1. Mentoring Conversations
How to help your New Professional Growth and Reflect

2. Mentoring Theory of Action

3. Language of Support
Use non-verbal body language (smile, nod, eye contact)
Let them know you hear them, understand and care; ask clarifying questions if you are not sure what you heard
Allow them to reflect
Identify success and challenges
Help them think through alternative solutions to challenges and concerns

4. Build Relationships and Trust
Get to know one-another
Make connections
Plan informal social gatherings
Be sincere in your efforts to build a relationship
Sharing
Share what works based on your experience
Learn from one another

5. Build Relationships and Trust
Check in
How are things going?
Try not to overwhelm the Mentee – pick one or two areas to focus on for the year
Offer help
Collaborate
Plan together
Reflect Together

6. Mentoring Through Questioning
Ask open-ended questions to identify and discuss issues to develop critical thinking skills
What was one of your successes as a teacher in the past week? Rather than “Did you have a good week?”
How do you know when your students are learning? Rather than “do you think students learned?”
What is your greatest concerns right now? Rather than “Is everything going well?”

7. Listening to your Mentee
Refrain from talking too much
Avoid distractions: cell phones, computers, grading papers
Give the Mentee time to finish their thought
Concentrate on what is being said: actively focus on what they are saying, their ideas, their feelings (tone of voice reveals a lot!)
Listen for what is NOT said. Challenging topics will take more time and care to discuss

8. Paraphrasing Shows you care, you understand, you are listening
Which phrases work for you?
What I hear you saying is….
From what I hear you say….
As I listen to you, I’m realizing that….
In other words….
One thing I’ve noticed is….
I see what you man when you say….

9. Clarifying Let me see if I understand….
Tell me what you means when you say….
So are you suggesting that….
I’m intrigued by….
Would you tell me a little more about….
It would help me understand if you’d give me an example of….

10. Questions Help with reflection, hypothesizing and analysis
What’s another way you might….
What sort of impact do you think….
How did you decide….
What do you think would happen if…..
How might that idea work in your classroom?
How will students demonstrate what they know and are able to do?

11. Phrases that Encourage
What do you see as your next steps?
How do you think the lesson went and what evidence do you have to support that?
It will be interesting to see which of your ideas work out the best….
I’d be interested in hearing more about….
Something I’ve seen other teachers do is….

12. Positive Language Fosters communication
Where did you go wrong in your lesson planning? I would have done it like this…
This makes them feel there must be a problem, they did something wrong, or they failed
Instead – When you do this lesson again, what will you do differently?
This allows them to analyze the lesson, empowered with a choice of what to do and ownership of the changes.

13. Mentee Questions
Some new teachers are uncomfortable asking questions. Encourage them to ask questions.
Try asking “What questions do you have?” rather than “Do you have any questions?”
Open ended!

14. Questions?