1. Mentor and Mentee My experiences
Kevin Seaward

2. Education career Graduated from Loughborough 2009 Teacher of PE 2010
Head of Year
Assistant Head Teacher
Faculty Lead 2016-

3. Sporting background
BBC Video

4. Sporting background

5. Why Loughborough? Reputation High quality Broad and varied experiences
Continued support
Successful outcomes for teachers

6. Life as a PGCE student Mentoring to success
Fantastic experience
High expectations
Firm but fair
Challenge and enjoyment
Supportive and progressive
Critical and reflective
Modelled good practice
Category A provider. Loughborough University has a reputation that reaches far beyond the UK. Globally it is regarded in high esteem topping the complete university guide, Guardian, times higher education student experience survey and recent TEF awards has only further reinforced this view. Trainee teachers are attracted to the University as it offers a fantastic overall experience in collaboration with some of the best and most diverse partnership schools.
Trainees attend with high expectations of themselves and are aware of the high expectations of the university and the partnership schools. This vision is shared from the outset.
My personal experience was full of challenge and enjoyment. Every day was different. We as teachers know that now but as a trainee, you can be a little naive to turbulent nature of children in schools!
I had two fantastic mentors and a team of supportive staff who were keen and eager to help. They sold the wonder and awe, and the satisfaction that teaching can bring. My mentors offered different approaches to mentoring. One was supportive and always positive. It tied in well with phase one. I needed that support and treated with the sticker not the stick. Everything was gradual and meetings focussed on the positives. He didn’t ignore the negatives and we were cyclical in terms of planning, delivering and evaluating – but with the whole process being so new- he was understanding. That is key. I was self critical enough – in fact most trainees are probably too tough on themselves!
My second phase mentor was more of a critical friend. The support never left, even as a phase two trainee there is so many experiences that are new. Change in key stage potentially, different pupils – re-establishing yourself with new staff and learners. We focussed on the good but were sure to meet the areas for development head on. I never felt that I was alone in he process but felt treated as an individual. Even when we had multiple trainees the advice and support was individualised – it needs to be to!

7. The shoe on the other foot…
Supportive
Collaboration
Understanding
Not ‘work experience’
Not copying practice
Calm and objective
Build a learning culture
Work of the mentor is crucial to the teaching profession. The training of teachers drives the quality of the education service, and the mentor is at the heart of that training
Do not see the trainee teacher’s placement as a form of work experience.
Remember modelling and of practice oversight are important. In school to train - developing effective learning strategies
Trainees need to watch, they need to understand why mentors do what they do but this doesn’t mean that they necessarily need to copy. Mentoring isn’t a master class. It’s a complex range of training activities. Plurality- two or more teachers do a starter differently but with success.
Build a learning culture where mistakes can happen. Develop the mentees ability to be open to advice trying to avoid defensiveness
Ask the question – how does this benefit the training experience, not ‘teachers do it therefore the trainee should’
Another way of making this relationship productive is through explicitness. Each party needs to know what the other really thinks

8. Develop their confidence
Five top tips
Develop their confidence
Model good practice
Formative feedback
Approachable and open
The shoe firmly on the other foot. Drawing upon the opinions of our trainees. A range of different training courses and access routes into teaching. The role of the mentor may vary but centrality is based on
they hear criticisms much more than they hear compliments. In any case, mentors’ intentions are almost certainly positive; they offer commentary on the mentee’s teaching, attached to suggestions for improvement. This is the mentor’s job, after all. But there is an 80/20 rule. If the mentor’s feedback isn’t 80% positive, the mentee will hear it as 80% negative
Praise the good