The Mentor As Growth Agent: Developing Learning- Focused Relationships AWARENESS 1 Copyright 2006 MiraVia, LLC

Mentoring Matters Key Concepts

Goals To consider a mentor’s roles, responsibilities and intentions as a growth agent. To define a learning-focused relationship as the balance of three functions: offering support, creating challenge and facilitating professional vision.

Mentor as a Growth Agent Three Functions Offering Support Creating Challenge Facilitating Professional Vision

Read & Example Everyone Reads Offering Support p.2 Everyone Reads Creating Challenge p.3 Everyone Reads 4 Facilitating Professional Vision p.4 A’s Verbally Summarize Trios: Craft 3-4 Examples B’s Verbally Summarize Trios: Craft 3-4 Examples C’s Verbally Summarize Trios: Craft 3-4 Examples

Balancing the Mentor Role Support alone will provide comfort but may encourage complacency. Challenge without support may increase anxiety and fear of failure. Support and challenge without vision may leave us wandering on a journey looking only at the ground beneath us but not the road ahead.

Think - Pair - Share One goal for me as a growth agent... As a growth agent, one new idea for me... One thing I will add to my learning- focused relationships...

Self-Assessment Collect notes and artifacts resulting from your implementation of the three functions: offering support, creating challenge and facilitating professional vision. Bring your notes and artifacts to our next session. What goals did you set for yourself in learning- focused conversations and what were the outcomes from those conversations?

Phases of First Year Teaching Jigsaw 1. Count-off Regroup with number-alike colleagues 3. Individually read your assigned pages 4. Table group discussion; complete worksheet 5. Create chart

Phases of First Year Teaching Jigsaw READING ….everyone reads page 5 Anticipation -- p 6 Survival -- p 7 Disillusionment -- p 8-9 Rejuvenation -- p 9 Reflection -- p 10-11

Group Chart Task PHASE:______________ Key identifiers: StrategiesIndicators of Effectiveness Support Challenge Vision

Reflective Prompts What are some things you might do to balance support/challenge/vision in your work? What are some patterns you are aware of in your own practice?

A Continuum of Learning- Focused Interaction AWARENESS 2 Copyright 2006 MiraVia, LLC

Mentoring Matters Key Concepts

Goals To introduce a continuum of learning- focused interaction. To explore specific strategies connected to each of the three stances: consulting, collaborating and coaching.

A Continuum of Learning-Focused Interaction CONSULTCOLLABORATECOACH Information and analysis

Say Something Partners read about the consulting stance; Mentoring Matters p. 22. When each partner is ready, they turn and “say something” about what they have just read (e.g., an example, a main idea, a connection to their own work). Repeat the pattern for the collaborating stance; Mentoring Matters p. 24 and the coaching stance; Mentoring Matters p. 25.

A Continuum of Learning-Focused Interaction Read the strategies for each stance in Mentoring Matters pp Determine a mentoring strategy that would be appropriate for a teacher during each stance. Record your ideas in the spaces provided on your worksheet (PM p.5).

A Continuum of Learning-Focused Interaction ConsultingCollaboratingCoaching Example: Provide a demonstration lesson in the beginning teacher’s classroom. Example: Create a lesson or unit of study with the beginning teacher. Example: Ask about success within a beginning teacher’s lesson.

Independent Follow- Up/ Self-Assessment On your worksheet record 3 strategies (one for each stance) that you might use with your beginning teacher. When describing your strategies include how they will be applied in your learning- focused relationships. Applying the Stances:

Journey to Excellence 2015

A Continuum of Learning-Focused Interaction SKILL DEVELOPMENT 2 Copyright 2006 MiraVia, LLC

Mentoring Matters Key Concepts

Goals To develop fluency in navigating across a continuum of learning-focused interactions including: consulting, collaborating and coaching. To mediate a beginning teacher’s thinking by establishing a focus, or third point, during learning-focused conversations.

The Third Point Mentor Beginning Teacher Third Point

Focused Reading √ = Got it. I know and/or understand this. ! = This is really important or interesting. ? = I don’t understand this or I would like to know more.

Third Point Examples Internal A recollection or description A personal observation A statement of concern A perception of a problem A statement of value or belief A judgment External Samples of student work Rubric defining excellence A lesson plan A curriculum guide Standards descriptions Test results Individualized Education Plan(s) Annual Reviews Letters, written communications

Third Point Exercise With a partner, use the student work sample (PM p. 5) to determine language you might use to mediate thinking from each stance: consulting, collaborating, coaching Use PM p. 6 to record your language choices.

Discussion Prompt Given my present mentoring practice, what are some strengths and what are some stretches for me?

Maximizing Time and Attention by Attending Fully AWARENESS 3 Copyright 2006 MiraVia, LLC

Mentoring Matters Key Concepts

Goals To focus on attending fully as the foundation for the learning-focused toolkit. To explore the influence of non-verbal cues in conducting effective learning-focused conversations.

What is one example of a non-verbal cue that indicates full attention and facilitates thinking? Round the Room and Back Again 1. Write your response on a sticky note.

2. Without taking notes, move round the room, share your response with others and mentally catalogue their responses. 3. Return to home-base and write down the ideas you can recall on additional sticky notes. 4. Pool your examples and extend your lists with additional sticky notes. Round the Room and Back Again

Alignment Categories Physical – Muscle Tension, Posture, Gesture Vocal – Intonation, Pace, Word Choice Breathing – Depth, Duration, Rate

Be Intentional When/If: You anticipate tension or anxiety Tension or anxiety emerges You are having difficulty understanding another person You are distracted

5. Read “Attending Fully” MM pp Categorize your sticky notes based on the alignment categories you just read about. Round the Room and Back Again

Blocks to Understanding “I” Listening Personal Referencing – “me too” or “I would never” Personal Curiosity – Questions driven by our own personal need to know or understand more Personal Certainty – “have you tried... ”? or – “have you thought about... ”?

Strengths and Stretches Read Blocks to Understanding MM pp Complete the Strengths and Stretches T-Chart PM p. 5. Partners share and compare T-Charts and select some thoughts to share with the full group. Strengths Stretches

Think-Write-Share As you think about your work as a mentor, what are some ways that attending fully might enhance your work and increase your effectiveness? Use PM p. 6 to record your response.

Think-Write-Share Share your ideas at table groups. As a table group, select one idea to share with the full group.

Independent Follow-Up/ Self Assessment Monitoring the Media – View one or more TV talk shows, paying close attention to the degree to which the interviewer and interviewee are matching posture, voice tone, etc. Use PM p. 7 to record your observations. As you reflect, consider: – “What are some new things you are aware of?” – “What goals are you setting for your own skill development?”