Hi Dianne,
Thinking about questions you have posed me and the insights you have offered
into the work of Montessori has elicited a notion of creating a taxonomy of
'identities' in mentoring that I have received, practiced and observed. Are
there mentoring taxonomies already?
In areflexive gaze observing myself-as-mentor and, to some extent,
myself-as-mentee I've felt a need for a framework that might assist me to
express what I am perceiving.
Your questions as intervention assist me to plan my route through. It is
clarifying now.
Understanding what mentoring is about is assisted by my reading of Harre's
The Singular Self. he sees the idea of the self as a unity as a useful
fiction and identifies three selves: Self One: is the point of view from
which 'I' perceive the material environment and act on it; Self Two: the
shifting totality of personal characteristics that make up 'myself' and Self
Three: the totalities of personal impressions that I make on other people.
A mentor might help my reflexive understanding in each of these arenas but
not necessarily in every one.
A mentor can assist me to see aspects of my practice that I could not
otherwise perceive.
I have been videoing my practice - and others have videoed my practice - for
many years. At this point in time I am being mentored in relation to
web-based work I am completing as a presentation to the Teacher Learning
Academy. Research mentoring is a key element.
More soon!
Sarah
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