The Ten Principles

These ten principles, based on evidence from research and consultation, are recommended to inform mentoring and coaching programmes in schools and to help increase the impact of continuing professional development on student learning.
Effective mentoring and coaching involves:

a learning conversation

structured professional dialogue, rooted in evidence from the professional learner’s practice, which articulates existing beliefs and practices to enable reflection on them

a thoughtful relationship

developing trust, attending respectfully and with sensitivity to the powerful emotions involved in deep professional learning

a learning agreement

establishing confidence about the boundaries of the relationship by agreeing and upholding ground rules that address imbalances in power and accountability

combining support from fellow professional learners and specialists

collaborating with colleagues to sustain commitment to learning and relate new approaches to everyday practice; seeking out specialist expertise to extend skills and knowledge and to model good practice

growing self direction

an evolving process in which the learner takes increasing responsibility for their professional development as skills, knowledge and self awareness increase

setting challenging and personal goals

identifying goals that build on what learners know and can do already, but could not yet achieve alone, whilst attending to both school and individual priorities

understanding why different approaches work

developing understanding of the theory that underpins new practice so it can be interpreted and adapted for different contexts

acknowledging the benefits to the mentors and coaches

recognising and making use of the professional learning that mentors and coaches gain from the opportunity to mentor or coach

experimenting and observing

creating a learning environment that supports risk-taking and innovation and encourages professional learners to seek out direct evidence from practice

using resources effectively

making and using time and other resources creatively to protect and sustain learning, action and reflection on a day to day basis

activities

Mentoring involves activities which promote and enhance effective transitions between professional roles, including:

1. identifying learning goals and supporting progression
2. developing increasing learners’ control over their learning
3. active listening
4. modelling, observing, articulating and discussing practice to raise awareness
5. shared learning experiences e.g. via observation or video
6. providing guidance, feedback and, when necessary, direction
7. review and action planning
8. assessing, appraising and accrediting practice
9. brokering a range of support

Mentors

Mentors

1. relate sensitively to learners and work through agreed processes to build trust and confidence
2. model expertise in practice or through conversation
3. relate guidance to evidence from practice and research
4. broker access to a range of opportunities to address the different goals of the professional learner
5. observe, analyse and reflect upon professional practice and make this explicit
6. provide information and feedback that enables learning from mistakes and success
7. build a learner’s control over their professional learning
8. use open questions to raise awareness, explore beliefs, develop plans, understand consequences and explore and commit to solutions
9. listen actively:
• accommodating and valuing silence
• concentrating on what’s actually being said
• using affirming body language to signal attention
• replaying what’s been said using some of the same
words to reinforce, value and reframe thinking
10. relate practice to assessment and accreditation frameworks

Site created by PJR.