Mentors contribute to the health of the school environment...
- effective use of mentors in school environments can be an integral part of the success of the school community. (Bryan, 2005).
- collaboration with community members outside the local school environment requires that educators and schools articulate a clear vision, purpose and outcomes, ensuring time is spent defining these clearly (Bryan, 2005).
- by engaging mentors, teachers provide a differentiated learning experience for learners, and engage experts who can contribute to deeper understanding of a wider range of topics. (Bryan, 2005).
- involvement of mentors in schools helps decrease the systemic barriers that some students face by exposing them to skills, activities and community organizations.
Mentors contribute to individual student well being and success ...
Application to problem of practice...
We will intentionally apply the research to the meaningful use of mentors to help our learners build Professional Learning Networks and engage in academic, emotional and social growth. By using the UDL framework for differentiated engagement with learning, environment and assessment, we are intentionally providing our learners with every opportunity to develop competencies required to become lifelong learners. Because of our mentor engagement, our learners will have the opportunity to explore a range of interests that can help them foster areas strength and confidence in their abilities. The mentors in our learning community will expand the education of our learners outside the boundaries of the school, ensuring we are contributing to the overall health of the community. Skills and areas of interest not covered in the curriculum can be accessed and fostered by engaging members of the community and experts
- the involvement of mentors in schools helps decrease the systemic barriers that some students face by exposing them to skills, activities and community organizations (Kelly, 1998)
- youth thrive when they have exposure to role models in areas of interest similar to their own, especially if they lack the exposure outside their school environment (Kelly, 1998)
- because mentors tend to be those who care deeply about the health and well being of youth, they develop meaningful relationships with the learners with whom they work (Hamilton & Shaver, 2005)
- mentors will tend to support the learner in areas beyond the immediately defined task (Erickson, McDonald & Elder, 2009)
- mentors often nurture the development of appropriate social skills, academic achievement and positive relationships with parents. Ideally, mentors serve in both 'complimentary and compensatory support' roles (Erickson et al. 2009)
- learners who experience activities and interests outside of school can engage mentors as complimentary resources, while those who lack outside resources and benefit from guidance and exposure to goal setting, expanding their PLN and guidance in the value of education use mentors as compensatory resources (Blum and Libbey, 2004)
Application to problem of practice...
We will intentionally apply the research to the meaningful use of mentors to help our learners build Professional Learning Networks and engage in academic, emotional and social growth. By using the UDL framework for differentiated engagement with learning, environment and assessment, we are intentionally providing our learners with every opportunity to develop competencies required to become lifelong learners. Because of our mentor engagement, our learners will have the opportunity to explore a range of interests that can help them foster areas strength and confidence in their abilities. The mentors in our learning community will expand the education of our learners outside the boundaries of the school, ensuring we are contributing to the overall health of the community. Skills and areas of interest not covered in the curriculum can be accessed and fostered by engaging members of the community and experts
contributing author: Kathryn Crawford