Mentors Make A Difference

Sue Taylor-FoleySouth Shore Regional School Board

Bridgewater, Nova ScotiaCanada

Mentoring

Mentoring Hats

Confidante

Colleague

Counselor

Facilitator

Coach

Teacher

Role Model

Advisor

Purposes of Mentoring

• Support

• Challenge

• Vision

Workshop Outcomesfor Mentors Make A Difference

• Understanding of what mentoring is and is not

• How initiatives can be linked through mentoring

• How one Board developed a Literacy/Technology Mentor program from K-12

• Effective supports for Mentors

• Mentors Matter- making a difference in teaching and student achievement

What is mentoring?

• P.D. strategy designed to improve teaching and learning through a close professional relationship between or among teachers

• By engaging in thoughtful dialogues, teachers are able to reflect on their own practices and become more independent and self-directed practitioners

Four C’s of Mentoring

Consulting Collaborating

Coaching

Confidentiality

What is Mentoring?

Is…A confidential collegial

relationship.An opportunity to give/receive

feedback and problem solve to help improve professional practices.

A way to guide and support a learning partner with their educational journey.

Beneficial for both the mentor and the teacher

Is Not…..• Judgmental• Part of a

performance review• A fix it strategy• A supervisory model• A substitute

Why mentoring?

• Studies of success rates of various teacher in-servicing components support the potential effectiveness of mentoring as a means of improving instructional practice.*

*NSELC

A comparison – Joyce & Showers

PD Component Skills Attained Transfer to Classroom

Presentation of Theory

10-20% 5-10%

Demonstration 30-35% 5-10%

Practice 60-70% 5-10%

Feedback 70-80% 10-20%

Mentoring 80-90% 80-90%

Mentoring• Affects school culture by promoting

stronger collegial relationships• Supports significant educational

change• Promotes reflection and decision

making by providing time, space and encouragement

• Leads to increase student achievement

Toll, 2005

Initiatives

• RCH• PEBS• IEIE• AYR• AR• WIA• PPT• PATHS• O2

• A4L• SIP• HPS• CGP• PLC• NLC• PSP• Accreditation• NSE

Natural Links

• Cuts across all subject areas and grade levels

• Constructivist tools• Writing• Reading • Authentic publishing• Product creation• Accomplishment of outcomes using

current methodology

Building Better Instruction*

• Thematic Instruction • Identifying Similarities and Differences • Summarizing and Note Taking • Reinforcing Effort • Homework and Practice • Non-linguistic Representation • Cooperative Grouping • Setting Objectives • Providing Feedback • Generating and Testing Hypotheses • Simulations and Games • Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers

The Development of Literacy/Technology Mentoring

• Build on prior success• Formalized training• Formalized expectations• Provided each school with dedicated mentor

staffing allocation• More support within the school and therefore

less pull out time away from school• More directed focus on teacher identified need

Mentor Qualifications• Strong curriculum background

knowledge

• Successful teaching experience

• Practical application in the classroom

• Training NSELC Module 12

• Interpersonal skills

• Credibility and respect of staff

Supports for Mentors

• Technology- laptop, webcam, headset, software

• Moodle Portal• Video conferencing platform• Print materials• Dedicated time • Release days• Consultant – Meta Mentor

Things to consider

• How might a Mentor support teachers in your school(s)?

• How will we train our mentors?

• How to introduce mentoring to staff members?

• How can an administrator support mentoring?

• How to effectively schedule a mentor?

• Stable funding to support the program

• Respecting the role of the mentor

Website

• http://ssrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/mentorsmatter

–Resources

–Sample Materials

–This presentation