Mentoring strategies
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There are a number of specific strategies that can be used in working with new teachers to help increase their confidence and competence in teaching.
Sharing practice
This is a two stage process in which, firstly, the new teacher observes you teaching and then discusses with you your classroom practice. This strategy helps the mentee to understand teaching and learning from the perspective of an experienced practitioner. It is possible to focus the observations on particular aspects, for example teaching methods, the use of specific resources, management of groups or individuals, assessment strategies, etc. This strategy is used particularly at the start of teaching practice, but can also be used to advantage later in the year when your mentee has had experience of teaching the same or similar groups. At this stage the discussions following observations are likely to become more sophisticated, considering alternative approaches to teaching and learning and the values that underpin them. In discussing your own practice, you are providing your mentee with a model for reflection and self-evaluation as well as a language for analysing classroom experiences. Mentors consistently report that, in carrying out this mentoring strategy, they gain greater insight into their own professional practice. |
Collaborative teaching
This strategy is used mostly if a mentor is supporting a student teacher on a pre-service programme. It involves planning, delivering and evaluating sessions with your mentee, so that you become like a team teaching together. It is particularly useful at the start of teaching practice, if you feel your mentee is not yet ready to ‘go it alone’. It enables the mentee to share in planning and then concentrate either on specific aspects of a lesson or specific groups within a session, without taking responsibility for a whole class.
Student teachers can contribute a great deal to the preparation of classes and often have time for the preparation of resources that can be jointly designed with the mentor. Later in the teaching practice this strategy can be used to explore more complex teaching and learning activities and enable the student teacher to experiment with their use in the safe presence of an experienced teacher.
In the case of mentors working with new teachers on in-service programmes, collaborative teaching may also provide a useful strategy. However, if this is not practicable, you can encourage your mentee to sit with you while you plan, design resources or assess student work and also to observe sessions, invite them to give feedback and share your self-evaluation with them afterwards.
Co-analysis of practice
This strategy involves the mentor observing the mentee and providing feedback that is appropriate to their stage of development. The debriefing session following an observation is crucial to the professional development of the mentee and is one of the most important aspects of the mentor’s role. It is important to establish a dialogue with your mentee, encouraging them to develop skills of critical self-evaluation.
Counselling and support
As a mentor you are not expected to have a professional counselling qualification. However, you do need to have good listening and questioning skills and to be aware that we are seeking to help new teachers to become independent. A useful starting point is to think through the types of situations which could arise when working with a new teacher and a range of responses and support you could provide. In most instances, being friendly, approachable and willing to listen is sufficient to allay a new teacher’s anxieties.
This strategy is used mostly if a mentor is supporting a student teacher on a pre-service programme. It involves planning, delivering and evaluating sessions with your mentee, so that you become like a team teaching together. It is particularly useful at the start of teaching practice, if you feel your mentee is not yet ready to ‘go it alone’. It enables the mentee to share in planning and then concentrate either on specific aspects of a lesson or specific groups within a session, without taking responsibility for a whole class.
Student teachers can contribute a great deal to the preparation of classes and often have time for the preparation of resources that can be jointly designed with the mentor. Later in the teaching practice this strategy can be used to explore more complex teaching and learning activities and enable the student teacher to experiment with their use in the safe presence of an experienced teacher.
In the case of mentors working with new teachers on in-service programmes, collaborative teaching may also provide a useful strategy. However, if this is not practicable, you can encourage your mentee to sit with you while you plan, design resources or assess student work and also to observe sessions, invite them to give feedback and share your self-evaluation with them afterwards.
Co-analysis of practice
This strategy involves the mentor observing the mentee and providing feedback that is appropriate to their stage of development. The debriefing session following an observation is crucial to the professional development of the mentee and is one of the most important aspects of the mentor’s role. It is important to establish a dialogue with your mentee, encouraging them to develop skills of critical self-evaluation.
Counselling and support
As a mentor you are not expected to have a professional counselling qualification. However, you do need to have good listening and questioning skills and to be aware that we are seeking to help new teachers to become independent. A useful starting point is to think through the types of situations which could arise when working with a new teacher and a range of responses and support you could provide. In most instances, being friendly, approachable and willing to listen is sufficient to allay a new teacher’s anxieties.
