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last week, we had our group presentation on different topics which were:

•  What are the strengths and weaknesses of peer mentoring
• Discussing a key theory and /or key text relevant for peer mentoring
• Planning and leading sessions l: Strategies for mentors
• Planning and leading sessions ll: Practical exercises for mentees
• Online peer mentoring. How could successful online support look like?
• How can peer mentoring enable mentors to make the most of University and their career? Development of transferable skills.

Out of all these topics, the one that relates most with mentoring is  “What are the strengths and weaknesses of peer mentoring”? This is because, forming a relationship is not always smooth.

strengths-and-weaknesses-of-peer-mentoring

It is known that peer mentoring has long be identified as one of the different ways students can help others to improve their academic performance, so colleges and universities have being relying greatly on it in recent years. According to Materniak (1984), it supplements traditional classroom learning. As individuals have different priorities in life, it can sometimes interfere with academic work and the building of   relationship.

Colvin (2007b) stated that using peer mentors will never be seen as something without resistance from both sides involved so the clarification of roles is very important. That statement was backed up by Reids  (2008) who mentioned that the expectations and boundaries are essential when  building  a successful relationship between mentees and mentors. The benefits or strengths of  peer mentoring are endless for both sides but the weaknesses should never be over looked.

References:

Colvin, J.W. (2007B). Peer tutoring and the social dynamics of a classroom. Saarbrucken, Ger: VDM Verlag Publishing Company.

Materniak, G.(1984). Students as paraprofessionals in the learning skill center. In S. C. Ender & J.R.B. Winston (Eds), Students as paraprofessional staff (23-36). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Reid, E.S. (2008). mentoring PEER MENTORS: Mentor education and support in the composition program. Composition Studies, 36(2), 51-79.

I shall keep you posted. Bye for now !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first year students (mentees) successfully put on a display of their learning journey as students in a multi modal exhibition about formal and informal learning spaces at London Met. Their displays included collages like hand crafted crochet with background information, pictures, puzzles, comics, animated videos and creative 3D traditional cut out cardboards folded into tiny chairs and desks with little people sitting at them. Their work demonstrated creativity and the recognition of available facilities and spaces to promote students learning was a clear evident of their understanding on how to become a student. It was great to see mentors and mentees from different groups chatting about their presentation which showcased a feeling of accomplishment and pride amongst the mentees.

These are some examples of their artefacts that were on display! Amazing.

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All those present, (mentors, visitors and lecturers) were very proud of the first year students and most of us took photographs and wrote comments on each presentation. The effort and group collaboration shown was a clear display of hard work and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming with sweet treats for everyone to share. For me, the  event  was worth attending and I will like to say, “Well done to the mentees.”

Hello there, its been a while but events have still being taking place within the mentoring session as the mentees are getting used to the university life. Being on the peer mentoring course has really expanded my knowledge about the different ways individuals should be helped for them to reach their full potentials.

“Week 5, Exploring available resources in the University”

It was study week and there was no mentoring session but there was a lecture with Sandra in which she gave out some useful information on reflective written by Gibbs (1988). This is how a person is supposed to discuss his/her feelings and thoughts about a particular experience. There was also a task to explore and identify useful student services and resources available in London Metropolitan University including the study hub for the mentees to use.  After personally experimenting the services provided at the University, I can highly recommend the librarian to the mentees. That lady is a valuable human resource for students, she is not only knowledgeable about library resources but approachable as well. She is the right individual for the role so I strongly advice any student with some burning issues about the course to email her for an appointment on d.adams@londonmet.ac.uk.  The study hub is also a valuable resource for mentees because there are helpful tips on presentations, useful videos and information on and reading skills.

“Week 6” Group dynamics and the being a Mentor (4th/11/2015)

Today we focused on the advantages and disadvantages of group dynamics. It is very important for every mentor to be aware of situations or disputes that are bound to disrupt the mentoring session. For that particular reason, the lesson was started with us acting up various scenarios that can be expected during mentoring. It was a real eye opener for us the mentors because, even though we as a class took turns in calming down some disagreements, some problems were still unsolvable. We were all overwhelmed about how difficult some individuals can be determined about their decisions. Team work is a necessity when working in a group and without effective coordination, no objective can be achieved.

As the lecture continued on Bruce Tuckman’s stages of group dynamics which are Forming, Storming, Norming, and Adjourning. We were again put in two large groups with some scissors, A4 papers and some cello tapes to build a tower each. I’m sure that activity was to demonstrate effective team work. It was a competition to see the group who will build the tallest tower in 10 minutes. The other group quickly organised themselves and  agreed on a leader in charge of instructions and a set of working style while still appreciating other members opinions. Their tower was built quickly and effectively before the end of the set time. I was in the loosing group because we had no set rules and lacked proper planning so our tower barely got off the floor. Our group  stayed between the forming and storming stage because of improper organisation. The activity was a typical example of the benefits of effective collaboration and working in partnership with a set objective and determination to succeed. “A group which does not progress from the storming stage,  is destined to fail by all means”.

After lecture, we all went to our allocated groups to meet the mentees  but we were a little bit disappointed because some of them have decided to be absent. The most important thing is that mentors are still motivated about the session so we gave a one to one attention to those who were present and the mood was good. I personally helped to calm one mentee who was feeling very worried about an assignment she is suppose to submit soon. The day’s lecture about group dynamics was demonstrated during the session when one of the mentees just kept to herself and shes been like that for a while because, as far as she is concerned, there is nothing she need from the mentors because, she thinks she know everything about the course and the university.  As one of my colleague approached her for a chat, she still showed how confident she was but as the conversation progressed, she realised that there were many things she didn’t know so she ended up appreciating the conversation the mentor started with her and she thanked her. That just shows how difficult some mentees can be, but with the right professional approach, they can drop the attitude and get on with their peers and the mentors. Learning is a continuous process and no one is never too young or old to learn from others. I am very grateful for the help I am getting from my lecturers and colleagues alike.

Till then, I wish you all a great weekend.

Hello there! It’s week 4 of the mentoring programme and everyone is feeling more confident now with each other (mentors and mentees). Before going for the session, the lecture was still the continuation of the effectiveness of “Active listening” in the building of successful relationship between mentees and mentors. We also discussed about assignment blog presentation and there was group a activity were each group listed the different steps to follow which the lecturer confirmed that there was no right or wrong answer because each individual has different perspectives. However, structure is always necessary in every work. The lecture was mainly focused one of the main ingredients of active listening which is “Empathy”. For a communication to be effective empathetically, one has to have an emotional connection with the other which is the key in mentoring. According to Collins Mini Dictionary (1999), empathy can be defined as the ability to understand another person’s feeling as if they were your own or literally stepping into another person’s shoe. It is important to respect other peoples feelings because what doesn’t mean anything to you might mean the world to them. However, even though been empathetic is the key in the building of a mentoring relationship, it is still necessary for the mentor to take a back sit or not to be too emotional about the mentees feelings. Empathy does not mean taking over or entering the other person’s body.

During the mentoring session, all the mentors went around and engaged in a one to one conversation with the mentees and it was really interesting talking to them about both academic and private issues. One mentee even admitted that she  is thinking of stopping her part time job as a teaching assistant in order to concentrate on her studies. I personally realised that she is in a dilemma with a situation of choosing between two rights. As a mentor, it is not my place to make such decisions for her so I just advised her to think critically about it before any decision making. Mentoring has really given me a very good transferable skill which is the building of relationships in a new environment. We the mentors are really getting on well  with the mentees and they are all comfortable now to ask individual mentors about anything they are unsure of. Well folks, I think its time to leave you now but I will surely see you all again next week so till then, have a brilliant weekend.

Hi there, sorry for the late update, it’s the end of week 3 and the 2nd session of peer mentoring. Although my week has been full of ups and downs, I will still like to say that it’s been brilliant because the ups were more than the downs! Anyway let me don’t bore you with all that because we are looking forward to a pleasant weekend.  It is obvious that peer mentoring is more focused on the characteristics of building a successful relationship so, this week, our brilliant lecturer enlightened us about different types of communication which can be ‘verbal’ or ‘non verbal’ backed up by the effects of active listening by a psychologist known as Carl Rogers. Communication can be defined as a spoken or unspoken interchange of  thoughts or ideas between two or more people or other living things. However in order for a relationship to be successful, the transmitted information need to be received and understood to avoid a break down in relationship which is the pivot of peer mentoring.

This week some mentees were not present for the session but a good amount of them still turned up and they were all pleased with what they learnt. After they settled down a member of the mentoring team asked them what they needed help with. As if that question came at the right time almost all of them suggested  that they needed help on how to create a “Word Press address”. Our kind colleague Don showed them the process on how to do it. Other members of the team went round to see if the mentees were setting up their accounts correctly. They were also keen to know how to structure an essay and we showed them a very helpful site on academic writing. Other mentors also actively engaged with mentees who had issues to talk about. They seemed really pleased with the help they got and I’m sure they will be looking forward to the mentoring sessions on Wednesday because we the mentors have encouraged them to feel free to ask for help with issues they struggle with in their studies.

The mentees have been assured that even though our responsibilities to them are limited, we can still direct them to the right department where help can be offered. In my own opinion, mentoring an adult can some times be tricky because of individuals’ personal situations like childcare issues, relationships and family matters which are deemed to affect people in higher education. These issues can make mentees expect more than the mentor is allowed to give but it is always good for every mentor to know the “Do’s” and “Don’t s” in order to build an effective communication. Deviating from the rules and the responsibilities at hand can lead to misunderstandings and break down in the proposed relationship. I just want to say that peer mentoring is  necessary for both first year students and the mentors because it helps individuals to learn the valuable skill of building  professional relationship with others which some people struggle to do outside their peering roles.

Okay till next week, I will like to say bye for now .

Well readers, my first day in the introduction session for this topic was like walking into uncertainty but such is life, there is a always a first time for everything. I enjoyed the lecture which was introduced by Sandra and I shall definitely be looking forward to every Wednesday of the week because I guess its going to get more interesting. In my own understanding “Peer Mentoring” can be the building of  personal or academic relationship between an individual (who is seen as a role model) with another. There are some core qualities that a good mentor is supposed to have for the relationship to be successful, which can be classed as the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” and most of them were listed by mentors during the lecture. Some of the “Do’s” includes

• Patient and tolerant
• Respect
• Confidentiality
• Empathy and so on, and these qualities are the pivot in mentoring.

What made me a little nervous about the practical side of the course was that, I have never really mentored an adult on an academic level, I have always worked with children which is my comfort zone, so I was a bit on the edge about how the first meeting with the mentees will be like, so I thought of relying on the support of the other 7 mentors. After arriving, we waited for a while for the mentees to come, after they have settled, one brave mentor started the introduction process which was kicked off by us the 8 mentors followed by the mentees who were more than 20 in number. To my greatest surprise, it went on really well because we engaged them in a game called “would you rather be” each mentor read out a given question from an iPad for them to choose what they preferred to be which allowed all the mentees to engage with each other and with us the mentors.

They were later given pieces of papers to write down literally burning questions that they needed answers to and they all did and brought the folded papers forward. Each of the mentors then took each and read out the questions and answered it.  It was a good session because we were all engaged and most of the answered questions brought some relief to the first year students. As we all know that working into an unfamiliar situation is always not the best feeling in the world. In my own case, I am just going to learn on the job, which simply means that having no previous experience about mentors in year 1, I am looking forward to helping the mentees with every little academic and personal knowledge I have acquired in this journey of life.

I shall keep you updated as the weeks goes by….