Mentoring
Conversations
How to help your New Professional Growth and
Reflect
Mentoring Theory of
Action
Language of Support
• Use non-verbal body language (smile, nod, eye
contact)
• Let them know you hear them, understand and
care; ask clarifying questions if you are not sure
what you heard
• Allow them to reflect
• Identify success and challenges
• Help them think through alternative solutions to
challenges and concerns
Build Relationships and
Trust
• Get to know one-another
• Make connections
• Plan informal social gatherings
• Be sincere in your efforts to build a relationship
• Sharing
• Share what works based on your experience
• Learn from one another
Build Relationships and
Trust
• Check in
• How are things going?
• Try not to overwhelm the Mentee – pick one or
two areas to focus on for the year
• Offer help
• Collaborate
• Plan together
• Reflect Together
Mentoring Through
Questioning
• Ask open-ended questions to identify and
discuss issues to develop critical thinking skills
• What was one of your successes as a teacher in
the past week? Rather than “Did you have a
good week?”
• How do you know when your students are
learning? Rather than “do you think students
learned?”
• What is your greatest concerns right now?
Rather than “Is everything going well?”
Listening to your Mentee
• Refrain from talking too much
• Avoid distractions: cell phones, computers,
grading papers
• Give the Mentee time to finish their thought
• Concentrate on what is being said: actively focus
on what they are saying, their ideas, their feelings
(tone of voice reveals a lot!)
• Listen for what is NOT said. Challenging topics
will take more time and care to discuss
Paraphrasing
• Shows you care, you understand, you are
listening
• Which phrases work for you?
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What I hear you saying is….
From what I hear you say….
As I listen to you, I’m realizing that….
In other words….
One thing I’ve noticed is….
I see what you man when you say….
Clarifying
• Let me see if I understand….
• Tell me what you means when you say….
• So are you suggesting that….
• I’m intrigued by….
• Would you tell me a little more about….
• It would help me understand if you’d give me an
example of….
Questions
• Help with reflection, hypothesizing and
analysis
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What’s another way you might….
What sort of impact do you think….
How did you decide….
What do you think would happen if…..
How might that idea work in your classroom?
How will students demonstrate what they know
and are able to do?
Phrases that Encourage
• What do you see as your next steps?
• How do you think the lesson went and what
evidence do you have to support that?
• It will be interesting to see which of your ideas
work out the best….
• I’d be interested in hearing more about….
• Something I’ve seen other teachers do is….
Positive Language
• Fosters communication
• Where did you go wrong in your lesson
planning? I would have done it like this…
• This makes them feel there must be a problem,
they did something wrong, or they failed
• Instead – When you do this lesson again, what
will you do differently?
• This allows them to analyze the lesson,
empowered with a choice of what to do and
ownership of the changes.
Mentee Questions
• Some new teachers are uncomfortable asking
questions. Encourage them to ask questions.
• Try asking “What questions do you have?”
rather than “Do you have any questions?”
• Open ended!
Questions?