Extending the mentor role in initial teacher education : embracing social justice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how mentors can act as change agents for social justice. examines mentors’ roles in initial teacher education in the lifelong learning sector (LLS) and how critical spaces can be opened up to promote a flow of mentor, trainee teacher, learner and community empowerment. Design/methodology/approach – Two thematic literature reviews were undertaken: one of UK LLS ITE mentoring and the other an international review of social justice in relation to mentoring in ITE and the first year of teaching. Bourdieu’s concepts of capital, field and habitus (Bourdieu, 1986) are used as sensitising tools to explore LLS mentors’ practices and the possibilities for increasing the flow of “pedagogical capital” between mentors, trainee teachers, learners and communities, in such a way that would enable mentors to become agents for social justice. Findings – LLS mentors and trainee teachers are uncertain about their roles. In the UK and several countries, mentoring is dominated by an instrumental assessment-focused approach, whereby social justice is marginalised. In contrast, what we call social justice mentors establish collaborative democratic mentoring relationships, create spaces for critical reflection, support trainees to experience different cultures, develop inclusive critical pedagogies, and generally act as advocates and foster passion for social justice. Research limitations/implications – While the literature reviews provide timely and important insights into UK and international approaches, the existing literature bases are limited in scale and scope. Practical implications – A model for mentoring that promotes social justice and recommendations for mentor training are proposed. Originality/value – The paper addresses the omission in policy, research and practice of the potential for mentors to promote social justice. The proposed model and training approach can be adopted across all education phases.</p

Mentor Teachers Speak: Valuing Teacher Voices in English Education

This narrative inquiry case study brings the voices of mentor teachers into the discourse of English language arts teacher preparation. In a series of interviews, mentor teachers discuss the challenges faced by student teachers, the pedagogical content knowledge needed to teach secondary ELA, and the relationship between secondary schools and universities. At the heart of this project is a desire to empower mentor teachers, whose voices are often missing from scholarship about teacher preparation. This study can give English educators and mentor teachers common ground, fostering connections between the colleges who prepare new teachers and the schools in which they will teach

The role and responsibilities of a midwifery mentor

Midwifery Basics: Mentorship 1 Mentorship of student midwives in clinical practice is an important part of the role of a qualified and experienced midwife (Steele 2009). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008 p9) states ‘The role of the sign-off mentor and/or practice teacher is to make judgments about whether a student has achieved the required standards of proficiency for safe and effective practice for entry to the NMC register.’ However, mentorship is much more than this and can be considered as the process of giving support for personal and professional development. This can be provided in a range of ways, such as acting as a role model, teaching, encouraging, offering feedback and formally assessing the student midwife. Less formal definitions suggest that the mentor is a guide, supporter and advisor (Casey & Clark 2012). The mentoring process, the relationship between mentor and student midwife and the institutional environment within which the mentoring occurs can present a range of rewards and challenges for both mentor and studen

Paradigms of Mentoring Process

The paper “Paradigms of Mentoring Process” focuses on the terminology of mentoring and examines how this process of mentoring can be translated into an organizational setup. The paper talks about: 1. The critical dimensions of the framework of Mentor-Mentee interface 2. The characteristics of each partner viz., Mentor and Mentee 3. What benefits both Mentor and Mentee get through such initiation 4. What are the stipulated do’s and donts, which provide a guideline for the Mentor and Mentee 5. Facilitation of laid out roadmaps 6. The possible pitfalls, which both the partner as well as the organization need to be aware of. The paper also describes the role of mentoring in business organizations, which can positively impact the careers of the new entrants and prove beneficial both for the Mentor and the organization, if the process is inducted effectively.

How do professionals, parents/carers and children view the role of the learning mentor in a multi-agency setting?

"This project will enable the learning mentor team to establish what links have been made with outside agencies and how professionals view the role of the learning mentor. There is little research locally into this area and it is hoped important learning can be fed back to policymakers and strategists within the local authority." - Page 5

Developing a Research Mentorship Program: The American Society of Pediatric Nephrology's Experience

Background: Most pediatric nephrologists work in academia. Mentor-mentee relationships provide support and guidance for successful research career. Mentorship program implementation is valuable in medical fields for providing research opportunities to young faculty. Methods: The American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN) established a research mentorship program to (a) assist with matching of appropriate mentor-mentee dyads and (b) establish metrics for desirable mentor-mentee outcomes with two independent components: (1) the grants review workshop, a short-term program providing mentor feedback on grant proposals, and (2) the longitudinal program, establishing long-term mentor-mentee relationships. Regular surveys of both mentors and mentees were reviewed to evaluate and refine the program. Results: Twelve mentees and 17 mentors participated in the grant review workshop and 19 mentees were matched to mentors in the longitudinal program. A review of NIH RePORTER data indicated that since 2014, 13 NIH grants have been awarded. Mentees in the longitudinal program reported that the program helped most with identifying an outside mentor, improving grant research content, and with general career development. Mentors perceived themselves to be most helpful in assisting with overall career plans. Email communications were preferred over phone or face-to-face communications. Mentees endorsed strong interest in staying in touch with their mentors and 100% of mentors expressed their willingness to serve in the future. Conclusion: This mentorship program was initiated and supported by a relatively small medical society and has shown early success in cultivating mentoring relationships for a future generation of clinician-scientists

The Mentor: Finding a Mentor

Editor’s note: The Mentor column is a place for advice, storytelling, introspection, and professional growth

The Lived Experiences of Mentoring Nurses in Malaysia

Background: Being a nursing mentor is not an entirely new concept in nursing. However, it is a new phenomenon in the nursing profession in Malaysia. The nursing administration and the senior nurses in Malaysia have claimed that they have started a mentorship program by having senior nurses shadow new graduate nurses for the past two to three years ago. With no study found in Malaysia investigating the lived experiences of mentors mentoring new registered nurses, it led the researcher to develop this research that explores the real life experiences of these senior Malaysian nurses who mentor neophyte nurses.Objectives: This research explores and describes the lived experiences of nurses mentoring neophyte or new registered nurses at one of the major hospital in the Malaysia Borneo and how such experiences influence their daily routine as a nurse and also as a mentor. The research will also attaches meaning to these experiences and identifies both positive and negative experiences as a mentor to neophyte.Methods: The experiences of nurses mentoring the neophyte in the clinical area were captured using a qualitative approach to research and further viewed through methods informed by phenomenology, which used interpretive and descriptive semi-structured interviews. Hermeneutic interpretive phenomenology was used in the focus to analyze interview transcript into textual expression of the mentors. Three main themes emerge from this study are being unprepared and challenged, perceptions of mentees, mentor hope and desire

Facilitating dental student reflections : using mentor groups to discuss clinical experiences and personal development

Despite the consensus on the importance of reflection for dental professionals, a lack of understanding remains about how students and clinicians should develop their ability to reflect. The aim of this study was to investigate dental students’ and mentors’ perceptions of mentor groups as an instructional method to facilitate students’ reflection in terms of the strategy’s learning potential, role of the mentor, group dynamics, and feasibility. At Ghent University in Belgium, third- and fourth-year dental students were encouraged to reflect on their clinical experiences and personal development in three reflective mentor sessions. No preparation or reports afterwards were required; students needed only to participate in the sessions. Sessions were guided by trained mentors to establish a safe environment, frame clinical discussions, and stimulate reflection. Students’ and mentors’ perceptions of the experience were assessed with a 17-statement questionnaire with response options on a five-point Likert scale (1=totally disagree to 5=totally agree). A total of 50 students and eight mentors completed the questionnaire (response rates 81% and 89%, respectively). Both students and mentors had neutral to positive perceptions concerning the learning potential, role of the mentor, group dynamics, and feasibility. The mean ideal total time for sessions in a year was 99 minutes (third-year students), 111 minutes (fourth-year students), and 147 minutes (mentors). Reported reflective topics related to patient management, frustrations, and practice of dentistry. Overall mean appreciation for the experience ranged from 14.50 to 15.14 on the 20-point scale. These findings about students’ and mentors’ positive perceptions of the experience suggest that mentor groups may be a potentially valuable strategy to promote dental students’ reflection