Mentoring at School - how and why?
Student mentoring can be done in two ways:
1. Peer-to-peer mentoring at school
2. Traditional mentor-mentee relationship outside of school
Both of these methods have their benefits and can be used in different situations.
Peer-to-peer mentoring can easily be arranged within the school itself. Students can be assigned mentor based on strengths that they possess, or a student can ask to be a mentee if there is an area that they would like to develop. For example, a student who is excellent in math could mentor a student who needs improvement in math. The ultimate goal of this program is to help the mentee develop in an area that they are struggling.
Traditional mentoring relationships can be arranged by the school or individual students/their parents, matching mentors who are part of a volunteer organization. These volunteer mentors would typically be older than the students, and can provide coaching, support and guidance through academic, financial and social issues related to life-skills required during and after school.
Mentoring Up:
A third type of mentoring at school can be categorized as "mentoring up". Mentoring up describes a relationship between student and teacher, where the student actually mentors the teacher on a subject that the student has more knowledge on. An example of this type of mentoring is when students "teach" teachers on how to use advanced technologies, such as tablets, smartphones, online tools, etc... A skill that students have usually mastered and that some teachers can struggle with.
Why mentor at school?:
Mentoring relationships are usually designed to benefit the mentee by developing a skill or skills that the mentee lacks. Arranging mentoring relationships can help a student learn from someone who is an "expert" or is more knowledgeable than them on a certain subject. In addition, mentors also encourage and give support to the mentee, often increasing their self-belief that they can succeed. Although these relationships are designed to benefit the mentee, they can often be reciprocal, with the mentor learning from the mentee as well.
1. Peer-to-peer mentoring at school
2. Traditional mentor-mentee relationship outside of school
Both of these methods have their benefits and can be used in different situations.
Peer-to-peer mentoring can easily be arranged within the school itself. Students can be assigned mentor based on strengths that they possess, or a student can ask to be a mentee if there is an area that they would like to develop. For example, a student who is excellent in math could mentor a student who needs improvement in math. The ultimate goal of this program is to help the mentee develop in an area that they are struggling.
Traditional mentoring relationships can be arranged by the school or individual students/their parents, matching mentors who are part of a volunteer organization. These volunteer mentors would typically be older than the students, and can provide coaching, support and guidance through academic, financial and social issues related to life-skills required during and after school.
Mentoring Up:
A third type of mentoring at school can be categorized as "mentoring up". Mentoring up describes a relationship between student and teacher, where the student actually mentors the teacher on a subject that the student has more knowledge on. An example of this type of mentoring is when students "teach" teachers on how to use advanced technologies, such as tablets, smartphones, online tools, etc... A skill that students have usually mastered and that some teachers can struggle with.
Why mentor at school?:
Mentoring relationships are usually designed to benefit the mentee by developing a skill or skills that the mentee lacks. Arranging mentoring relationships can help a student learn from someone who is an "expert" or is more knowledgeable than them on a certain subject. In addition, mentors also encourage and give support to the mentee, often increasing their self-belief that they can succeed. Although these relationships are designed to benefit the mentee, they can often be reciprocal, with the mentor learning from the mentee as well.