Alumni Mentoring

Connection

Sower with Setting Sun, Vincent van Gogh

Leveraging learning

The CoP initiative brings together a network of aspiring school teachers of English (mentors) and double-degree students as teacher-learners (mentees), under the guidance of four university teachers (coordinators).

Workshop

The mentors are required to attend a 3–hour workshop which equips them with advising knowledge, skills and attitude in preparation for mentorship roles. The preparations focus on mentor functions, mentor competence, mentoring approaches, developmental activities, feedback delivery, relationship phases, rapport management and boundary maintenance, as well as other ethical concerns. Case studies based on authentic vignettes and mentor-mentee dialogues are drawn on for discussion. Simulated tasks (e.g. role-plays) with a focus on relational and communication skills are employed for self-awareness. Advice on managing problematic mentorships is also offered.

A Guide to Good Mentoring

Mentoring Workshop PowerPoint

(Tuesday 6 February 2018)

Briefing

The mentors and mentees are required to attend a 2–hour briefing where they establish initial contact and voluntarily enter an advising relationship through an alumni network. The initial meeting focuses on role expectations, intended outcomes, goal clarification, the frequency of contact, and the duration of relationships. The mentor and mentee set forth a personalised plan with substantive developmental activities according to the mentee’s developmental and psychosocial needs.

A Brief for Mentors & Mentees PowerPoint

(Tuesday 6 February 2018)

Lists of Mentors & Mentees (Semester 2, AY2017-2018)

Lists of Mentors & Mentees (Semester 1, AY2018-2019)

Consultations

The double-degree students may be involved in after-school English teaching, service learning or teaching practicum. The star teachers are prepared to serve as mentors to a small group of double-degree students through advising them on ELT matters, or, rather, through instilling good teaching habits and practices, over two to three semesters.

The mentors and mentees meet over six to nine consultations evenly spread across two to three semesters; three 1–hour advising sessions per semester are recommended. The focus of each consultation varies, depending on the relationship phases, as well as the concerns and needs of individual mentees that arise from their after-school English teaching, service learning or teaching practicum. Topics of interest could range from curricular and pedagogical issues, to classroom management, and to the philosophy of education, the psychology of education, as well as the sociology of education.

The consultations may be held face-to-face, via Skype, or through other channels of communication as the participants consider appropriate. The mentors are expected to keep log entries (after each consultation) as records. Each mentee is required to fill in a feedback form (after each designated semester) for monitoring and evaluation purposes.

Selected reflective accounts will be available from on this website for sharing and enabling dialogue within the CoP.

Resources