Introduction Early years settings are often asked by EYPS training providers to allocate candidates with a named mentor from the workplace for the duration of their training. This is a requirement stipulated by the Teaching Agency criteria which states that ‘each EYP candidate must have the opportunity to access a Work-based Mentor’. The intention is that through work-based mentoring candidates will be supported professionally, academically and personally through their learning journey, but at the same time an important emphasis is placed on the setting as a professional learning environment. Work-based Mentors are critical support mechanisms for the EYP’s successful learning in the workplace, because they challenge thinking and help candidates to reflect on their learning, and support the acquisition of skills, knowledge and understanding. However there are very limited resources accessible to those allocated the role of an EYP Work-based Mentor in order to learn about the process and what to expect, its benefits, and their roles. My own work with mentors reveals the conflict they have with understanding the purpose of mentoring as a support mechanism for trainee EYPs and how to go about it. This guide has been developed to provide prospective and current early years Work-based Mentors (WBM) with general guidance on the role and offer elements of good practice and approaches that can be used in the context of work-based learning, not just for trainee EYPs, but any adult in a training and learning capacity within early years settings. What is work-based mentoring? Work-based mentoring can be described as a professional relationship between two individuals, where the aim is for the more experienced of the two, the WBM, to help the other less experienced person, the EYP candidate, through an important transition of becoming and being an EYP. Andrews (2010, p.1) terms this relationship as ‘developmental’, ‘with a supportive other person which involves personal growth and learning in a professional context’. In reflecting on and sharing their practice and learning with this supportive other person, the EYP can identify further possibilities and gain new insights into strategies they can use to support children's development and learning, and lead and support others to do the same. Benefits of Work-based Mentoring Although EYP training programmes tend to focus mainly on the individual needs, progress and skills of the candidate, the experience of mentorship on the pathways itself provides a number of benefits to the actual WBM. According to Lee (2010), ‘providing placements, mentoring, and training future EYPs is very much a win-win for both the EYPs and settings’. Some of the benefits for the WBM are: It challenges! Offers the opportunity to pass on knowledge and experience held by the WBM Improves leadership skills WBMs are being asked to question their own judgements and reflect on their and the candidates practice – this develops the ability to give and take criticism! Awareness of own learning gaps Offers the opportunity for the WBM to network with the training provider – a higher education establishment! Raises the profile of the WBM within their own setting Provides personal satisfaction Who can be a Work-based Mentor? The EYPS programme is clear that WBMs must have experience of delivering and leading practice in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (Teaching Agency, 2012). This simply interprets into the WBM being experienced in the same or similar role as the candidate i.e. already able to demonstrate quality personal practice and leadership and support of others in the 0 to 5 age range. Aspects that contribute to this are for the WBM to be knowledgeable and skilled in child development, observation, assessment and planning, safeguarding, working with families, and multi-professional work. It is through the relevant experience, knowledge and skill base held by the WBM that successful guidance of trainee EYPs can take place. I strongly recommend that the WBM should not be the line manager of the candidate as this could lead to a possible conflict between the roles of WBM and manager. Candidates (mainly on practitioner pathways) are less likely to engage in open and honest conversation with their manager out of fear of highlighting weaknesses or lack of understanding about their role. If no suitable alternative is available, then this dual role requires careful management. Role and Responsibilities of Work-based Mentors The WBM’s primary role is one of a ‘critical friend’ who shares their own experiences and examples of good practice and leadership, contacts, offers advice and support, and encourages and provides opportunities for reflection. They provide timely support and feedback to candidates throughout their professional training in their personal practice and leadership and support of others. The responsibilities of WBMs in supporting the work-based learning of candidates can be summarised as follows: Acting as a facilitator to ensure candidates gain access to all opportunities and experiences necessary in the setting in order to develop their personal practice and leadership skills across the available age ranges within the setting, and in additional settings if required. Reinforcing and demonstrating good quality practice and providing role models Helping candidates to understand how practice links to the EYPS standards Encouraging a culture of reflective practice within the setting in order to identify and implement change Comment and reflect on the candidates day-to-day practice where necessary Acting as a sounding board, giving support and encouragement Supporting candidates to become independent and autonomous learners Assist in identifying learning opportunities and ensuring that the candidate’s workload and objectives are realistic Having an overview of the EYPS assessment process so that they can support candidates in choosing appropriate experiences for their tasks. Providing feedback to the candidate and candidate’s training provision. Approaches for Successful Work-based Mentoring Preparation for the role There is some basic ground work that is required of WBMs before they officially start their mentoring relationship with the candidate. Most of which, should be provided and briefed by the training provider. To start with, the WBM should know and keep a record of all the contacts at the candidates training institute. This will enable the WBM to be aware of the different roles that exist and how each one supports the candidate. As well as having a WBM, candidates have a named Mentor at the training provision, this will enable the WBM to direct the candidate to this person for further discussions, but also form the base of conversations at the setting. Here the partnership between the training provider, setting and the candidate is reinforced. Should there be a need, then the candidate can be directed to the relevant person(s). WBMs should have an opportunity to meet someone from the training provision (entry pathways) or speak to them over the telephone (practitioner pathways) to clarify expectations on both ends. An information pack is sent by the training provider for all pathways and a copy of this should be retained by the WBM. For successful mentoring to take place, the WBM must have a full understanding of the candidate’s training programme. It is essential for the mentor to receive an outline of the candidates training which gives clear information of the academic content that will be covered on their training days in university. The course outline will enable WBMs to highlight ways in which the candidate could apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired during the training to their role within the setting. Another key aspect of preparation for the role is to receive a copy of the EYPS standards and amplifications. This is vital as the candidate is required to demonstrate the standards in their personal practice and leadership and support of others. The WBM can assist candidates in understanding how practice links to the standards and provide experience opportunities to demonstrate them. The other aspect to receiving the standards is for the WBM to gain additional clarification on them from the training provider should they not be able to understand them. Finally, the WBMs needs to be aware of the types of assessments the candidate will undertake as well as the assessment criteria. Yet again, having this knowledge can provide the WBM with opportunities to discuss with the candidate their ideas and progress towards them, and help them identify the skills and knowledge that are necessary to complete them. The EYPS assessment includes: A mid-point assessment called Development Review A series of 8 written assignments designed to assess the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of each individual EYPS standard A portfolio of evidence – this includes documentary evidence and three witness testimonies relating to the candidate’s practice against the EYPS standards A single setting visit during a working day where the candidate demonstrates practice against the standards in an Observation of Practice and a Tour of the setting An Interview(s) with the candidate Once this basic preparation for the role is completed then the next step is to arrange the first initial meeting between candidate and WBM. The initial meeting: getting to know one another and agreeing objectives If candidates are on the practitioner pathways, the WBM might already know them and therefore feel they want to skip this stage, but it is highly important that both the candidate and WBM spend time establishing rapport and trust, as both the roles will be different i.e. they no longer will be colleagues, but mentor and mentee. It is essential to have a discussion in how the dual relationship will work. By doing this it will lead to a strong, trustful relationship where an open and honest discussion around the candidate’s training can take place. Before the initial meeting, WBMs should oversee the induction of the candidate into the setting. This in itself is a valid experience for the candidate to meet the children, the team, and see the learning environment they will be based in. For example a tour of the setting can enable the candidate to map the EYPS standards to what they were shown (an exercise I always encourage my candidates to carry out when they enter placement or within their own place of work when they start the programme). As well as reinforcing understanding around the standards, this forms a basis for discussion around what the candidate perceives as the setting's strength and weaknesses as they go around, and any anxieties they may have. It is always important to have that first initial meeting in order to agree terms of reference, aims and objectives, ground rules, and how the mentoring will take place. The WBM can start with an informal introduction and explain their role within the organisation. A discussion can then occur on the expectations of mentoring and the expectations of the candidate, how often meetings will take place and the nature of these meetings. It maybe helpful at this stage to draw up a Mentoring Agreement which states both the candidate and WBM’s names, the agreement of the number of sessions and minutes the candidate and WBM will meet for. It is good practice to encourage the candidate to say and record what they hope to achieve through the mentoring and for the WBM to record how they will provide support. Protocols need to be listed as in what will happen if a mentoring session is cancelled, as well as alternative methods of communication i.e. email and telephone contact. The mentoring agreement will define the boundaries of the mentoring relationship for both the WBM and candidate in order to create transparency. Through the initial meeting, it is also good practice to spend some time exploring what relevant previous experience is held by the candidate. This could form the basis of next steps and what could be built on, but also give the WBM an idea of how much support a candidate is going to need to meet the requirements of the training. Regular mentoring sessions Once the initial meeting is conducted it is then a good idea to schedule in dates for regular mentoring sessions. Regular sessions between the WBM and candidate not only ensure that a bond is maintained, but also means that progress and actions can be reviewed frequently. Although attending and recording meetings is the responsibility of both WBM and candidate, it is really the candidate’s role to seek out learning opportunities and lead in arranging meetings. This minimises the pressure on the WBM, who has a main role apart from mentoring, but also places the onus on the candidate to be autonomous and pro-active in their training. Candidates should plan what they want to discuss and inform the WBM prior to the session. When both the candidate and WBM meet, a record of the mentoring session should be kept which is the base of reviewing the candidate’s progress. A record sheet can contain the date and time of the session, review of previous actions, current progress and emerging themes, exploration of new issues, and subsequent actions with the support that is required. It is also helpful to log the date, time and venue of the next meeting. A record like this will give clear guidance to the candidate and help the WBM stay on top of their role and the candidate’s progress, but the actual session itself will provide a safe space for the candidate to discuss learning in order to progress and develop. Any type of interaction with the candidate should take a developmental approach (as we do in our work with children!) i.e. providing the resources and opportunities for learning to take place, rather than providing the answers. For example if the candidate says ‘I don’t know what to do’, instead of giving the answer, questions should be asked 'What have you tried so far?’ What happened? Why didn’t it work? How can you make it work?' This approach recognises that with support and encouragement, candidates are capable of generating their own creative solutions to practice issues. Conducting observations in practice Mentoring sessions are not just about regular meetings. One aspect of the EYPS final assessment is an observation in practice conducted by the EYPS Assessor. This is to witness and observe first hand what the personal practice and leadership and support of the candidate is like. Entry pathway candidates usually have a taster of this when visited by their placement coordinator throughout their training. It is a good approach for the actual WBM to conduct at least three 30 minute observations on the candidate (one with each age group), which will not only give an insight into the candidate’s practice, but allow the WBM to understand the EYPS standards better as they will be linked to the observation. The observations will give an idea of the candidate’s practice in order to discuss the good practice demonstrated, room for improvement, and the next steps to build on from. As well as the WBM conducting an observation in practice on the candidate, it also works the other way. The WBM is a role model and therefore needs to demonstrate good practice by showing the candidate their own personal practice and leadership skills, or allocating another practitioner as a role model. This enables the candidate to observe and take notes to then map to the standards, and allows them to provide feedback to the WBM. The WBM can use this as a basis to test what the candidate considers quality practice and their understanding around it, and if they have the ability to propose changes. Providing quality feedback Feedback is a crucial component of mentoring, and the WBM ensures regular feedback to the candidate through the above approaches, but also has a responsibility to provide feedback of the candidate’s progress to the training provider. The provision of feedback is key to the candidate’s journey and they need regular, constructive, and meaningful feedback in order to progress and develop. Feedback, when done well, boosts candidate motivation and morale. Daloz (1986) states that there are two dimensions to feedback: support and challenge. The most constructive feedback is high on support and high on challenge. It is good to start with asking the candidate with how they think they are doing, this gives them an opportunity to self-assess, but also they may touch on an aspect that the WBM wants to discuss but may be uncomfortable in initiating first. The WBM then should start with what the candidate has done well before outlining any constructive criticisms or areas for improvement. The feedback needs to be precise and specific, allowing the candidate time to respond to what is said. Feedback whether during a mentoring session, after an observation or general day to day should be about having a learning conversation, where the candidate is learning from and being challenged to develop from that point onwards. WBM are expected to be available for progress checks by the training provider. This could be via telephone or face to face. WBM should make themselves available for this and provide the university with accurate and timely feedback. In both cases of feedback, the WBM should be regular with the feedback, as delays can result in storing up issues which can then be delivered in one ‘difficult to handle’ go, thus becoming an upsetting experience for all. What needs to be remembered is that feedback is only useful if it is given in time for the candidate to do something about it, and timely feedback can also allow the training provider to get involved sooner rather than later. However, the positive aspect of feedback to the training provider is that they can then ensure they build on and discuss with the candidate their progress at the setting and further ways they can support them. Yet again, this three way communication reinforces the training provider, setting, and candidate partnership. Completion of the mentoring relationship Whether on practitioner or entry pathways, the role of WBM will come to an end upon the candidate’s completion of the training. Therefore a final meeting should take place, preferably after the candidate’s final setting assessment. This is a good opportunity to discuss with the candidate how they felt about their assessment before proceeding to the ‘what next?’ for the candidate, and ending on the enjoyable aspects of the relationship and what each will be taking away from it. A professional show of emotions from the WBM at this stage is okay! Final thought Mentoring is about empowering individuals in their journey, not creating copies of ourselves (Andrews, 2010, p10). References: Andrews, M. (2010) Understanding the Mentoring Experience: Phase 1. University of Worcester. Daloz, L. (1986) The Mentor’s Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Lee, M. (2010) Professional development in the early years: the impact of the Early Years Professional Status. Teaching expertise: Available at: http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/professional-development-early-years-impact-early-years-professional-status-10117 Teaching Agency (2012) Handbook for Prime Organisations and their Delivery Partners. Version 4.0. TA. Some of the Approaches to Successful Mentoring have been based upon Hay’s (1995) four mentoring lifecycle stages in Hay, J. (1995) Transformational Mentoring. McGraw Hill Book Company.
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