(2), pp. 159–178.

Haggar, H. and McIntyre, D. (2006) Learning teaching from teachers. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

Hobson, A., Ashby, P., Malderez, A. and Tomlinson, P. (2009). ‘Mentoring beginning teachers: what we know and what we don’t’. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(1). pp. 207–216. Available at: https://doi.org/ 10.1016/ j.tate.2008.09.001 (Accessed: 20 May 2022).

Hobson, A. and Malderez, A. (2013). ‘Judge mentoring and other threats to realizing the potential of school-based mentoring in teacher education’. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 2(2). pp. 89–108. Available at: https://www.emerald.com/ insight/ content/ doi/ 10.1108/ IJMCE-03-2013-0019/ full/ html (Accessed: 20 May 2022).

Jones, L., Tones, S. and Foulkes, G. (2018) ‘Mentoring associate teachers in initial teacher education: the value of dialogic feedback’, International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education. 7(2), pp. 127–138. Available at: https://doi.org/ 10.1108/ IJMCE-07-2017-0051 (Accessed: 20 May 2022).

Lofthouse, R. (2018) ‘Re-imagining mentoring as a dynamic hub in the transformation of initial teacher education: the role of mentors and teacher-educators’. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education. 7(3), pp. 248–260. Available at: https://doi.org/ 10.1108/ IJMCE-04-2017-0033 (Accessed: 20 May 2022).

Mutton, T., Hagger, H. and Burn, K. (2011) ‘Learning to plan, planning to learn: the developing expertise of beginning teachers’. Teachers and Teaching. 17(4), 399–416. Available at: https://doi.org/ 10.1080/ 13540602.2011.580516 (Accessed: 20 May 2022).

Welsh Government (2015) Reflective practice. Cardiff: Welsh Government. Available at: https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/ 23376/ 2/ 150611-reflective-practice-booklet-en_Redacted.pdf (Accessed: 20 May 2022).

Biesta, G., Priestley, M. and Robinson, S. (2015) ‘The role of beliefs in teacher agency’, Teachers and Teaching, 21(6), pp. 624–640. doi: 10.1080/13540602.2015.1044325.

Brown, S. and McIntyre, D. (1993) Making sense of teaching. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Cain, T. (2009) ‘Mentoring trainee teachers: how can mentors use research?’ Mentoring and tutoring: partnership in learning, 17(1), pp. 53–66.

Coldron, J. and Smith, R. (2010) ‘Active location in teachers’ construction of their professional identities’, Curriculum Studies, 31(6): pp. 711–726.

Daloz, L. (1989) Effective teaching and mentoring: realizing the transformational power of adult learning experiences. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Dewey, J. (1933) How we think. Buffalo NY: Prometheus Books.

Flores, M. and Day, C. (2006) ‘Contexts which shape and reshape new teachers’ identities: a multi-perspective study’, Teaching and Teacher Education, 22, pp. 219–232. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/ j.tate.2005.09.002 (Accessed: 20 May 2022).

Furlong, J. and Maynard, T. (1995) Mentoring student teachers: the growth of professional knowledge. London: Routledge.

Haggar, H. and MacIntyre, D. (2006) Learning from teachers. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.

Lave, J. and Wenger, E. (1991) Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Lofthouse, R. (2018) ‘Re-imagining mentoring as a dynamic hub in the transformation of initial teacher education: the role of mentors and teacher-educators’, International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 7(3), pp. 248–260. Available at: https://doi.org/ 10.1108/ IJMCE-04-2017-0033 (Accessed: 20 May 2022).

Schön, D. (1987) Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Smith, I. (2010) ‘Reviewing Scottish teacher education for the 21st century: let collaborative partnership flourish’, Scottish Educational Review, 42(2), pp. 33–56.

Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. M. and Tucker, J. S. (2007) ‘Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: a meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods’, Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), pp. 707–721.

Bethell, S., Bryant, A., Cooper, S. M., Edwards, L. C. and Hodgkin, K. (2020) ‘Mentoring PE student teachers in Wales: lessons from a systematic review of the literature', Wales Journal of Education, 22(2), pp. 26–51.

Černe, M., Jaklič, M. and Škerlavaj, M. (2013) ‘Authentic leadership, creativity, and innovation: a multilevel perspective’, Leadership. London, England. 9(1), pp. 63–85.

Cheliotes, L. G. and Reilly, M. F. (2010) Coaching conversations: transforming your school one conversation at a time. London: Corwin.

da Cunha, M. A., Batista, P. and Graca, A (2018). ‘Reconstructing a supervisory identify’, European Physical Education Review, 24(2), pp. 240–254.

Earl, L. M. and Timperley, H. (2009) ‘Understanding how evidence and learning conversations work’ in Earl, L. M. and Timperley, H. (eds.) Professional learning conversations: challenges in using evidence for improvement. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

Edge, J. (2015) ‘Non-judgemental discourse in the development of critical capacity for language teachers’, RELC Journal, 46(1), pp. 61–78.

Fletcher, S. J. (2012) ‘Coaching: an overview’ in Fletcher, S. J. and Mullen, C.A. (eds.) SAGE handbook of mentoring and coaching in education. London: SAGE Publications.

Furlong, J. (2015) Teaching tomorrow’s teachers. Available at: https://gov.wales/ sites/ default/ files/ publications/ 2018-03/ teaching-tomorrow%E2%80%99s-teachers.pdf (Accessed: May 2022).

Furlong, J. and Maynard, T. (1995). Mentoring student teachers; The growth of professional knowledge. London and New York Routledge.

Hobson, A. and Malderez, A. (2013) ‘Judgementoring and other threats to realizing the potential of school-based mentoring in teacher education’, International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 2(2), pp. 89–108. doi: 10.1108/IJMCE-03-2013-0019.

Kee, K., Anderson, K., Dearing, V., Harris, E. and Shuster, F. (2010) ‘Results coaching plan for action: essential for unleashing promise and possibility’ in Kee, K. Anderson, K., Dearing, V., Harris, E. and Shuster, F. (2010) Results coaching. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press.

Lancer, N., Clutterbuck, D. and Megginson, D. (2016) Techniques for coaching and mentoring. London: Routledge.

Lofthouse, R., Leat, D., Towler, C., Hall, E. and Cummings, C. (2010) Improving coaching: evolution not revolution. Nottingham: National College for Leadership in Schools and Children’s Services.

Lofthouse, R. and Thomas, U. (2017) ‘Concerning collaboration: teachers’ perspectives on working in partnership to develop teaching practice’, Professional Development in Education, 4(10), pp. 35–36.

Love, S. (2020) ‘Early career teachers’ experiences of classroom observation: a case study’. EdD Thesis. Milton Keynes: The Open University.

Mullen, C. A. (2012) ‘Mentoring: an overview’ in Fletcher, S. J. and Mullen, C.A. (eds.) SAGE handbook of mentoring and coaching in education

Mutton, T., Burn, K. and Hagger, H. (2008) ‘Making sense of learning to teach: learners in context’, Research Papers in Education, 25(1), pp. 73–91.

Ng, P. T. (2012) ‘Mentoring and coaching educators in the Singapore education system’, International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 1(1), pp. 24–35.

Whitmore, J. (2010) Coaching for performance. 4th edition. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

HMIE (2008). Improving Scottish Education A report by HMIE on inspection and review 2005-2008. Livingston, Scotland; HMIE.

Acknowledgements

The Open University — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 10:16:06 GMT

This free course was written by Clare Lee, Nia Cole- Jones, Nerys Defis, Jonathan Giddy, Carys Jennings, Mathew Jones, Sarah Stewart and Rachel Wallis. It was first published in July 2022.

Except for third party materials and otherwise stated (see terms and conditions), this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence.

The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this free course:

Images

Course image: Jack Hollingsworth / Getty Images

Week 1

Figure 1: Pixelvario/Shutterstock.com

Week 2

Figure 2: adapted from Daloz, L. (1989) Effective Teaching and Mentoring: Realizing the Transformational Power of Adult Learning Experiences, San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Figure 3: adapted from Lofthouse, R. (2018) ‘Re-imagining mentoring as a dynamic hub in the transformation of initial teacher education: The role of mentors and teacher educators,’ International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 7(3), 248–260

Week 4

Figure 1: mypokcik/Shutterstock 370806

Figure 2: oxygen/Getty Images

Videos

Week 1

Video 1: What is great mentoring; recorded by Dr Matthew Dicken for The Open University.

Week 4

Video 1: Dr Matthew Dicken for The Open University

Video 2: Sarah Jennings for The Open University

Video 3: Rhian Edward-Jones for The Open University

Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

Don't miss out

If reading this text has inspired you to learn more, you may be interested in joining the millions of people who discover our free learning resources and qualifications by visiting The Open University – www.open.edu/ openlearn/ free-courses.