How can I keep my teaching fresh, reflective and original? Well, here’s one method. This year, I have discovered a way to counter this risk of staleness through mentoring a trainee teacher. Having had an excellent mentor myself when I was training, I knew how much of an impact good mentors can have on trainee teachers. When I was offered the opportunity to be a mentor myself, I jumped at it!
It’s a 2-way process
When teaching the same lessons regularly, it can become tempting or even inevitable to fall into the same patterns of activities and strategies with which to engage the groups of students in front of you. Innovation and experimentation are at risk of being pushed out in place for something that a teacher knows “works” or indeed worked with another class in previous years.
Mentoring has several benefits for both the mentor and the trainee and is very much a 2-way process. Firstly, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to help mould and support aspiring teachers who are eager to enter the profession. The whole approach to the training year, no matter what route the trainee is following, is one of constant improvement. This element of momentum and striving to improve throughout the training process is inspiring and motivating for the trainee and mentor alike. There is a great sense of personal satisfaction to be gained from witnessing a trainee teacher grow in their practice due to your own expertise, advice and modelling.
Teach from a new perspective
Mentors can learn from trainees in more ways than one. The opportunity to observe a trainee teacher allows the mentor to experience life as a child at school again. For example, when observing a lesson on ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, I became aware that a variety of activities was key when teaching this challenging text. Through dialogue with my mentee, she devised for her next lesson a range of tasks including making use of the film and creating a mock courtroom scene in the classroom. Students had to develop their imaginative, as well as analytical skills, and decide, in role, for the innocence or guilt of the character Tom Robinson. The palpable ‘buzz’ in the lesson was a clear testament to the importance of constantly trying out new activities when teaching. From observing trainee teachers, I have become more aware of how an uncomfortable seat can affect students’ concentration, how a variety of activities in the classroom is vital to maintain interest and that when learning is engaging, students will engage with you. These are all points that any teacher should be aware of, but sometimes it takes a new perspective, such as sitting beside a student at the back of your own classroom and engaging in the same activity as them, to remind us of their importance.
Invaluable Innovation
Trainees can bring new ideas, strategies or innovations to their teaching practice that may simply not have existed when you were training. Their enthusiasm, creativity and willingness to experiment with new strategies in teaching is something to be celebrated. Therefore, if you are interested in becoming a mentor, I would advise you to see how you can get involved. Attending training and speaking to other mentors, in other subject areas, for advice is invaluable.
My Top Tips for Mentoring
1. Have a clear time each week set aside to meet with your mentee and discuss their progress and any questions they have.
2. (Re)-familiarise yourself with the relevant Teaching Standards and be ready to refer to them a lot!
3. Expose your mentee to as many teaching styles and teaching groups as possible. Breadth of training is required, as well as depth.
4. Focus on the positives in all situations.
5. Reassure your mentee that teaching is an incredibly complex skill and that everyone develops at different rates.
Sometimes it takes a fresh perspective, both physically and mentally, to remind ourselves of how skilled a profession teaching is. Mentoring can provide you with that view – so why not give it a go?
If you like this article, you might also like Jack Richard’s article about being a member of a community of practice.