Dear all
Thank you all for your suggestions, looking at all the thoughts and
points of view i can see that there are many things should a mentor
consider before answering a mentee questions i am learning alot from
you all and i hope when i reach the stage of being a mentor to take
into my account such points.
Dianne, my focus on case studies of strategic planning emerges from
the course we are undertaking as pre- request for an entrepreneurial
skills needed for each team member and we were asked to design
examples of strategic planning from public and private sector .
Sarah,
Thank your for your suggestion to attend the event on 5th of June, i
am not sure but i will discuss it and will inform you later.
Best wishes to you all
Fatma
On 25 May 2010 19:14, Brian wakeman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Sarah,
>
> Alas I cannot join you at MK this year........ Grandpa duties!!
>
> I have been listening-in silently to the discussion on mentoring... but
> want to join-in.
>
> I work with a dozen or so PGCE teacher trainees as a Training Support Tutor
> for Chiltern Training Group, and as an adult watercolours mentor with up to
> 35 people.
> Here's my two-pennyworth
> 1. Mentoring is impossible without a willingness to cooperate, an openness
> in the learner. Receptivity is key.
> 2. No negative sharp criticism is allowed in my mentoring
> 3. The principles of feedback need to be agreed: developmental, with clear
> criteria for learning; right of answer etc
> 4. Emotional well-being should be supported
> 5. Too much is 'drowning'; too little is belittling. I limit learning
> targets (3 at the most)
> 6. Respect for the mentor needs to be 'won'
> 7. If the learner does not take ownership of the learning setting their own
> aspirations, mentoring can be counter-productive
> 8. I should not be afraid of addressing 'hard issues', challenging thinking
> 9. Learners need time to assimilate and to take new skills and ideas on
> board fitting them into their understanding and professional role.
> 10. Learning and targets should be reviewed by trainees. (I use an
> action-research framework with trainees)
>
> Much more could be said about Heron's "interventions", and "typologies of
> questions" but time forbids
>
> Brian
>
> ________________________________
> From: Kerry Jordan-Daus <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Tue, 25 May, 2010 12:42:47
> Subject: Re: 'Questions in the practice of mentoring'
>
> Dear all
>
> Thinking about Sarah's last post; "how far do I believe that the mentee
> has the answer inside them?" is a very good question - sometimes we are
> not sure of the "answers" we have inside, and the learning process might
> help us to come up with answers that are in part only coming together,
> these are answers in development. That is the exciting bit; when the
> mentee begins to construct an answer and the further refinement and
> construction of the answer is supported by our gentle questioning? (I
> think - I am now myself going through that experience of uncertainty
> about the "answer" (to Sarah's question) but because of her question
> beginning to find an "answer"?)
>
> I would like to add my own link
> http://www.trainingattention.co.uk/storage/Clean%20Feedback%20for%20Rapp
> ort%20PDF.pdf
>
> which explores questioning and feedback (the latter an integral part of
> the mentor/mentee learning relationship in an initial teacher training
> programme).
>
> What struck me about the Clean Feedback model was that it makes explicit
> the observer's interpretations which inevitably inform and shape the
> questions; thus Why did you ask Megan to share her ideas? Using a CLEAN
> FEEDBACK model; I liked the way you included Megan in the learning, she
> really had some interesting points to make, although she hadn't put her
> hand up to answer your questions. Can you explain to me why you asked
> her to share her ideas?
>
> I think asking questions should be more than "guess what's in my head"
> but share what's in my head and with the mentee explore whether this is
> in their head .....
>
> Finally, Sarah; I would be delighted to attend the mentoring event on
> 5th June in Milton Keynes - had it pencilled into my diary. Hopefully,
> there will be a small and devoted group of us there?
>
> Kerry
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BERA-MENTORING-COACHING [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Sarah Fletcher
> Sent: 25 May 2010 11:38
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: 'Questions in the practice of mentoring'
>
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I want to focus on what I see as an assumption in mentoring practice in
> our discussions;
>
> How far DO I/you believe that a mentee 'has the answers inside them' and
> we have to wait patiently (and presumably ask the 'right' kinds of
> questions) so our mentee might see this?
>
> Let's think about mentoring in initial teacher education, if we may? As
> a school based mentor and as a university based mentor to school based
> mentors and their mentees I have used modelling (both demonstrating
> teaching techniques and embodying values I believe are crucial in the
> self-development of not only teachers' actions but also in the
> development of teaching as a profession). If modelling is an essential
> part of learning to teach then I/we are specifically NOT saying that
> mentees have the answers inside them - we are introducing new practices
> and by our questions encouraging mentees (and us) to reflect reflexively
> and embody new ways of practice and evolve new values systems as
> practice develops. I think that coaching with its psychotherapeutic
> roots differs from a mentoring relationship and firmly believe that
> coaching is involved in mentoring practice.
>
> Karen - I would be grateful for your assistance in developing my
> learning about this too.
>
> Then there's the practice of 'clean questionning' that our list may find
> useful to discuss?
> I have found this link to what seems to be a useful article
> http://www.cleanlanguage.co.uk/articles/articles/47/1/Emergent-Knowledge
> -and-Clean-Coaching/Page1.html Thoughts?
>
> Where mentoring involves assessment of practice as it increasingly does
> in initial teacher education (when I began working as a school based
> mentor being an assessor was THE principal bone of contention) then we
> are judging whether a mentee does evolve answers when exposed to new
> practices rather than looking for answers to emerge from questions posed
> by the mentor to the mentee? I was reminded of this Dianne when I read
> your reply to Fatma this morning - you are asking (as I understand it)
> for clarification of what Fatma wishes to develop but not expecting her
> to come up with all of the answers all be herself?
>
> Fatma, I feel profoundly honoured by your suggestion of a visit to the
> Oman - and it has spurred me to reflect on how we (as a list and as a
> BERA SIG) can learn alongside you. Would it be possible in the shorter
> term for you to visit England and meet some of us to assist you in
> developing entrepreneurial practice for teachers embedded in a research
> mentoring framework (I like Dianne's use of the word scaffolding - is it
> the same thing?)
>
> When I read your email Fatma, I was SO excited as avenues for
> e-mentoring opened up - exchanging comments on-line about how we see
> teachers developing their entrepreneurial practice, maybe? Using
> web-based platforms (thanks Brian - very, very useful suggestion).
>
> Because I have been ill I haven't confirmed our programme but there is a
> booking at the Holiday Inn in Milton Keynes as a conference venue -
> could we meet you on 5th June?
> Jean Rath and I will be there - can others on list come - Brian?
> Bridget? Karen? Kerry?
>
> Warmest regards,
>
> Sarah
>
> Sarah Fletcher
>
> Consultant Research Mentor
>
> http://www.TeacherResearch.net
> Convenor for BERA Mentoring and Coaching SIG
> Details at http://www.bera.ac.uk
>
> --- On Mon, 5/24/10, Dianne Allen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
>
> From: Dianne Allen <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: 'Questions in the practice of mentoring'
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Monday, May 24, 2010, 9:53 PM
>
>
> Sarah,
>
> Thank you for sharing your reflections and indications of
> practice, and change in practice.
>
>
> As I read that, and attend to it, I recognise two important
> aspects of the process: (1) the frame of real inquiry [and seen also in
> Karen's remark about 'genuine curiosity'] as mentor you recognise you
> really do need, and want, to know where your mentee is coming from (a
> first step in 'scaffolding'; and respecting that the mentee has real
> knowledge that needs to be respected and worked with; and the current
> and following work involves developing mutual understanding; and that as
> mentor you are humble enough to recognise that in the process you will
> be learning too); (2) the focus on appreciation - getting out, into the
> open, important information between you, of what the mentee does well
> and how they themselves recognise that (what criteria constitute their
> in-practice evaluative processes), and then being able to work with
> these to help the mentee work with themselves into other currently less
> successful territory. As Karen says "I know the person sitting across
> from me has the answers, and the resources, they need, and that my role
> is to trust them - and to help them to trust themselves when their
> confidence is swamped by 'stuff'" and when Janet finds herself "amazed
> at how knowledgeable some students are regarding their own subject"; and
> Kerry has given us a good working example of what this looks like by
> sharing "That was a great activity; how can you tell that the pupils
> liked it so much? Why do you think the pupils liked it so much? .....
> Can you explain to me what you were trying to get from the learners from
> the activity? How did your planned activity enable the pupils to
> demonstrate their understanding and ability to write in the desired
> style?"
>
>
> I also like your comment "a position that any taxonomy of
> questioning differs (perhaps not too surprisingly?) according to the
> context in which mentoring/coaching will be taking place" as it
> reinforces my suspicion that Bateson's claim that context, and
> recognising its importance, is the key to operating with another level
> of learning, and the level of learning that is most relevant to dealing
> with issues that may require the exercise of creativity, and so where
> the leverage for real change/ transformation, and by dealing with the
> clash of values, and perhaps instrumental values compared to deeper
> ('spiritual'?) values, comes into play. This may well relate to what
> Karen says when she remarks about questions "generating energy and
> suggesting that there might be possibilities and truths as yet
> unexplored"
>
> Thank you all, for your inputs, and for opening and offering
> your practice to the scrutiny of thinking about questioning.
>
> Dianne
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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