Context

In 2016, a group of teachers participated in the first Mentoring AQ course offered by the Laurier Faculty of Education. During the course, we met Jim Strachan, Education Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Education. He provided resources and inspiration that strengthened our belief in the importance and power of mentoring.

As we progressed through the course and implemented best practice strategies, our mentoring proficiency improved. We felt that the information from the course and Jim’s ebook “Mentoring for All” could benefit other teachers and mentors. The idea to create “Mentoring Circles”, a system-wide mentoring network, was born.

Implementation

Our idea grew in a collaborative way:

• We secured the support of leaders in our system and then worked together to shape this new network
• We contacted fellow graduates of the Mentoring AQ course and asked for their help to shape and facilitate the Mentoring Circles. 10 AQ graduates volunteered to join the leadership team
• The leadership team planned how the monthly meetings would be organized
• We contacted NTIP teachers who had expressed an interest in mentoring and participating in a mentoring network
• Teachers were invited to “sign up” for one of 6 Mentoring Circles
• We began holding monthly Mentoring Circle meetings at various schools, facilitated by members of the leadership team
• We monitored the groups through surveys, assessing the impact of the network upon the facilitators (leaders) and the participants

Impact

To examine the results of Mentoring Circles, two distinct groups involved with the study are considered.

The Participants

This group included 25 teachers with teaching assignments from primary (including kindergarten) to secondary. They were mentors for NTIP teachers and for teacher education candidates.

Survey results indicate that all participants felt their involvement with Mentoring Circles increased their confidence and understanding of mentoring. Their communication skills, particularly active listening and asking effective questions, improved. The participants applied these polished skills to all areas of their lives, including with their families.

Participants reported that the bond and support they experienced within their group motivated, inspired, and provided an important sounding board for concerns and challenges. This support positively affected their well-being.

The Facilitators

The facilitators included 10 Mentoring AQ graduates who helped to develop and lead the network. These experienced teachers (kindergarten teachers, special education resource teachers, learning support teachers, and primary and junior teachers) were mentors for a variety of mentees, including colleagues, NTIP teachers, associate teachers and teacher candidates.

The facilitators reported that involvement with Mentoring Circles improved their mentoring practice. Skills and information from the AQ mentoring course were “kept alive”.

The facilitators also explained that the process of starting and leading a mentoring support group honed their leadership skills. They became better listeners. By being sensitive to the needs of the group members, the leaders eventually veered off their planned agendas and together tackled the challenges and questions that were significant to the group. This autonomy led to trust and a deeper connection.

It also led to reciprocity. It was hoped that the facilitators would offer support, but as the group dynamics strengthened, the participants also became active in offering ideas and encouragement. The facilitators viewed this as progress and welcomed the mutual give-and-take.

What We Learned

Start small - We had six groups that met each month. This meant we could keep everyone informed and our leadership group was compact and flexible.

Two or more facilitators in a group - Since some groups were small, we joined several groups together. This meant that some groups had 2-3 facilitators. Sharing the leadership proved to be helpful for continuity, to help carry the weight of supporting others, and to keep each other on track.

Begin with structure, but trust the leadership to be flexible - As a leadership team, we decided to create a template for each meeting.

• Build group dynamics with ice-breakers (for the first few meetings)
• Spend time upon reflection (sharing about how our mentoring was going)
• Spend time planning action (using Jim’s booklet as a stepping stone for pushing our learning forward and selecting a new focus for the month—for example, practicing learning focused conversations with our mentees)

Hold joint meetings and workshops to maintain momentum - To keep the project alive, we needed to celebrate the victories of our mentors as a whole group. We had one joint meeting in January with all leaders and participants attending. Gwen also attended and provided encouragement. We held two workshops. These were NTIP sponsored and served as a forum to talk about Mentoring Circles, to gather data about the network, and to fine-tune our vision.

Align with Mentoring Leaders - Gwen and Jim’s support was of paramount importance. They provided inspiration, encouragement, advice, information, and funds (Through NTIP, Gwen reimbursed our snack expenses and provided some release time for our leaders and participants).

Next Steps

Expand the network - We look forward to growing and widening the web.

• Other boards have expressed an interest in implementing a similar mentoring network. By making the steps and our learnings available, we plan to support new networks.
• We will continue to partner with Gwen McCutcheon, the WRDSB NTIP Coordinator to connect us with mentors and mentees. We want to develop an electronic way to link up prospective mentors with mentees.
• We plan to also partner with WLU’s Faculty of Education, informing principals that our network is available to support associate teachers and teacher candidates.
• As the Mentoring AQ courses continue, we hope to garner more graduates from the course to help lead new circles.

Further study regarding mentee and student impact - The purpose of the Mentoring Circle network is to build our mentoring expertise and to support mentors. As the mentees learn effective teaching and learning strategies, student achievement and well-being improve.

• We would like to expand the scope of this study to include the effects of Mentoring Circles upon the mentees and the students with whom they work.