Institutional Support:
Achieving Instructor
Success through Mentoring
Deanna Tovar
Dean, European & Latin American Language School
Institutional Support: Achieving
Instructor Success through Mentoring
When asked to contemplate relationships
that have made a difference in our livesrelationships that have given us the courage
to do the things we think we cannot do,
relationships that have guided our professional development
or even changed the course of our livesmany of us think of mentoring relationships.
Ragins & Kram (2007)
Agenda
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What is a Mentor?
Origin of the word “Mentor”
Your experiences with Mentoring
Mentoring program Goals & Objectives
What are the Characteristics of a Good Mentor?
Mentor Selection
Mentor Roles & Responsibilities
What are the challenges we face in implementing a
Mentoring program?
•  Program Oversight & Assessment
•  Questions/Discussion
Mentoring Program
What is your definition of
a Mentor?
Mentoring Program
•  Mentor
–  Comes from Homer’s Odyssey, Mentor was
chosen to educate and support Odysseus’s
son Telemachus when Odysseus departed for
the Trojan war
(Villani, 2002)
Mentoring Program
•  Mentor
- Shared wisdom ,
- Promoted Telemachus’s career, and
- Engaged him in a personal relationship.
Mentoring Program
‧Today, the term Mentor
–  Means wise and trusted friend
–  Role includes: teacher, supporter, guide,
protector, sponsor
Mentoring Program
•  Mentoring is more than a fad.
•  It is a well-researched helping relationship.
(Johnson & Ridley, 2004)
Mentoring
What have your experiences
been with mentoring?
Mentor Program
8 Objectives & Goals
1.  Provide one-on-one support for new
teachers, prevent teacher isolation
2.  Provide a collaborative support network
3.  Support teacher morale and collegiality
4.  Improve new teacher’s skills and
performance
Mentor Program
8 Objectives & Goals
5. Build self-reflection
6. Maximize student achievement
7. Retain quality teachers
8. Build sense of professionalism and
positive attitude
Guidelines for Mentor Teacher programs… (2000)
Mentoring is not
•  “Supervisorial in nature.
•  In the professional development of
teachers, mentors should not serve the
supervisorial function of evaluation on
behalf of the management of a school or
program.”
(Bailey, Curtis, & Nunan, 2001, p. 207)
Characteristics of a Good Mentor
•  What are the characteristics of a good
Mentor?
Characteristics of a Good Mentor
•  A good Mentor is someone who is…
–  Easy to approach
–  Good at their own job
–  Caring, open, facilitative
–  Gives constructive, positive feedback
Characteristics of a Good Mentor
•  A good Mentor is someone who …
- Stays neutral
- Is good at his/her own job
- Actively questions mentee/protégé
- Provides subtle guidance but ensures
mentee makes the decisions
Mentor Selection
•  Options:
- Mentors select Mentees/protégés
(making a good “match”)
- Protégés/mentees select Mentors
Mentor Selection
- At DLI, Department Chairs appoint mentors
(mentoring is a voluntary role for
experienced teachers)
•  Mentor Selection (using 360-degree* criteria)
* Excellent teacher evaluations (Department Chair’s
appraisals and student ratings), positive classroom
observations, well-respected by peers, …
Mentor Selection
•  Mentors should:
–  Have taken in-service course & worked for a
full cycle of the program (6 months – 1 year)
–  Demonstrate outstanding performance
–  Be skilled at providing instructional support
–  Have the ability to provide constructive
feedback & share instructional materials and
ideas
Mentor Selection
•  Mentors should:
–  Possess effective interpersonal &
collaborative skills
–  Have a positive attitude toward their school
and their colleagues
–  Be sensitive to the needs of others and
exercise good judgment
Mentor Selection
•  Mentors should:
–  Be committed to their own professional growth
and learning
–  Be open to a variety of teaching styles
–  Maintain flexibility so novice teachers can be
reassigned if initial pairing does not work
Mentor Roles
and Responsibilities
•  The Mentor must be willing to:
- Be proactive in contacting the mentee; maintain
communication; make mentee feel he/she can contact
mentor anytime
- Assist and guide with schedules, curriculum,
instructional materials, student counseling, other
academic matters
- Provide opportunities to observe and participate in
each other’s classes and work
Mentoring Program
New Faculty Comments:
•  My mentor helped me gain an understanding of how DLI “works”
•  Insight of an experienced teacher is very valuable
•  As a mentor, when you help others, you reflect on your own
teaching
•  I received help with lesson planning and preparing authentic
materials
•  Mentoring allows for self-reflection-I re-evaluate methods
•  The UEL Mentoring program has assisted me in becoming a more
proficient teacher
Mentoring Program
•  Mentor Comments:
- As a mentor, when you help others, you
reflect on your own teaching
- Mentoring allows for self-reflection, I reevaluate methods
Challenges
What challenges do we face
when providing mentoring
to our new employees?
Program Oversight
•  Department Chairs and Academic
Specialists oversee the program and
check for effectiveness/ detect problems
and problem-solve…
Program Assessment
•  Assessment is based on its effectiveness
in meeting the following goals:
1. Retaining quality teachers
2. Improving teaching performance
3. Supporting teacher morale, communication,
and collegiality
4. Facilitating a seamless transition into the first
year of teaching at DLI
Questions
•  Questions / Discussion
•  Further thoughts on Mentoring….
References
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Bailey, K., Curtis, A., & Nunan, D. (2001). Pursuing Professional Development. Boston: Heinle.
Creating a teacher mentoring program. (1999). The National Foundation for the Improvement of Education. Retrieved from
http://www.neafoundation.org/downloads/NEA-Creating_Teacher_Mentoring.pdf
Gibbons, A. (2003). Getting the most from mentoring. Teaching Expertise, 1. Retrieved from
http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/mentoring-227
Guidelines for mentor teacher programs for beginning and experienced teachers. (2000). Division of Teacher Education and Licensure,
Department of Education, Richmond, VA. Retrieved from
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/DOE/newdoe/legislat.PDF
Holloway, J. H. (2001). The benefits of mentoring. Educational Leadership, 58 (8). Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/may01/vol58/num08/The_Benefits_of_Mentoring.aspx
Johnson, W. B. & Ridley, C. R. (2008). The Elements of Mentoring. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Maxwell, J. C. (2008). Mentoring 101. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Shaughnnesy, M. F. & Self, E. (1997). Mentoring emotionally sensitive individuals.
Mentoring Leadership & Resource Network, 1. Retrieved from.
http://www.mentors.net/03library/collabl_pc.html
Supporting beginning teachers. Teacher mentoring programs. (2001). Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved from
http://www.nwrel.org/request/may01/mentoring.html
Peterson, R.W. (2005). Mentor Teacher Handbook. Retrieved from
http://www.usatf.org/groups/officials/files/resources/officials-training/officials-mentoring-slides.pdf
Ragins, B. & Kram, K. (2007). The Handbook of Mentoring at Work: Theory, Research, and Practice. Thousand, Oaks, CA: Sage.
Rowley, J.B. (1999). The good mentor. Educational Leadership. 56(8), 20-22.
Teacher mentoring. (1986). Eric Digest #7. Retrieved from
http://ww.ericdigests.org/pre-924/mentoring.htm
Villani, S. (2002). Mentoring Programs for New Teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press.
This speech/presentation is authorized by the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language
Center and the Department of Defense. Contents of this presentation are not necessarily the
official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the
Army, or the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center