Findings: Question 18: What are the best things about being a Learning

Learning Mentor Program? What are the challenges?

Where a response or part of a response made reference to the best things about the Learning Mentor Program instead of the role of Learning Mentor, those response sets were transferred to Question 39 for analysis: What are the best things about the

Learning Mentor Program? What are its challenges?

Observations from the Data: (A) Best Things about being a Learning Mentor

All Learning Mentors Data Trends

The following five categories of responses (in rank order) emerged from the All Quest.

No. Question

18 What are the best things about being a Learning Mentor? What are the challenges?

39 What are the best things about the Learning Mentor Program? What are its challenges?

40 What benefits have accrued for you as a result of participaing in the Program? 41 What changes (if any) would you make to the Learning Mentor Program?

42 Any other comments you would like to make about the Learning Mentor Program?

1. Building and sustaining trusting and supportive relationships with mentees 2. Building relationships with parents/families of mentees

3. Developing a sense of community within the Learning Mentor Group 4. Supporting mentee learning

5. Mentoring a student from Year 7 through to Year 12

Sub-Group Data Trends

(a) The only two significant response categories evident in the non-teacher mentor data were Category 1: Building and sustaining trusting and supportive

relationships with mentees and Category 2: Building relationships with parents/families of mentees (see Appendix 23, Q.18 (a)). Examples of responses

from this cohort are:

On Mentor/Mentee Relationships

(The best thing about being a Learning Mentor is) getting to know your learning mentor group’s students and their needs. It allows for a strong bond and trust to develop between mentor and student. (Non-Teacher

Mentor)

On Parent/Family Relationships

Engaging with parents and developing a relationship that lasts is one of the best things of the mentoring role. (Non-Teacher Mentor)

(b) All other sub-groups followed the All Learning Mentor data trends listed when cohort size was taken into account in the observation (see Appendix 23, Q.18 (a)). Examples of evidence from each response category are:

On Mentor/Mentee Relationships

The best things (about being a mentor) are the strong relationships formed with students. You get an understanding of what works for them. It allows you to be an advocate for them and to make sure they are getting a holistic experience here at school. (Teacher Mentor)

On Parent/Family Relationships

The best things (about being a mentor) are engaging with parents and developing a relationship with them. Also being able to communicate with families other than those of the students I teach. (Teacher Mentor)

On Developing a Sense of Community

The best thing (about being a learning mentor) is being able to create a family like atmosphere in the learning mentor group. This gives students the opportunity to feel connected to the school through a sense of

community. (Teacher Mentor)

On Supporting Mentees’ Learning

The best thing (about being a learning mentor) is learning about a student’s methods of learning and working out ways of supporting this. Also getting students to set goals and think about their achievements and areas for improvement. (Teacher Mentor)

On Mentoring Students through to Year 12

The best thing (about being a learning mentor) is the ongoing nature of the relationship between mentee and mentor i.e. it continues throughout a student’s time at the school – from Year 7 to Year 12. (Teacher Mentor) In summary, the prevailing focus across the ‘best things’ response themes was on the development and sustaining of relationships with key stakeholders. The specific support of mentees’ learning was secondary to the latter theme.

Observations from the Data: (B) Challenges of the Mentoring Role

Data Trends

The following four key response categories (in rank order) emerged from the All

Learning Mentor data in response to ‘What are the challenges of being a Learning Mentor?’

1. Not having enough structured, relevant and differentiated content to deliver in the Program

2. Managing administrative and mentoring demands of role alongside teaching/non-teaching role

3. Supporting mentees’ learning

4. Supporting mentees with a diversity of needs (including behavioural)

Sub-Group Data Trends

All sub-groups followed the All Learning Mentor data trends listed for the key response categories when cohort size was taken into account (see Appendix 23, Q.18 (b)). Examples of evidence from each response category are:

On Program Content

How can one program fit all Year Levels? I think the program should be more tailored to individual year groups and have sessions in year groups. Currently the Program is irrelevant and unconnected to the broader student experience. (Learning Mentor)

On Managing Administrative and Mentoring Demands of Role with Teaching Role

The challenges are mostly related to the administrative time it takes to properly manage the students we are responsible for. Some students I will only have a serious discussion with twice a year and maybe see their parents once a year at Career Counselling interviews. Other students who have welfare or learning issues take a lot of time and energy to manage. I have had several students like this and it might mean that I am trying to contact home a lot, write emails and have face-to-face case management meetings after school once per fortnight. This becomes a burden that needs to be managed along with my teaching commitments. (Learning Mentor)

On Supporting Mentees’ Learning

I enjoy being part of the program and the community building aspect of it, but I don’t know how much I actually support my mentees’ learning. (Learning Mentor)

On Mentoring Students with a Diversity of Needs

Understanding the real processes for supporting students with difficult behaviours or other high end needs is a problem. Learning Mentors shoulder the responsibility for these students - it is expected that they know all and handle all. But we do not spend the same about of time with the students as their classroom teachers. Most of the time, their classroom teachers have more knowledge and understanding of the students and are therefore more equipped to deal with the issues facing them. (Learning

Mentor)