Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Contents
Preface
Background Materials - LR Mentors Pack (WEA NE Region) http://www.joinourrevolution.org.uk/images/stories/LR_Mentoring_Pack_New.PDF.pdf
Session Plans
Teaching and Learning Resource
Instruction Sheets
Handouts
Preface
This resource is intended to provide tutors with some helpful pointers to enable them to deliver this module. All timings and activities are only suggestions and can be adapted to meet the aims and objectives of the learners. This resource can be used as a stand alone module or combined with others that may be relevant.
The materials have been developed assuming that the learners have self identified themselves as being interested and motivated in becoming engaged in some form of peer mentoring. The aim of this course is to increase learners understanding of what peer mentoring involves and to support them to reflect and build upon their existing mentoring skills.
The resource is supported by background materials prepared by the WEA North east Region ‘The
Mentor’s handbook’. Contained within this resource there is an example of a set of lesson plans and associated teaching and learning resources, which can be adapted to suit the needs of learners. In developing the plans timings are based on an assumption of 9 learners. No break has been included in the plan – tutors should fit in a break or not as they see fit based upon their learners wishes and needs.
The lesson plans are supported by instruction sheets (indicated by IS in the lesson plan) and handouts
(indicated by HO in the lesson plan). The lesson plans are also supported by presentation slides in
PowerPoint format, the slides are referenced as PPS followed by their number within the instruction sheets and lesson plan.
The approach to learning taken within the resources is one of reflective learning ; seeking to encourage learners to identify and value their existing skills, reflect on their environment in the light of the learning opportunities presented on the course and consider future courses of action for themselves as active citizens. Tutors are encouraged to consider themselves as facilitating a process of learning
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring alongside the learners rather than delivering teaching materials which the learners are required to absorb.
Useful Organisations
Mentoring and Befriending Foundation, 1st Floor, Charles House, Albert Street, Eccles, Manchester,
M30 0PW, 0161 7878600, www.mandbf.org.uk
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Session plans
Course/Programme: Introduction to Peer Mentoring Tutor: No. on register:
Session Number: 1 of 2
Title of this session/topic:
Target Group: Learners who are interested and motivated to become
Peer mentors.
No. attending:
Date
Time
Aim(s): The aim of this course is to increase learners understanding of what peer mentoring involves and to support them to reflect and build upon their existing mentoring skills.
Learning Outcomes: Learning Outcomes – by the end of the course learners will be able to a) Define the role of peer mentor within their context b) Identify 3 key skills and 3 key values required by a peer mentor c) Identify what active listening is and why it is a valuable skill for a peer mentor d) Identify 3 key communication strategies to use in mentoring situations e) Give feedback to mentees f) Explain how to keep themselves safe as Mentors.
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Time Content
SESSION ONE
Tutor activity Learner activity Resources Assessment
00.15
00.35
01.15
01.50
02.30
Introduction
Ice Breaker – 21 questions
Introduce course, address housekeeping and administration
Introduce and take part in the exercise
What is a peer mentor Facilitate discussion, field feedback and give concluding presentation
Q & A, complete course paperwork
Move around the room asking and answering questions of their peers
Speak about their context in which they will be mentoring, small group discussion, plenary Q and A
Skills and values of a mentor
Facilitate and run exercise
Small group discussion considering and sorting the skills and values of a mentor.
IS1, HO1
Whole group discussion
Note taking
IS2, flip chart, flip chart stand, flip chart paper and pens, handout 2,
PPS 1
IS3 Resource
Header Cards (one for each group).
Skill Cards used in ice breaker exercise (one set for each group),
Values and qualities cards on handout 7 (one set for each group.)
Post it notes or similar and pens.
Group discussion, feedback from exercise
Plenary discussion and card sort.
Active Listening Presentation, lead Q and
A, quiz master
Observe presentation, develop guidelines, reflect
PPS 7 – 12 or printed copies.
Flip chart paper,
Answers to quiz.
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring on session, answer quiz. flip chart stand, flip chart pens.
SESSION TWO
00.10
Reflect on last session and introduce this one
00.50
01.30
Communication
Strategies – Non
Verbal
Communication
Communication
Strategies –
Questioning
Lead Group discussion
Q & A, facilitate small group exercise, manage feedback and take notes on flip chart, small presentation
Introduce exercise, facilitate group discussion, give presentation, lead structured Q and A
2.10
Problem Solving,
Action Planning and
Providing Feedback
Presentation, Q and A, introduce case study, manage feedback
02.20
Support for mentors and staying safe
Listen Q & A PPS 14 &15
Q and A, review images and develop good practice points, listen, take notes.
Drawing in pairs using questions, group Q and A
Listen, take notes, Q and A, case study exercise,
Prepare action plan
IS 5, PPS 7 -
12,16&17, The
Mentors
Handbook, flipchart stand, paper and pens
IS6, paper and pencil, flipchart stand, paper and pens. HO8-10,
PPS19, The
Mentors handbook
IS7, HO11-13,
PPS20-23, flipchart paper, flip chart pens, blue tack
Subsequent role plays
Structured Q and A
Case study work
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
02.30
Conclusion, evaluations and admin
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Instruction Sheets
This Section provides all the information tutors require to facilitate the exercises. In the lesson plan
Instruction Sheet has been shortened to IS.
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Activity objective
To help participants relax, participate and get to know each other and introduce the skills in volved in mentoring
Timing 21 Minutes
Getting Ready You will need: HO 1, as many envelopes as you have learners plus one for you as tutor.
Before the start you will need to cut up the skill cards on HO 1 and put each one in an envelope
What to do
5 Minutes Distribute the envelopes, one to each learner. Learners must not look insider their envelope.
Explain to the learners that their task is to learn which skill is inside their envelope by asking questions of others in the group. Others in the group can look inside their envelope but are only allowed to give yes or no answers to the questions asked. No learner can ask consecutive questions of the same learner. Each learner has 21 questions to find out which skill is in their envelope and before asking / answering each question they must introduce themselves.
10 Minutes Learners to circulate around the room doing exercise.
5 minutes Get learners to introduce themselves to the group and lead a brief discussion on why the skill they had is important to the role of a mentor.
Adaptations Tutors are welcome to use any ice breaker they feel happy with.
Link to Learning Outcome Identify 3 key skills and 3 key values required by a peer mentor
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Activity objective To get the learners to consider the role of the mentor in their context.
Timing 40 Minutes
Getting Ready You will need: flip chart, flip chart stand, flip chart paper and pens, handout 2- 5, PPS 1 -4, notes from 1.2 of the WEA mentor’s handbook.
What to do
10 minutes, each learner is asked to set the context for any mentoring they are considering doing. In particular ask the learners to explain the organisation, community or work place they are considering mentoring in.
10 minutes - Ask learners to work in pairs or threes. Their task is to discuss

What they think a mentor is

What they think a mentor does

How they think a mentor could operate in their context.
21 minutes take feedback from the group and conclude by showing PPS 2 to 6 (or handout 2 -6) – constantly challenging the learners about how the role fits into their context.
Adaptations If you are in the fortunate position to know the context of all the learners it would be possible and beneficial to tailor this section of the course directly to the context.
Notes. The role of the peer mentor can be limiting if we are too prescriptive at this stage. The presentation is sufficiently ambiguous to allow the tutor to be constantly asking the learners how the role fits into their context. Be overly prescriptive at this stage and some of the learners will turn of feeling that the role of the peer mentor is not right for their context.
Link to Learning Outcome Define the role of peer mentor within their context
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Activity objective – To get the learners to think about the skills, values and attitudes required by Mentors..
Timing 35 minutes
Getting Ready You will need – Resource Header Cards (appended to this instruction sheet), one for each group. Skill Cards used in ice breaker exercise (one set for each group), Values and qualities cards on handout 7 (these will need cutting up before the session) – one set for each group. Post it notes or similar and pens.
What to do
10 Minutes Explain that we will now be moving on to look at skills, values and attitudes relevant to the
Mentor role. For the purposes of this exercise it is not important to differentiate between the three. Split group into 4s or 5s. Distribute the Resource header cards (hold the not appropriate card back), blank paper and pens. Ask the groups to lay the header cards out on their table in sequential order. Explain that the group have 5 minutes to come up with as many skills, values and attitudes as they can think of that are appropriate to the role of a mentor. They must write each one down on a post it note and stick it with the stage of mentoring that they feel it applies to. If they feel a particular skill, attitude or value applies to all of them only write it once then place it at the stage they feel is most important but write ALL on the note as well.
10 minutes Stop the groups working and distribute the ‘not appropriate card’ – ask them to find a place for this on their table. Then distribute the cards from handout 7 and the skill cards from the ice breaker. Ask the group to supplement their own work with the cards provided, any they don’t think apply go under the not appropriate card. Once they have finished groups should decide which of the cards for each of the stages of the mentoring process they felt was most important and why.
15 minutes Lead a plenary discussion on which skills, attitudes and values the groups felt were the most important and why at each of the stages of Mentoring. The objective of the discussion is to encourage the learners to reflect on their own skills, values and attitudes in the light of their future mentoring practice.
Adaptations – depending on the context you could choose to supplement the cards with elements of knowledge and make this an exercise based on knowledge, skills and attitudes. That has not been done as a default because the course is designed only as an introduction and it is assumed that people will know very little about mentoring before attending the course.
Notes
Link to Learning Outcome Identify 3 key skills and 3 key values required by a peer mentor
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Header cards to go with IS3
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Activity objective For the learner to begin to consider the skills and disciplines involves in being a good listener, to introduce the concept of active listening.
Timing 35 Minutes
Getting Ready You will need: PPS 7 – 12 or enough sets of these slides printed off for one between 2 or
3. Flip chart paper, flip chart stand, flip chart pens.
What to do
15 minutes – Tell the learners that you are going to take a look at one of the key skills of a mentor – listening. Quickly show the group the slides, reading the captions out to them. Explain to the group that their task is to use the images to develop a set of Do’s and Do Nots of listening. Then go through each image with the whole group asking them to discuss it as a whole group – have the do’s and don’t written up on a flip chart
10 minutes - use PPS13 to introduce the concept of active listening and sell the benefits of active listening within the context of the mentor / mentee relationship. Check for understanding and invite questions throughout the presentation.
15 minutes. Quickly recap on the days learning. Ask each learner to share 2 things with the group that they have got or learned from the day (it can be frivolous). Make sure that you write down who said what on a sheet for your attention only. Once that is complete tell the learners about the details for the second session and close with a quiz based upon what the learners said they got out of the session - to test if they are good active listeners!
Adaptations
Notes
Link to Learning Outcome Identify 3 key communication strategies to use in mentoring situations
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Activity objective To appraise the learners of a range of communication strategies that are effective in the role of peer mentor
Timing 40 minutes
Getting Ready you will need – PPS 7 -12,16&17, The Mentors Handbook, flipchart stand, paper and pens
What to do
15 minutes Explain that the success of the mentor / mentee relationship will hinge upon the quality of the communication that takes place in the mentoring meeting. Show and talk through PPS 16 ‘Mentoring
Meeting’ using the notes on pages 6 and 7 of the Mentor’s handbook as your guide. Ask learners to to select which of the bullets on the slide should take up most time in the meeting – answer should be ‘work through agenda’.
5 minutes In pairs invite the learners to discuss the communication techniques they think a mentor might use during a mentoring meeting, each pair should try to come up with 3 differing techniques – display these on a flip chart. Explain that you have already looked at listening and that you are now going to look at Questioning skills and the use of Non Verbal Communication.
5 minutes . Show PPS 17 ask learners to take their own guess about the missing figures. Once they have done that reveal the figures and ask them what the implications are of this for mentors.
15 minutes - Either display slides 7 to 12 again or give out copies of the slides. In pairs or threes the group are required to describe the body language in the images and comment upon how appropriate they feel it would be for a mentoring meeting. Give learners 5 to 10 minutes to do that then take feedback capturing on flip chart all the examples of body language that would be appropriate for a mentoring meeting and where body language is judged not to be appropriate ask the learners to consider what body language would be. Conclude by showing slide 17 using section 2.2.4 of the mentors handbook as your guide
Adaptations
Notes
Link to Learning Outcome Identify what active listening is and why it is a valuable skill for a peer mentor and identify 3 key communication strategies to use in mentoring situations
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Activity objective To appraise the learners of a range of questioning techniques that can be used in their role as a peer mentor.
Timing 40 minutes
Getting Ready you will need – pencils and paper, flip chart stand, paper and pens, HO8 – 10, PPS19, The
Mentors Handbook.
What to do
5 minutes Split the group into pairs. Both have pencil and paper. One person has to draw the other person’s house. The only information they can use to do this is the answers to the questions they ask the other person. It is the other persons job to a) write down the questions they are asked and b) only answer the questions asked - don’t give additional information.
10 minutes pairs show drawings and comment on accuracy. Select the most and least accurate drawing and ask them to read out the questions asked. Write the questions on flip chart paper. Invite the learners to identify the differing types of question used (likely to get open and closed questions identified at this stage) - remind them they used closed questions in the ice breaker to the first session! . Discuss difference between open and closed questions using the notes in section 2.2.3 of The Mentors Handbook, then distribute HO 8. Which type of question is likely to be most useful as a mentor getting to know your mentee, diagnosing the issues for them and helping them come up with solutions.
5 minutes back into original pairs – repeat same exercise but swap roles - drawings should be improved because learners should be using open questions more. Share drawings.
15 minutes use PPS 19 or HO 9 to explain the differing forms of questions and how they contribute to the role of the mentor. Use the notes in The Mentors handbook (pp8 – 12) as your guide.
5 minutes split the group into 6, assign each of the groups a different form of question and distribute HO
10. The ‘open question’ group begin by interviewing you the tutor about one of your hobbies (you choose the subject for the interview), they pass the baton onto probing and so on until you get to summary.
Adaptations – if time allows learners can be paired up to do the final exercise allowing each learner to practice the differing forms of questions.
Notes
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Link to Learning Outcome Identify 3 key communication strategies to use in mentoring situations
Activity objective For learners to consider link their communication strategies to problem solving and action planning and providing feedback.
Timing 40 mins
Getting Ready You will need: PPS20, HO12
What to do
10 minutes – Show PPS 20 / HO12, explain to learners that the communication strategies taught (active listening, non verbal communication and questioning skills) are all designed to support this process.
10 minutes – split the group into groups of 3, give them the case study attached and ask them to write down (on piece of flip chart paper) an action for Conner that he can take away from the mentoring meeting to help him achieve his desired outcome of playing with his boys more.
10 minutes - Stick the actions up on the wall. Invite comments and suggested improvements – try to channel conversation into the quality of the way the action is written rather than what the action actually is. Introduce the concept of the SMART target using HO13 or PPS21. Ask learners to suggest how their action could become SMARTer
10 minutes – Ask learners to talk about their good and bad experiences of receiving feedback. Encourage them to talk about what could have been done better. Present PPS22 / HO11. Ask the learners to look again at the case study and prepare a ‘feedback sandwich for Conner.
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Link to Learning Outcome – Give feedback to Mentees
Case Study for IS7
Lee has been peer mentor for Conner for just a couple of weeks. They both attend a community centre together and they met at a group for fathers which is where the mentoring relationship sprang from. They have got to know one another really quite well now and both feel that their relationship is constructive and starting to lead somewhere. They are in the middle of their third mentoring meeting and have progressed through open, probing and reflexive questioning stages of their meeting. In response to Lee asking ‘How do you think you could do that differently?’ Conner replies
‘Like I said, it’s hard, I’m always under pressure from my mates to go out and I feel stupid to say no. They don’t have kids, they don’t understand what its like. It’s like I always feel that the pressure to go out with them is greater than the pressure to stay in and play with the boys. I know I should stay in and play with them, they are great kids and when I do play with them it is great. It’s just that pressure.
I’m determined to turn it round though. I just need to sort it out.’
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Activity objective For learners to reflect upon their own safety and need for support in their role
Timing 10 minutes
Getting Ready You will need:
What to do
5 minutes Ask learners to discuss as a whole group the risks a peer mentor might face – these should be listed on a flip chart (likely e.g. s abuse, disclosures from mentees, accident whist travelling to from meeting, developing over dependency, stress, lack of time to undertake role) .
5 minutes - Divide the group into pairs, give each pair one of the risks, their task is to consider, for their context a) how likely this risk is to be realised b) what action can be taken to prevent it occurring to you c) who can help support you in your role as mentor.
5 minutes - take group feedback on this exercise.
Link to Learning Outcome – Explain how to keep themselves safe as Mentors.
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 1
Listen Carefully
Tolerate
Difference
Empathise
Put People at their ease
Action Plan
Share
Experiences
Review
Progress
Manage
Meetings
Read and use
Non Verbal
Communication
Problem Solve
Give and
Receive
Feedback
Record Keeping
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Challenge and
Confront
Set and
Maintain
Boundaries
Manage Time
Well
Use a variety of
Questioning
Styles
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 2
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout3
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 4
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 5
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 6
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 7 Attitudes and Qualities of a Mentor
Being reliable
Liking to meet new people
Being laid back
Always being full of ideas
Being competitive
Being questioning
Being judgemental
Willing to gain new knowledge and skills
Being knowledgea ble
Valuing and respecting others
Valuing myself
Being an optimist
Being goodtempered
Being a pessimist
Being Being fair committed and reasonable everyone has a not a threat to me

Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 8
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 9
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Open Probing
Comparison
Reflexive
Hypothetical
Summary
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 10
Type of Question
Open Questions
Probing Questions
Summary
Reflexive
Comparison
Hypothetical
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Purpose of Question
To gather information
To explore and clarify generally
To obtain confirmation
Examples
Who, What, When, Where, How…..
How do you mean….?
What makes you say that?
Explain in more detail please?
Tell me some more…..?
As I understand it ….?
So what you are saying is….?
Can I check I have got this right…?
To further explore thoughts and feelings and problem solve
What do you think should be done…?
How do you feel about?
What are your views on?
To check alternatives How is that different to…..?
Is that the same as?
Have you considered it from this perspective….?
To consider potential consequences of an action
What would happen if……?
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
What would you do if….?
Have you considered ….?
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout11
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
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Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Handout 12
I
D
E
A
L ook back and learn
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