Mentoring Framework Project Report: Teacher Professional Development

This report presents a project focused on developing a mentoring framework to support new teachers' professional development within an educational center. The project addresses the absence of a formal mentoring program and its impact on teacher turnover. The report explores the importance of communication skills in mentoring, the benefits of adopting a mentoring culture, and the author's leadership patterns and beliefs regarding collaborative culture. It also examines values related to collaborative work, the project's role in appreciating collaboration with teachers from diverse backgrounds, and the author's reflections on effective communication and teamwork. The report references key literature on coaching and mentoring, and emphasizes the need for effective leadership in the early childhood sector. The author advocates for the adoption of a mentoring culture to improve teacher retention and enhance the overall effectiveness of the educational center. The project highlights the importance of continuous professional development and the ongoing nature of the mentoring process.

Mentoring/Coaching Framework Project Report
Title: Mentoring for new teachers professional development
Duration of the planning: six months, twice meeting every month.
In our centre, we haven’t developed any professional mentoring framework.
Centre practice is to let the senior teacher lead the new teacher whenever that’s new
peep joining, but without proper guideline to follow or didn’t have a framework on how to
prepare the new teachers through any mentoring process, new teachers feel loss at
time, and easily facing uncertain and uneasy as they don’t know what to do. Perhaps
this is the reason centre are facing high teacher turn over issue. Through this module, I
understand that how important it is to use mentoring to support the teachers. Mentoring
and coaching are increasingly seen as key strategies for supporting teachers at any
stage of their careers and for improving teacher practice (Institute of medicine and
National Research Council, 2015)
 How essential are communication skills in a mentoring/coaching programme?
Successful mentoring relationships are linked to positive outcomes. Effective
communication is essential to building a trusting and open and strong mentoring
relationship. Effective and healthy mentoring programme should be able to
strengthen the nature of communication within the organization to account for
accomplishing the common objectives that have been unanimously agreed upon
by the participating groups. Careful screening of potential candidates will help in
bringing forth the most suitable applicant ready to pursue the role of mentor. The
selected individuals must be released of their own job functions so that coaching
or mentoring others may be successfully carried out. Demonstration of strong
verbal communication skills in addition to good written communication skills are
earnestly solicited on the mentor’s part to acknowledge the dynamic structure of
the mentoring program continuum. Communication is accepted as the avenue of
resolving potential conflicts and enhancing the immediate scenario by reaching
onto the target audience in a suitable manner (MacLennan, 2017).

 What are your views on adopting a mentoring culture in the workplace?
I can see the challenge ahead, as my centre are family based business, director
often change her mind in short time, or that’s always different director and
guidance given to the teachers from the family body as the mother is the director,
daughter is the principal and son is the manager. However, I can also see that if
the centre are able to adopt the mentoring framework in the centre, this can help
to train the teachers especially those new peeps, and it will also help to reduce
the teacher turnover issue efficiently. Transformation of the organizational culture
for safeguarding the rights of the teachers and mentors involved in the process is
desirable so that better outcomes may be achieved. Therefore, I feel it absolutely
necessary to adopt a mentoring culture in the workplace so that greater insight
may be provided with respect to workings of the organization. Further, I assume
the degree of professional success may also be enhanced through the mentoring
culture whereby the concerned individuals get opportunities for expanding their
network and making contacts with new people. Facilitation of the growth of the
organization is thus promoted due to the presence of the definite organizational
framework that caters to meet the varied needs. Flexibility in the learning process
is also indicated through the mentoring culture in workplace (Garvey, Stokes &
Megginson, 2014).
 What have you discovered about your leadership patterns and beliefs of
collaborative culture?
I believe that working as a team and working together toward common goal and
let everyone have different responsibilities and gain experiences together it’s
very important. With the collaborate style that I have been practice in the
organization, I can see that my team member are able to know what’s their
strengths and weakness, and we can help and support each other, therefore, the
stress level on each individual can be decrease and together we create the
beauty and harmony environment for the children.
 What are some of the values that you have picked up about teachers beliefs of
collaboratively working together for an organizational goal?
I believe everyone has their strengths and everyone can work and contribute if
they are in the right guidance direction. I am confident about gathering
professional experience and evolve as a better individual through acquisition of
relevant skills and knowledge on matter pertinent to education. In working
together in a collaborative manner for attaining an organizational goal, I picked
up certain crucial virtues and values in line with the teacher’s objectives. I feel

they are empathic listener and pay heed as well as sufficient attention to what
others have to say instead of merely imposing what is presumably acceptable or
gels with the accepted practices that are in vogue. Thus, novel thoughts and
ideas are welcomed in the process that further accentuates the dynamic
educational attainment. Willingness to listen what others have to say rather than
jumping onto conclusion by being judgmental is thus valued as an important
attribute in mentoring. Maximization of the staff potential through proper training
and fostering definite educational regime is thus encouraged. The flexibility and
openness to new ideas, thoughts and opinions present plethora of opportunities
for a challenging, lateral mode of thinking that in turn is considered suitable for
eliciting the holistic outcomes. The readiness to involve in newer working
experience and making newer contacts through everyday encounters aids in
building up rapport that is imperative to maintain professional discourse. A
collaborative style is always facilitative of improving the prevailing situation and
paves the way for lateral thinking conducive to the progress of the learners as
well as the teaching staff who are entrusted with the duties of imparting
education. Teachers become increasingly receptive to newer ideas by being
enthusiastic and making time available as and when required thereby
encouraging working in favor of the growth and development of the concerned
organization in which one works (Viney & Harris, 2013).
 How has this project assisted you to appreciate working collaboratively with
teachers from different context?
Yes. In working in this project, I feel I have evolved as both a teacher as well as
a mentor considering the fact that I was exposed to working with professionals
belonging to diverse backgrounds and hailing from different contexts. The
different challenges experienced by the new teachers in their educational setting
helped me to better intervene on matters related to teaching, majority of which
may be effectively resolved upon detailed discussion and through
communications. I was able to prioritize my tasks based on the situational
demands and in keeping with the specific requirements of the teachers that were
novice and were required to be mentored for up skilling their own professional
practice. I also developed to being objective and impartial while dealing with
people and looked upon every individual as distinctive entities with unique
capabilities and potentials that are essential for rendering holistic outcomes in the
workplace. Further, I gained an insight on the issue of communication and
behavioural motivation as facilitators of education within the organizational
framework. My observation skills also underwent drastic improvements apart
from understanding the need to maintain confidentiality and acting in

conformance with the established guidelines so that no breach of conduct
appears that might potentially defeat the purpose of the coaching program
(Spence, G. B., & Deci, 2013). I invested considerable time and energy to hone
my coaching skills by working in coalition with others and accepting the nuances
and complexities with respect to teachers from different contexts.
 What have you learnt, as you evaluate, remember to affirm yourself on your
ability to communicate effectively to work collaboratively as a team?
Through the learning in collaborative leadership module, I learn that
The ongoing attention from the government and public in early childhood sector
has be rinse up in the recent year. Given the demands for quality and
accountability in early childhood sector that it is a need for effective, strong iron
will and professional leadership. It is an important reminder to me that continue
practice and be an effective leader is important
Mentoring is a process and not a destination.

References
Garvey, B., Stokes, P., & Megginson, D. (2014). Coaching and mentoring: Theory and
practice. Sage.
Institute of medicine and National Research Council (2015). Transforming the workforce
for children birth through age 8: A unifying foundation. Washington, DC: The
National Academies Press.
MacLennan, N. (2017). Coaching and mentoring. Taylor & Francis.
Spence, G. B., & Deci, E. L. (2013). Self‐determination theory within coaching contexts:
Supporting motives and goals that promote optimal functioning and well‐
being. Beyond goals: Effective strategies for coaching and mentoring, 85-108.
Viney, R., & Harris, D. (2013). Coaching and Mentoring. Leadership in Psychiatry, 126-
136.