Mentorship enables all learners to build a strong web of support that is personal to their unique learning needs and goals. Opportunities for professional learning and growth are collaboratively constructed and reflect the 4R’s of authentic learning summarized below.
As we continue to learn with and from each other, unique and authentic mentoring webs, constructed by each learner, have tremendous potential to support collaborative professionalism, de-privatization of practice, knowledge construction and ongoing growth for all learners.
Authentic Professional Learning is...
Relational
- Relational trust creates an inclusive learning space with all partners in the learning process listening to each other (students, educators, parents and school community)
- All learners collaboratively construct communities of practice that build upon their strengths, attributes and experiences
Responsive
- Learners are listened to and their individual and collective voices directly inform learning designs
- The “how” and “what” of the learning designs employed are based on authentic learning goals identified by the participants
- Learning “makes sense” to the learners and involves authentic collaboration, choice and voice and agency
Recursive
- Rich learning tasks reflect embedded beliefs that learning itself is a messy, iterative, recursive process
- Protocols for application of learning, follow-up, and evaluation of impact are embedded into the learning process
Real World
- Learners construct learning together that is relevant and has authentic real-world connections and applications
- Learning designs that leverage peer-to-peer networks for deep learning and foster the intentional sharing of knowledge and practice are utilized
- A direct connection to student learning and well-being is clearly evident (i.e. students are at the centre of the learning)
