Mentoring Conversatio

nsHow to help your New Professional Growth

and Reflect

Mentoring Theory of Action

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

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

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

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?”

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

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….

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….

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?

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….

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.

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!

Questions?