North Shropshire Action Research Report
July 2009
Title
Developing Mentoring for Teachers involved in Adult Learning in the Voluntary
and Community Sector in North Shropshire: an action research project
Keywords
Shropshire
Voluntary
Community
Mentoring
Teaching
Summary
The focus of this project was to investigate the experiences and support needs of
voluntary and community sector (VCS) teacher mentors in North Shropshire.
There were two stages to the project.
In stage one, consultation concerning processes and protocols for mentoring was
carried out. Seven mentors were recruited; four were matched with mentees.
Documentation for the mentoring process was produced.
An infrastructure to support mentoring activity was indicated.
In stage two, a review of stage one was carried out. Telephone interviews were
conducted and information about the views of the mentors regarding structures to
support mentoring and good practice in mentoring was gathered.
The lack of an overarching infrastructure to oversee teaching issues in the sector
and the fragility of some VCS organizations was problematic for the development
of mentoring structures. Structures needed to be set up and linked to a credible
organization or consortium; resources should be allocated. Short term funding
was counter productive to mentoring which should be an entitlement.
Standardization and monitoring were necessary to ensure the quality of
mentoring. A register of approved mentors should be set up.
Mentoring should include developmental and non-graded observation of teaching
and learning. Mentors should be seen as critical friends and support practitioners
rather than work for managers.
Context
The mentors had originally been recruited by North Shropshire Voluntary Action
(NSVA). NSVA was a voluntary and community sector organization which aimed
to develop a network of community and voluntary groups to share information
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and facilitate communication. The project was to be delivered in the Voluntary
and Community Sector.
In stage one, mentors were recruited from the Shropshire Teacher Support
Network. The mentors were to support those who were undertaking, or who had
completed, the Preparation to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS)
programme or the Certificate to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (CTLLS)
programme. The support included carrying out observations of mentees where
appropriate. Seven mentors had previously completed the first day of a three day
Observation of Teaching and Learning programme. Mentors had initial training
and some further support. It was intended that mentors should provide case
studies and contribute to monitoring and evaluation processes. Links were made
with the local Adult and Community Learning Service.
Before the project could be completed and before data had been gathered,
NSVA, the lead body, ceased to trade. This meant that the project could not
continue to operate according to the original design. WMCETT took over the
administration of the project at this stage and new objectives were set.
Telephone interviews were carried out with the mentors.
Aims and objectives
Aims: The aim of the project was to pilot mentoring support for teachers and
trainers in the VCS in North Shropshire.
Objectives for Stage One:
The objectives set by NSVA were to:
pilot mentoring for teachers in the VCS in North Shropshire to establish the
volume of need and appropriate methods of delivery and to develop a model for
funding for the future;
enable access to mentoring for teachers having achieved or undertaking a
PTLLS programme to improve their teaching;
establish mechanisms for operating the service and recruiting and matching
mentees with mentors;
train and support mentors in the VCS to support teachers in the sector.
Strategy for Stage One
NSVA led on the project in conjunction with a consultant. Mentors were recruited
from the Shropshire Teacher Support Network. Mentees were identified through
the same Network and from a current PTLLS cohort. Four mentors and mentees
were matched according to specialism and area of need.
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At the start of the project, a development meeting was held for the mentors
recruited. Consultation concerning the processes and protocols for the
development of mentoring support for VCS teachers was carried out. Following
consultation with mentors, extensive documentation to support the mentoring
process was developed and four mentors were matched with mentees.
Outcomes and Impact of Stage One
Seven mentors were recruited and four were matched with mentees.
Documentation was produced to support the mentoring process.
There was recognition that structures were required to support the network of
teachers and mentors and the mentoring process prior to mentoring activity
taking place.
The objectives were revised for stage two of the project.
Aspects of the project were extended through further funding and support by
Shropshire Adult and Community Learning Service.
Objectives for Stage Two
The objectives set for stage two were to:
investigate the mentoring experiences of the mentors recruited in stage one, both
prior to and within the project, to further develop good practice in mentoring in
the VCS;
identify structures to support mentoring activity.
Strategy for Stage Two
A review of stage one was carried out. Information needed to be gathered about
the views and experiences of the mentors to inform future planning. Due to time
and geographical constraints it was decided to use telephone interviews.
A semi-structured schedule of questions was drawn up to gather information from
the mentors (see appendix 1).
An email was sent to all mentors to explain the situation which had brought about
the change in administration of the project and this included the schedule of
questions. A choice of times was given when the interviewers could telephone
the mentors on a line of the mentors‟ choice.
Telephone interviews were conducted with seven mentors. Two interviewers
carried out the interviews; both had been involved in the design of the schedule.
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Although the sample of mentors was small, the data collected was qualitative and
detailed.
However, time was limited due to the issues which arose in stage one. This
meant that, although the question schedule was designed by both interviewers,
there was no time to meet to discuss the approach to administering the schedule
and recording the responses. The interviewers conducted the interviews
differently with one following a prescribed order of topics and the other using a
more flexible approach. The information gathered was, therefore, more difficult to
evaluate. It was not felt that this compromised the validity of the information as
both interviewers were experienced in conducting interviews and covered the
same topics relevant to the investigation. The information gathered was
qualitative and, due to time constraints, no other method of enquiry was used;
this needs to be taken into consideration when extrapolating information.
The methods used for gathering information would need to be reviewed if a
greater number of interviews were to be carried out.
Outcomes of Stage Two
The findings from the interviews (see appendix 2) can be categorized under the
headings of experiences of mentoring and the structures required to support
mentoring in the VCS. Views about good practice in mentoring were gathered
and a number of issues concerning mentoring processes and structures were
identified; these would need to be considered and addressed before mentoring in
the voluntary and community sector could be further developed and firmly
established.
Experiences of mentoring
The teaching experience of the mentors was varied from fairly new to teaching to
many years of experience across subjects and in different sectors. The
experiences of mentoring were also varied. Most mentors had been mentored
previously. Some had substantial experience of mentoring others. Most mentors
cited the wish to help others to enhance their performance and become more
effective practitioners. There was felt to be a need to raise the profile of
mentoring in general. The importance of mentoring for new teachers and
teachers new to a specific subject were identified. One mentor quoted a mentee
as saying, “It was a relief to know that there was someone to call on to mentor
me through the process when I needed it”. There was seen to be a shortage of
mentors and this was problematic for the sector.
Experiences of mentoring others was varied with some feeling that many VCS
organizations did not see the relevance of it nor did they understand what it
involved. There could be confusion between mentoring and supervision.
Sufficient resource was not always allocated to the process. Time allocated for
mentoring episodes needed to be responsive to the needs of mentees.
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The benefit in having a mentor from another organization but within the same
area of expertise was stressed.
Not all the mentors had been allocated a mentee or had carried out any
mentoring within the project. The mentors who were currently mentoring felt that
the relationship they had developed with the mentee was good. However, there
was no infrastructure to assist this. One mentor was no longer mentoring her
original mentee and had been asked to mentor another. She had some concerns
about the consistency of mentorship provision and, in particular, how relevant
and useful information would be passed on to a new mentor. A procedural
system with relevant documentation was felt to be needed. Action planning with
regular reviews should be established.
One mentee had won an award for her work as a volunteer and felt that the
confidence she had developed through being mentored had enabled her to
achieve the award.
The mentors identified a number of skills which were seen to be necessary for
good mentoring in the sector. Effective mentors required good organization,
observation, listening, communication and people skills. They also needed
knowledge of both teaching and learning and the VCS. Being able to provide
constructive feedback and encourage independent thinking skills was essential.
Mentors also needed to understand boundaries.
It was suggested that a variety of modes of contact including face-to-face, email
and telephone could be used although face-to-face was preferred by most
mentors.
The observation of teaching and learning was seen as an essential part of the
mentoring process by most mentors. Two mentors, however, had more formal
experiences of observation through Learning and Skills Council funded provision.
They questioned where observation should sit within mentoring relationships.
Experiences of graded observation practices for self-assessment and inspection
purposes meant that observation was seen as judgmental rather than
developmental and this appeared to contradict views about mentoring as a
supportive and developmental process. It was felt that there could be serious
implications for the way observation of teaching and learning was viewed if
grading was introduced. One mentor commented that:
“Observation would not necessarily be seen as supportive, if mentees have
experienced quality assurance observation, and not developmental observation
at some point in their lives”.
Mentors from organizations which were not LSC funded felt that the mentor
should be a critical friend and, for them, observation of teaching and learning was
seen as crucial in assisting mentees to develop their teaching skills. Training in
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giving constructive feedback was seen as of considerable benefit to the
mentoring process.
A number of issues concerning manager and practitioner relationships were felt
to affect the development of good mentoring in the voluntary and community
sector. All the mentors felt that managers and practitioners alike were affected by
time pressures and the multiple roles they had to perform. This, combined with
the diversity of the sector, short term funding and the lack of overarching
infrastructures had adversely impacted on the development of mentoring
structures, processes and protocols in the sector. Professional development was
often sidelined because of other priorities
One mentor suggested that managers sometimes viewed mentoring as a sign of
weakness. This could lead to staff not wanting managers to know if they were
mentored.
There was a small pool of people to act as mentors and it was felt that external
mentoring better facilitated the widening of perspectives through a process of
cross fertilization of ideas.
All mentors thought that managers needed to be aware of the benefits mentoring
had for staff and organizations. Most mentors felt that some managers needed to
attend mentoring workshops as part of their continuous professional
development to help them to understand that mentoring could improve staff
performance and enable an organization to be more effective and efficient.
Those new to teaching needed most support. Effective mentoring raised
confidence levels and this helped to promote independence of practice.
By and large, mentoring was seen as enabling and empowering. However, one
mentor suggested that organizations used their resources differently and some
could try to manipulate a situation for the benefit of the organization. The role of
the mentor might be seen as „gap-filling‟ as a head of organization might use
mentoring funding to increase resources and capacity. Staff might not benefit as
much as they should.
The perception of the mentee was also important. If the mentee did not have
sufficient resources to teach, the mentor‟s role would be affected.
One mentor who was a moderator felt that tutors and internal verifiers might want
aspects of mentoring interaction and observations included in reports for
managers. If mentors were to be critical friends, it would be important that they
were not seen to be working for the management of an organization.
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The processes and structures required to develop mentoring in the VCS
All mentors felt that a lack of an overarching infrastructure to oversee teaching
issues in the sector and the fragility of some VCS organizations was problematic
for the development of mentoring structures. Two mentors suggested that many
voluntary and community organizations (VCOs) were accustomed to operating
independently and, at times, competitively but were too small to develop
mentoring processes. Partnership working and the sharing of resources would be
essential in helping to embed mentoring within organizations. Structures to
enable this needed to be put in place.
All mentors thought that a support network for mentors should be established
and this should offer training and development and be linked to a credible
organization or consortium. Two mentors felt that accreditation should be
available. All mentors felt that mentoring should be an entitlement and not be
construed as a sign of weakness. All mentors felt that standardization and
monitoring of the mentoring process would help to ensure the quality of
mentoring.
There would be a need for constant updating of information. Sharing of good
practice would be helpful. Peer support groups or networks would be of benefit.
Recognition was needed within organizations of the benefits of mentoring. One
mentor, however, felt that the VCS in general, did not understand the role of the
mentor and, therefore, did not see the need for mentorship training. Another
suggested that mentoring often happened in the sector but was informally
arranged. Some organizations did not have the capacity to prioritize the training
of mentors with the result that staff were not easily able to access this.
It was felt that some managers and teachers in the VCS did not see the work
they did as training. One mentor felt that they, “Just show people how to do
things.” It was difficult, therefore, to convince some staff that initial teacher
training would be relevant; managers did not always feel that funding should be
made available for teacher training and the mentoring to support this. It was
suggested that mentoring should be linked to the general professionalization of
the sector to help to raise its profile and establish standards; this would attract
further funding.
There are issues concerning resources especially relating to short term funding
in the VCS. One mentor stated that, “looking for funding for a mentor “ depended
on whether “ the current funder likes or understands the idea of mentoring”.
All mentors wanted a network of teachers and a register of mentors but most
were concerned that this would be difficult to sustain. There were issues around
the capacity of the sector to support mentoring structures when funding was low.
It was suggested by one mentor that the sector might try to substitute mentoring
for other elements simply to attract funding without considering the criteria they
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would need to meet. This could lead to future losses of essential provision if the
funding were to be withdrawn because criteria had not been met. It was also felt
that some organizations did not promote teacher training as desirable but as, “a
hurdle for getting funding”.
Additionally, a system for mentoring would need a clear brief and effective
publicity and marketing. One mentor suggested that the term project was seen
as problematic to sustainability as this implied that funding would be additional
and short term resulting in wariness in the sector. Mentoring structures and
processes would take some time to set up.
Lessons Learned
Mentoring should be part of the overall professionalization of the VCS.
The VCS lacks the necessary infrastructure to develop and support mentoring;
this needs to be addressed before mentoring processes can be developed.
Managers need to be aware of the benefits of mentoring for their organizations.
Mentors should be „critical friends‟ and not be required to report details of
mentorship interaction to managers.
The VCS values the observation of teaching and learning as part of the
mentorship process but this needs to be developmental and non judgemental.
Short term funding severely inhibits the development of mentorship structures
and processes.
Next steps
Funding should be identified to enable mentoring structures to be set up and
appropriate models for mentoring and training of personnel to be trialled for
future implementation across the sector.
Contact details:
Margaret Hunter
Priority Area Co-ordinator (VCS)
WMCETT
Centre for Lifelong Learning
The University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 7AL
Email: margarethunter@warwick.ac.uk
Tel: 079 2053 1143
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Appendix 1
Interview Topics
1. Your interest in mentoring
2. Your role with regard to teaching
3. Your views about how mentoring might support both practitioners and
managers in the voluntary and community sector and your interest in the project
4. Your experiences of mentoring within the project (if you have had a chance to
do this). What went well and any issues that may have arisen.
5. Any experiences you might have had of being mentored yourself – what went
well and any issues that may have arisen.
6. Your views about the particular skills required for mentoring in the sector and
any development needs you feel you may have.
7. The mentoring needs development needs of managers.
8. The structures you feel are needed to support mentoring in the voluntary
sector in the future, including network activity.
9. Any other feedback you feel may be useful for the project or for building on the
pilot in the future.
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Appendix 2
North Shropshire Action Research Project
Analysis of Interview Responses
1. Your interest in mentoring
Six mentors felt that personal experience of the benefits of being mentored
themselves had influenced their decision to be a mentor; one of these had
substantial experience of mentoring others whilst another had formal mentoring
qualifications. One mentor had not been involved in mentoring previously either
as a mentor or as a mentee. Four mentors cited the wish to help others to
enhance their performance and become more effective practitioners. All mentors
felt that thee was a need to raise the profile of mentoring in general. The
importance of mentoring for new teachers and teachers new to a specific subject
was identified. One mentor said that she would have appreciated the opportunity
to be mentored when she started teaching.
All mentors felt that there was a shortage of mentors in the sector and that this
was problematic.
2. Your role with regard to teaching
The roles of the mentors with regard to teaching was varied.
This included:
design and delivery
commissioning
identifying and applying for funding
managing volunteers
being responsible for accreditation processes
quality assurance
supervision of tutors
developing portfolios
staff development.
Programmes taught included:
food hygiene
induction of new staff and volunteers
health and safety
safeguarding children
child protection
parenting (including for young offenders)
basic cooking and nutrition
behaviour management
child safety.
supporting employment
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3. Your views about how mentoring might support both practitioners and
managers in the voluntary and community sector and your interest in the
project
There was felt to be a number of issues affecting the development of mentoring
in the voluntary and community sector. All mentors felt that managers and
practitioners alike were affected by time pressure and the multiple roles they had
to perform. This combined with the diversity of the sector, time limited funding
and the lack of overarching infrastructures had adversely impacted on the
development of mentoring structures, processes and protocols in the sector;
personal development was often sidelined because of other priorities.
One mentor stated that mentoring often happened in the sector but that this was
arranged informally. It was felt that training would improve the quality of
mentoring.
All mentors felt that mentoring was not seen as a priority by managers in the
sector with one commenting that managers sometimes viewed mentoring as a
sign of weakness. All mentors felt mentoring should be carried out anonymously
if preferred.
There was a small pool of people to act as mentors and it was felt that external
mentoring better facilitated the widening of perspectives through a process of
cross fertilization of ideas. All mentors interviewed wanted mentorship to be
carried out by a „critical friend‟. Observation of peers was seen to be part of this
process.
It was felt that those new to teaching needed most support. Mentorship raised
confidence levels and this helped to promote independence of practice.
Mentorship was seen as enabling and empowering. It was felt that managers
needed to be aware that mentoring could help staff to perform to their potential
and raise the effectiveness and efficiency of their organization.
4. Your experiences of mentoring within the project (if you have had a
chance to do this). What went well and any issues that may have arisen.
This varied between individuals. Two mentors were currently mentoring within
their own organization. One mentor was currently mentoring external mentees. A
further mentor was about to start mentoring for the first time whilst another was to
start mentoring a second mentee. Two further mentors had been allocated
mentees but had been unable to arrange times for mentoring activity. One of
these felt that the mentee would make time for mentoring when he realised that
he needed teaching qualifications.
One mentee had won an award for her work as a volunteer and felt that the
confidence she had developed through being mentored had enabled her to
achieve the award. Another mentee had been encouraged to register for a
PTLLS programme.
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All mentors who were currently mentoring felt that the relationship they had
developed with the mentee was good. However, there was no infrastructure to
assist this. One mentor was no longer mentoring her original mentee and had
been asked to mentor another. She had some concerns about the consistency of
mentorship provision and, in particular, how relevant and useful information
would be passed on to a new mentor.
5. Any experiences you might have had of being mentored yourself – what
went well and any issues that may have arisen.
Five mentors had previously been mentored themselves. Three mentors cited
good experiences as being a contributory factor in their interest in mentoring
whilst another felt that the mentoring received had been rushed and the mentor
ill informed about needs; there had not been sufficient resource allocated to the
process. One, however had had both positive and negative experiences and felt
that these had enabled her to develop an understanding of how, and how not, to
mentor. One of those who had been mentored previously had twice been
mentored by someone within her own organization and felt that there might have
been greater benefit in having a mentor from another organization but within the
same area of expertise.
6. Your views about the particular skills required for mentoring in the
sector and any development needs you feel you may have.
A variety of skills were identified including:
good people skills
ability to provide constructive feedback
enabling good professional relationships and relate effectively to people
encouragement of independent thinking skills
good listening skills
good communication skills
ability to see the wider picture
experience of sector
experience of subject taught
good organizational skills
reliability
understanding boundaries
counselling type skills
soft skills
observation skills
clear thinking
experience of teaching and studying
Two mentors would like to undertake mentoring training. All mentors felt that
observation of teaching and learning training would be useful and, in particular,
giving constructive feedback.
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7. The mentoring development needs of managers.
All mentors felt that managers needed to be made aware of the value of
mentoring and the benefits mentoring would bring to staff and organization.
Mentoring would improve efficiency of organizations and help to develop a better
product. Five mentors wanted managers to receive mentoring awareness
training. It was suggested that mentorship awareness workshops could be run
and that these should be part of managers‟ continuous professional
development.
8. The structures you feel are needed to support mentoring in the voluntary
sector in the future.
All mentors felt that there was currently no infrastructure that could incorporate a
mentoring system. Concerns were expressed about the sector being unable to
support mentoring structures especially when funding levels were low. One
mentor stated that mentoring could be seen as a lever to bring in funding even
when if would be difficult to meet essential criteria and this might lead to the
diverting of existing resources.
All mentors felt that the current number of mentors should be increased and that
there should be a register of mentors. Recognition was needed within
organizations of the benefits of mentoring. Resources could be shared. Two
mentors stated, however, that the large number of small organizations working
competitively for funding was problematic to developing partnerships in
mentoring.
All mentors felt that a support network for teachers and mentors including a
register of mentors should be established and this should offer training and
development and be linked to a credible organization. However, five mentors felt
that a network would be hard to sustain.
Two mentors suggested that accreditation should be available to help to
incorporate mentoring into the general professionalization of the sector. Sharing
of good practice would be necessary. All mentors felt that standardization and
monitoring of practice would be essential.
Observation of teaching and learning was seen by all mentors as a crucial aspect
of mentoring and that training for this was essential; the model adopted should
be that of the critical friend.
There would be a need for constant updating of information. One mentor thought
that events could be held with key speakers invited.
It was suggested that the development of mentoring would require a clear brief
and effective publicity and marketing.
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Five mentors suggested that structures put in place should allow for different
modes of contact including face-to-face, email and telephone.
9. Any other feedback you feel may be useful for the project or for building
on the pilot in the future.
There needs to be linkage to the general professionalization of the sector; this
would help to attract funding.
Mentorship will help to promote a good image of organizations in a competitive
sector.
There is a need to develop capacity through partnerships and not be competitive
only.
The ambassador role is important and good relationships need to be developed.
Teacher training should be promoted.
All experiences of mentoring need to be captured.
A reporting process should be established.
Confidentiality of data is important.
Time allocated for mentoring episodes needs to be responsive to mentoring
needs.
There should not be a culture of dependency created.
Action planning with regular reviews should be established.
One mentor quoted a mentee as saying,
“It was a relief to know that there was someone to call on to mentor me through
the process when I needed it”.
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