Pedagogical Leadership – Mentoring CE-ELM MSA, 20 th APRIL, 2011 SESSION 3

Group Activity Read the two cases on mentoring experiences. Which one was successful/unsuccessful? Why? 2

So You Want to Be a Mentor (or find a mentor)

Who mentors? Senior teachers e.g. School principal, DHTs etc Heads of departments e.g. Shift Coordinators, Cycle Coordinators Teachers with expertise in their areas e.g. ECD/ Maths/ English teachers, teachers who design instructional materials

What does mentoring require? A mentor - more experienced older teacher/ head teacher/ DHT/ teacher educator/ supervisor/ QASO A mentee – a beginning teacher/ head teacher/ QASO 5

Activity What would make a good mentor?

What does it take to be a mentor? Desire to make a difference Time to give support A career development plan that is worth emulating

What does the mentor do? The mentor supports and encourages the beginning teacher to manage their own learning in order for them to maximise their potential, develop their skills and improve their performance and become the teacher they want to be. (Remember that mentoring is a dynamic process which builds on the needs of the beginning teacher, the strength of the mentor, and the relationship between the two) 8

What does the mentor get out of mentoring? Opportunity to reflect on your teaching Develops appraisal skills Good experiences for career development Increased status and responsibility Can come up with/receive new ideas Can evaluate the quality of your planning and teaching

The mentee should be … Willing to learn Able to accept feedback Willing to “stretch” Able to identify goals Desire to be a teacher of excellence

What does the mentee get out of it? Provides constructive feedback and support Opportunity to share failures and achievement Medium through which to address ideas to senior management Opportunity to observe others at work Opportunity to reflect on performance Receives non-threatening guidance

What does the teaching profession get out of it? Well-adjusted teachers Good networks Improved relations between staff/team building Able to identify communication/organisation problems in the institution Likely to entice people into the profession and improve its status 12

Considerations for a Healthy Mentoring Programme Programmes are most successful when mentee selects a mentor Mentoring partnerships are formed where people are educated on the value of mentoring Partly formal, partly informal Consensual conclusion of the relationship