Quality mentoring has received growing scholarly attention in Australia and internationally as many countries have been struggling with teacher shortages and teacher retention and looking for the best ways to support teachers in their complex work.
Growing evidence has demonstrated that quality mentoring plays a critical role in the development of teachers, especially those early on in their careers (Panizzon, 2018). Despite this, the 2018 TALIS survey reported that only 37% of Graduate teachers in Australia actually have a mentor (Thomson & Hillman, 2019). This echoes the clear need for greater emphasis to be given to mentoring and the ways in which it is both implemented and sustained in schools (Nguyen, 2017).
Future-focused mentoring pilot
The Future-focused mentoring (FfM) team has been working with independent schools across Queensland and New South Wales to pilot an innovative approach to mentoring (Larsen et al., 2023). It provides a way for teachers to learn together that will set them up to address the complexities of their work effectively, flexibly, and creatively.
Rather than solely focusing on developing pedagogical skills, FfM also aims to nurture and leverage intellectual dispositions such as curiosity, intellectual humility, thoroughness, open-mindedness, and tenacity.
This approach uses a simple structure and principles that value the personal potential of all teachers (Larsen & Allen, 2021), the significance of non-hierarchical relationships to mutual learning, and the importance of exploring innovative ways of working.
Their participation requires them to think differently about their roles in the mentoring process and the ways in which they interact together. Doing so leads to personal, relational, and cultural change in the school.
Reflect, reimagine, realise
Mentoring conversations start with a critical reflection of a teaching topic or experience (REFLECT stage), followed by the REIMAGINE stage in which both mentor and mentee seek to find new ways of addressing the topic. The REALISE stage then provides the opportunity to mutually plan and action these new approaches to the issue.
Rather than utilising a rigid script which can disrupt the natural flow of a genuine conversation, mentors and mentees use (and develop) the 9 intellectual virtues (Baehr, 2013) essential dispositions for the future, to respectfully leverage each other’s strengths to learn from one another and do things in new and effective ways.
The 2022 FfM pilot worked with 6 independent schools and 30 teachers (15 mentors and 15 early career teachers-ECT). These schools were diverse geographically, culturally, and socio-economically. Some had mentoring programs already in progress and others did not.
We provided professional learning online and afterward connected with these teachers either online or at their school sites. Important to this approach is that both mentors and mentees are involved in learning how to engage effectively in mentoring conversations – not only the mentor – as part of our commitment to developing truly mutually beneficial learning partnerships.
Impact on practice
Both mentors and ECTs reported how this mentoring approach resulted in richer, more genuine mentoring conversations that opened opportunities for them both to learn about themselves, each other, and their practice.
Being a participant in the FfM project was incredible for developing a more authentic and supportive understanding of the ECT/mentor relationship. Being able to incorporate the key foundations of the program with our school’s established mentoring model, we have seen a deeper more authentic mentor/mentee relationship. It has aided in improving both my personal teaching practice, as well as seeing areas of growth in my mentee. An excellent experience in expanding my understanding of what it means to be a mentor. (Mentor)
Being a participant in the FfM project was incredible for developing a more authentic and supportive understanding of the ECT/mentor relationship. Being able to incorporate the key foundations of the program with our school’s established mentoring model, we have seen a deeper more authentic mentor/mentee relationship. It has aided in improving both my personal teaching practice, as well as seeing areas of growth in my mentee. An excellent experience in expanding my understanding of what it means to be a mentor. (Mentor)
In a post-survey, all participants reported a change in the way in which they approached and participated in mentoring conversations, with 50% indicating a substantial level of change. Of these participants, 70% indicated that they were likely or very likely to continue to work in ways that reflect the FfM approach to mentoring.
Mentoring using the FfM approach provides schools with a versatile way of working that can be implemented with teachers at all career stages as part of their ongoing professional learning program. It recognises that professional teachers need access to quality mentoring conversations and partnered learning experiences for different reasons and at different points in their careers.
It is suitable for schools with a mentoring process in place and looking to enrich and enhance this work, as well as for schools at the beginning of their mentoring journeys.
While research has previously reported the need for a non-hierarchical approach for mutually beneficial mentoring, achieving this kind of partnership is challenging. FfM provides the practical support and tools needed to achieve this.
Regardless of experience, FfM seeks to build all teachers’ self-efficacy and mentoring capabilities (Beutel et al., 2017) to play an active role in the mentoring relationship.
References
Baehr, J. (2013). Educating for the intellectual virtues: From theory to practice. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 47(2), 248-262. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12023
Beutel, D., Crosswell, L., Willis, J., Spooner-Lane, R., Curtis, E., & Churchward, P. (2017). Preparing teachers to mentor beginning teachers: An Australian case study. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 6(3), 164-177. http://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-04-2017-0030.
Larsen, E., & Allen, J. M. (2021). Teachers as professional learners: Contextualising identity across policy and practice. Palgrave Macmillan. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65931-8
Larsen, E., Jensen-Clayton, C., Curtis, E., Loughland, T., & Nguyen, H. (2023). Re-imagining teacher mentoring for the future. Professional Development in Education, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2023.2178480
Nguyen, H. T. M. (2017). Model of mentoring in language teacher education. Springer.
Panizzon, D. (2018, September 3). Beginner teachers: Induction and mentoring. Teacher magazine. https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/beginner-teachers-induction-and-mentoring
Thomson, S., & Hillman, K. (2019). The Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018. Australian Report Volume 1: Teachers and School Leaders as Lifelong Learners. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). https://research.acer.edu.au/talis/6
What are some of the qualities you look for in a mentor? How do you ensure you’re getting the most out of the relationship with your mentor?
As a school leader, do you assess the success of mentoring relationships in your school? Do these relationships draw on the existing strengths of both mentors and mentees?
