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List of Mentoring Strategies
The Mentor’s Toolkit: Relationship
Strategies
The process of becoming an effective mentor
can be strengthened by reflecting on strategies developed by experienced
professionals who have experienced the online academic environment
in both instructor and mentor capacities. Listed below are some
of these strategies and tactics.
Perhaps the most important part of the entire relationship is
the introduction! Building a positive, mutually respectful relationship
is the foundation of a successful mentoring relationship. Sometimes,
the initial contact can be awkward. The following strategies and
points can help you prepare for your introduction and lay the
groundwork for a great mentoring relationship:
- Create your own personal list of things you
can offer as a mentor. Include things like specific experiences,
software expertise, experiences in different settings, certain
work experience, etc.
- Remember that a mentor is a peer who provides
support. Mentors are not “supervisors,” “monitors,”
or “managers.” A working definition of mentoring
is: “when a role model, or mentor, offers support to another
person. A mentor has knowledge and experience in an area and
shares it with the person being mentored” (McBrien &
Brandt, 1997). You may also be able to learn some things from
your mentee, so keep an open mind.
- Before you contact your mentee, read his
or her profile and be sure to confirm which classes he or she
is teaching, and in which sessions. When you are assigned your
mentees, the Distance Learning Office will provide you with
this information. Read it before you contact your mentee. This
will show your mentee that you care about the relationship and
that you are focused and attentive.
- Be proactive and make initial contact prior
to the beginning of the academic term. This is the time that
your mentee needs the most support and encouragement!
- Distribute important information and reminders
in a timely manner, so that the mentee has sufficient time for
follow-through.
- Use a consistently supportive and encouraging
tone
Once you have established the foundation of the relationship and
set the tone, you must follow through on your commitment. The
following are tips to help you continue to strengthen and sustain
the mentoring relationship.
- Maintain an open line of communication with
the mentee. Do not let more than two weeks pass without some
kind of contact. Your mentee may need a greater level of support
at certain times throughout the term (such as the beginning
and the end), and other times may be quieter. However, a nice
gesture is to send a brief “touching-base” email
at the quieter times, just to let your mentee know that you
are there.
- Be open to answering questions about other
college-related items (professional development, etc.).
- Acknowledge and reward mutual successes and
new ideas! This will help to build a rapport between you and
your mentee, based on shared positive experiences and ideas.
- Seek to understand what might be creating
problems. If a new adjunct experiences a problem with his or
her course, of course the first priority is to solve the problem
before it impacts student learning. However, be sure to follow
up on the problem, and seek to identify sources of the problem
and potential solutions.
- Anticipate challenges. You were chosen as
a mentor because of your experience and insight. It may help
to make a list of potential challenges and solutions that new
adjuncts may face, based on your own experience. You could then
use that list to develop an “FAQ” that you could
share with adjuncts, or keep handy for quick reference.
Nothing we do in life is without some challenge! As such, it helps
to think through situations, and anticipate some possible challenges
and think about how you could handle them. Some possible challenges
and strategies for diverting or handling them are:
- Stay aware of possible weather-related events
that could affect access to online courses and communication
channels. Hurricanes and tropical storms pose a major challenge.
If a hurricane is headed for the Jacksonville area, even though
you and/or your mentee may not be in the area, most of Florida
Community College ’s students are. Therefore, it is important
to contact your mentee and help him or her think through a contingency
plan for the courses being taught. For example, you’re
your mentee create alternative assignments for students who
may be affected by power outages, understand the process for
awarding “I” grades, and the administrative policy
and processes regarding course extensions.
- As we are all human, you or your mentee may
have family emergencies, health issues, unexpected travel. Although
we can’t avoid certain bumps in the road, we can handle
them as they occur. By maintaining open and active communication,
you can encourage your mentee to be forthcoming about such issues,
and to seek help and assistance. Help him or her understand
that we can handle problems we know about, but only deal with
fallout of problems that escalate because we didn’t know
about them.
- When challenges arise, you may not have the
perfect answer. Develop creative and supportive solutions by
utilizing others’ advice and ideas. Consult an administrator,
the lead mentor, or other mentors to bounce ideas around.
Resources:
- The Language of Learning: A Guide to Education
Terms, by J. L. McBrien & R. S. Brandt, p. 64, 1997, Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
- Peer Resources at http://www.mentors.ca/
- Peer Resources Document Archive at http://www.peer.ca/Docs.html
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