Mentoring in the Early Years

Alison Robins

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2006
• ISBN:
  9781446232828
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Early Childhood Education

`This book gives a thorough, detailed account of mentoring, with accompanying case studies which will be invaluable to anyone undertaking the role...this book will encourage readers to develop reflective practice in their settings and that this will help to improve quality? - Nursery World

`A valuable and timely contribution to the Early Years field. This will be essential reading for all Early Years practitioners engaged in practice-based learning and will provide valuable guidance for all mentors in the field? - Dr Rose Drury, Lecturer in Early Years, The Open University

Mentoring is an important part of good, professional practice. It provides a framework of support for continuous personal and professional development and is integral to the development of quality provision within early years.

This book is designed as a guide for all those involved in the mentoring process. The roles of the mentor and practitioners are carefully examined and chapters cover the following:

oThe role of the mentor

oThe characteristics of a good mentor

oHow mentoring supports personal and professional development

oThe diversity of early years settings and professional roles

oCase studies of mentoring in practice

Chapters include a mixture of relevant theory, practical suggestions, case studies, questions for discussion, activities for personal and professional development and suggestions for further reading. There are suggestions and examples of materials that may be used, and a glossary of key terms.

1

What is mentoring?

Sue Callan

This chapter will explain the role of the mentor. It will look at current models of mentoring, and will identify a framework for mentoring in the context of early years values, traditions and emerging social policy. This chapter will identify some of the structures that need to be in place to ensure effective practice. Overall, the aim is to allow mentors in early years to gain an understanding of the complex nature of their role and its significance to quality in training, practice and delivery of services to young children and their families. ‘Pause for thought’ boxes are provided to raise issues that are developed as practical strategies in subsequent chapters.

Terminology

In this chapter the terms ‘mentor’ and ‘practitioner’ are used to cover all possible contexts. ‘Mentor’ is role-specific in that it will apply to all those in formal ‘advisory’ relationships with practitioners. As ‘practitioners’ will not necessarily be students in the formal sense of the term, but will usually be based in early years settings, this term is chosen to reflect the work-based situation. ‘Manager’ in this chapter refers to those who are responsible for the organisation of mentoring, for example a course leader or workplace manager.

The evolution of mentoring and current practices

The role of mentor is recognised across all areas of society. From the responsibility accepted by Mentor for the son of Odysseus in Greek mythology, through the pre-industrial guilds and later apprenticeships in industrial trades, the idea of a more experienced individual assisting the transmission of knowledge and skills has become culturally embedded. The corporate business world has developed systems of mentoring which are integral to the induction and supported development of new company employees. In recent years such practices have spread to the wider community. There are programmes in schools and universities for peer/pupil mentoring, church and youth organisations, parent support (through organisations such as Home Start as well as other voluntary self-help groups), access to employment programmes, mentoring as part of commitment to promoting diversity and overcoming barriers to inclusion – among other examples.

In the field of initial teacher training, Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) induction programmes and continuing professional development, mentoring is highly significant within both training institutes and schools. Understanding the process in education has become more refined as a result of action research, such as that undertaken by Furlong and Maynard (1995) and more recent DFES-sponsored studies (www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank) which are noted in Chapter 3. As a result school-based practice mentors have many resources to draw on, with national guidance expected to be published in the near future. However, developments in early education and the breadth of provision in the early years sector have resulted in the use of mentoring across conventional professional contexts – for example, the use of visiting teachers as practice mentors in community pre-schools and private day nurseries, reflecting the integration of services and multi-disciplinary work within the field.

An understanding of mentoring and the development of practice does not occur in isolation from organisational or national culture. Similarly, mentoring systems should draw on best practice from a range of models and clarity of definition regarding purpose, expectation and specific context is important to the success of such schemes. This chapter explores these themes with a view to establishing some common principles for the early years.

Policy framework for early years practice

Mentoring practice in the early years has not evolved in a vacuum. Just as colleagues involved in teacher training have adjusted training programmes to accommodate political ideology, government policy objectives for teacher training and funding issues in higher educational establishments, similar external pressures are brought to bear in early years settings.

Early years mentors need to be aware of the social and political context in which they operate. Few practitioners within the sector will deny that the years since 1990 have transformed the status of early years services and education in the United Kingdom. Indeed, taking a slightly longer perspective, change has been an evolving process from the mid-1980s – the 1989 Education Act being identified as one influence for much of what has followed for early years education under both Conservative and Labour agendas.

The key principles underpinning policy under the National Childcare Strategy (DfES, 1997) include partnership, integrated services, continuity and progression for children in all services (from birth to age nineteen as the result of Every Child Matters (DfES, 2004) and the 2004 Children Act), inclusion and quality in the full breadth of practice. In concrete terms policy has encompassed a range of measures such as the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, Birth to Three Matters, Children’s Centres, Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCP), the DfES/QCA Training Framework and Common Core of Knowledge for practitioners – demonstrating links and progression through to the competence-based model of the Teacher Training Agency. The Work Force Strategy (DfES, 2006) and remodelling of the role of teachers and teaching assistants in schools also impacts on practitioners in the Foundation Stage as does the changing role of schools in the community under the extended schools projects. Most significant is the debate about the ‘new practitioner’, developments in our understanding of the adult role in these integrated services and more recent moves toward a ‘birth to five’ progressive framework (Early Years Foundation Stage) for children’s early development and learning.

Informal discussion between mentor and practitioner

In such a context the role of the mentor has increased in importance and complexity, especially as work-based training is an established element of vocational qualifications as well as academic programmes across further and higher education. One example is the SureStart-recognised Sector-endorsed Foundation Degree in Early Years (FdA EY) which incorporates a substantial mentoring component, the aim of which is to encourage practitioners to go beyond a minimum level of competence and encourage reflective practice.

In order to clarify the features of mentoring for those involved in the early years, it will be useful to progress discussion in terms of first principles for the role of the mentor. Subsequent chapters will build on these key issues, providing techniques and strategies for meeting the challenges of the role.

Common themes in theory and practice: role and qualities of the mentor

One part of the mentor role has been identified with reference to the policy framework. The mentor assists in the transmission of knowledge and skills and encourages practitioners to develop reflective practice. In this respect, the mentor is a ‘bridge’ between the academic forum and the day-to-day experience encountered by practitioners in early years settings. Most important, the mentor promotes reflection, because this develops the confidence and competence of individual practitioners working with the theories, principles and philosophy of the early years sector.

Whilst the role will be common to all contexts, mentors will take account of the fact that student practitioners are not always young and/or inexperienced. For example, a requirement of the FdA EY is that students are established practitioners with at least two years’ post-qualification experience. Similarly, in business practice, experienced professionals may be assigned a mentor to help with focus on a new range of skills or specific responsibilities. The relatively new professional and management qualifications in school headship and integrated centre leadership reflect the emerging emphasis on ongoing professional development for managers in early years settings. As a result, there is a mentor function within these programmes.

It is recognised that the usefulness of mentoring in terms of continuing professional development has become an accepted justification for mentoring practice and is consistent with the fact that practitioners in the workplace also contribute to training through such ‘in-house’ variations as professional critical friend or the formalised mentor teacher schemes initiated through local authorities.

With these general themes in mind the remainder of this chapter will concentrate on practical definition of the mentoring role for early years, the qualities of the mentor and the value base for good mentoring practice.

A mentor in early years

Dictionary definitions suggest that mentoring has something to do with passing on wisdom. In a well established guide to mentoring, Clutterbuck (2004) notes that such general understandings are too vague to be helpful, as they lead to confusion with other similar roles such as coaching or buddying systems.

In developing a clearer definition, Wilkin (1992) argues that the role of the mentor should be framed in relation to specific frameworks, such as training or qualification requirements. This approach provides a principle that can be broadly applied to early years contexts. If we accept that the framework within which both mentor and practitioner operate is determined by the ‘curriculum’ for the child and the vision of the professional practitioner within it, then it is possible to propose a more specific definition for mentoring.

The mentor will help practitioners find answers to challenging situations, assist with strategies for action in the job role, promote both nurture and challenge within the boundaries of the relationship with the practitioner and encourage sustained motivation in the work place. The mentor in the early years will therefore work within a role defined by the requirements of the philosophical and political tradition outlined above. This in turn suggests a set of qualities and a philosophy of mentoring with which to develop the early years model.

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

Who are the people who have influenced you in your personal and professional development as an early years practitioner? Why were they so influential? Are there common characteristics that they share?

Qualities of the ‘ideal’ mentor

Good humour, enthusiastic, inspirational, problem solver, supportive, knowledgeable and competent in subject skills and practices, creative thinker, good communication and interpersonal skills, good partner skills, able to resolve or defuse conflict, effective time manager, prioritises and sets targets, action plans, report writing, ‘politically’ astute beyond the immediate context, reflective.

To be fair, such perfectly formed individuals may not exist and the importance of ongoing training and professional development for mentors must be an accepted part of good practice. However, Pegg (2000) notes that such qualities provide mentors with credibility for the role. Underpinning this skill set is the fact that mentors will be/have been successful practitioners in their own right and be recognised as ‘streetwise’ in this respect in order to encourage evaluation and reflection in the practitioner. The particular mix of qualities will also enable the mentor to bring realistic expectations and a sense of proportion to a role which is complex and can be challenging at times.

In line with other models of mentoring, the early years mentor will inevitably combine these qualities with a mix of approaches and strategies – adviser, teacher, buddy, guide, coach, facilitator, counsellor, role model and leader. Clutterbuck (2004) suggests that these each have distinct purposes, and as specific activities they are further explored below.

Early years: values and principles for mentoring

In addition to these personal and professional qualities, mentors in the early years will have a philosophy of mentoring and training that also fits with the traditions of the sector. Many practitioners will recognise the concept of ‘scaffolding’ for learning and development from early years theoretical approaches. Just as this sets the qualitative framework for work with children, the mentor will be similarly consistent in applying underpinning beliefs and strategies with regard to adult interactions. The way in which the mentor role is conducted in early years practice will set the tone for the experience and outcomes for the practitioner. Clutterbuck (2004) explains mentoring as providing the ‘reflective space’ in the teaching and learning spectrum – the mentor poses questions and uses discussion in order to enable the building of ‘wisdom’. Mentoring serves the practitioner in that it encourages, empowers and enhances a continuing commitment to experiential learning at the heart of work-based practice and offers the possibility of change. The guidance offered by the mentor is carried out in the spirit of mutual respect, where power is shared as far as the situation allows, and there is an expectation of two-way learning. Both mentor and practitioner are stimulated in their thinking through the process so that aspects of practice are examined with depth and clarity. In other words, the conduct and process of the mentoring function are as important as the product and there is a strong emphasis on collaboration.

Stephens (1996) notes that there is a strong ethical element to mentoring which can involve helping practitioners to deal with such complex issues as children’s rights, inclusion, diversity and social justice – all of which are important elements of informed early years practice. Mentors will therefore need, in addition to the personal qualities already noted, a commitment to open access to training, training as a co-operative venture, an enthusiasm for the practicalities of training and an understanding of mentoring as a means by which meanings about practice can be shared. This places mentoring at the heart of the reflective practice cycle. The mentor offers the practitioner both organisational and personal strategies for handling the challenges, responsibilities, pressures and stresses of early years practice – issues that are further developed in Chapter 3.

Being a mentor

Mentoring in the early years is a dynamic system of advice and support in the context of ongoing professional training and development which makes sense of reflective practice. The mentor helps this process by:

• Assisting the transmission of knowledge and skills.
• Guiding the induction and nurturing of practitioners.
• Linking theoretical models and philosophical approaches to practice.
• Reflecting standards and understanding of quality issues.
• Promoting shared good practice and professional values.
• Presenting solutions to profess...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• About the contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 What is mentoring?
• 2 The mentor as ‘the one in the middle’
• 3 Being reflective: encouraging and teaching reflective practice
• 4 Collecting and collating evidence through profiling
• 5 Designing and implementing a mentoring scheme: University of Worcester SureStart-recognised Sector-endorsed Foundation Degree in Early Years
• 6 Mentoring the process of change: a case study
• Glossary
• References
• Index