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What is the focus of your investigation? The focus of my investigation is to look at ways to make the Year 8 scheme of work on tourism more suited to the different learning styles of pupils in the group. This was not though how it started off! I started with the rather over ambitious study question: 'How can I use different teaching styles to enagage pupils with different learning styles?' Naively on the 10th May 2005, I came up with this brainstorm...... Abstract I am for the most, a didactic teacher, too scared to 'think outside the box!', I am a bit of a 'control freak' and have an 'I am in charge!' attitude and I like order in the classroom. I taught an observed lesson this year as part of department review and tried something different called 'Jig-sawing.' I received very positive feedback which made me think that I ought to try something more risky more often. Consider the background There are lots of different learning styles that suit different people. There are lots of different views and research on learning and how it can be achieved. There has already been a lot of research on Multiple Intelligences - Gardner and also on Accelerated Learning - Colin Rose and Brian Tracy, would I need to look at both of these? Where did Bloom's taxonomy fit into this? Does it in fact fit into this at all? I needed to think about how lessons can be adapted to incorporate those learning styles. I also needed to think about the limitations and implications of trying this out on 'real' classes. Think through the methodology In order for this to work did I? Choose one group? Choose parallel groups? Choose groups of differing abilities? I would need to devise a questionnaire for pupils, based loosely on a simplified version of Gardner's research and then sort the results: boy / girl, ability, ages? Following this I would then need to plan a series of lessons incorporating the different styles and include these in an appendix. My lessons would need evaluating. How would this be done? By pupils? Through being observed teaching and by myself? Perhaps I should be brave and use video? Questions were also raised, would I need to observe other lessons from other subjects where a different learning style might be dominant, e.g. Drama, Art, Technology etc. to see how these subject catered for the need of pupils? Understand the analysis Is a pattern evident from the questionnaire results? Does age, gender, ability, peer pressure, home background have an influence? If so why? If not why not? Suggest some outcomes For example, I would predict that boys would prefer Kinaesthetic lessons, girls would prefer Linguistic lessons. More able pupils would have high levels of Inter and Intra personal intelligences etc. It wasn't until after I started to look at this Action Research Cycle, that I realised this question could earn me about six PhDs and I needed to focus my question more carefully, otherwise I would still be writing up my research well into my 90's! So I started to think of a group and a topic. Therefore, I will concentrate on my Year 8 Geography group and the unit on Tourism.
The Action Research Spidergam
This spider diagram reflects my intial thoughts on my project, that is once I had narrowed it down to include only my Year 8 group and only one scheme of work, Tourism. Although it is only early days, I already have a lot of thoughts and ideas running through my head - at the moment, the possibilities are endless!!
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This just about sums it up!
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What type of learner am I?
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What was your approach and/or what evidence have you gathered? As a part time teacher, my choice of groups was somewhat limited! My specialism is Geography, but due to timetabling constraints I actually only teach two Geography classes, the rest of my timetable being made up of maths, photography and a college course - not bad for two days! So, in the end I had a choice of working with my Year 7 mixed ability group or my Year 8 top set. In the end the choice was easy. I decided to focus my research on my Year 8 group as it is this group that I have found the most exciting to teach. They are a group of 33 lively, intelligent and confident individuals whom I knew would respond to this in a mature and enthusiastic way. I thought the best way to tackle this with the pupils was to be honest with them and tell them from the start they were going to be my 'guinea pigs' and that I was going to trial something new with them. Their response was superb! They seemed genuinely interested in what I was hoping to achieve and asked lots of pertinent questions such as what was in it for me, why did I want to do, why did I choose them etc.. I thought this was extremely selfless and thoughtful of them, they seemed to be putting my needs in front of their own! My first suprise from this project - let's hope there are many more! After my introduction, I went on to explain how I would approach the research with them. I started off giving them the title of my project, , 'How can I teach the unit on Tourism to my top set Year 8 class to meet the different learning styles of pupils in that group?' I then asked the pupils what information they thought I needed to gather? They suggested I needed first to find out what their preferred learning styles were. A good starting point I thought and in good 'Blue Peter' tradition, I produced a questionnaire that I had prepared earlier! The questionnaire was adapted from one I found online at: www.nedprod.com/Niall_stuff/intelligence_test.html (This was accessed on 17/05/05) I felt that the questionnaire as it stood used too many complex words and abstract ideas to use in its crude state with this group, so after a little bit of adaptation, I felt that it was at a level the pupils could access. I have attached a copy of it below. I purposefully did not label the sections on the questionnaire with their preferred learning styles as I was concerned that this might 'sway' the results of the questionnaire. This would be especially true if a pupil believes they are good at Maths they may automatically assume they need to achieve a high score in that section when it might not be their truthful response, instead by leaving each section numbered, I believe the pupils completed their questionnaires without influence. Once the pupils had completed the questionnaire they were really keen to find out which type of learning stlye they were. Some of them had already completed a questionnaire in the past and had some awareness of what the different styles were and what they meant. So once the pupils had added up their scores they were able to find out which category of learner they were. They listened in trepidation as the results were read out. I explained what each style meant and also provided them with a paragraph on each of the learning styles for them to refer to later which outlined the strengths of each style. On initial analysis of the results, it was interesting to discover that quite a lot of the pupils, 18 in fact had their highest score in more than one learning style. Perhaps these pupils were the 'all rounders' that performed well in all subjects? Time and further research could and hopefully would answer this question.
Pupil Questionnaire
Here is a blank questionnaire, the pupils completed this in lesson on 25th May 2005.
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Maybe there IS light at the end of the tunnel?
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What results have emerged? As this piece of research is still very much 'work in progress,' results in terms of actual 'facts' are a bit few and far between. In terms of the pupils attitude, this has been on the whole overwhelmingly positive. I have found the pupils more focussed and enthusiastic than normal and it feels like they are keen for me to succeed and that by showing more co-operation they are enabling me to do what I want to with them! It is quite a privileged position to be in! So far the devlopment of the scheme of work I am adapting is in its infancy. The changes to make it 'fit' different learning styles are happening on a lesson by lesson basis. Eventually, there will be a whole new scheme of work with the changes highlighted on it, but at the moment, there are only two lesson changes that have occurred! Though having said that, I have had two really rewarding lessons which I think is as a result of my influence on how the lessons have been taught and how the pupils have learnt. I hope to be able to record more successes as this project continues. The questionnaire really threw up some interesting results. It was carried out on 25/5/05. (There is a link to it on this site for those who are interested) The results from the questionnaire are shown graphically if you follow the link below. They show which intelligences the pupils favour. Some pupils came out with more than one strength which was something I did not envisage happening before the pupils completed the questionnaire. 14 boys and 18 girls were present on the day the questionnaires were completed.
Questionnaire Results - Graphically
Here are three simple graphs drawn from the result of the questionnaire. More will follow as the action research continues.....
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Starting My Masters..... Scary stuff! May 2005 Teachers at Bitterne Park School, Southampton have been extremely fortunate to have been provided with the opportunity to study for a Masters Degree at no financial cost to themselves, just lots of blood, sweat and tears! It took me a long time to decide whether to put myself forward for the course or not? The trouble being, I haven't worked full time for four years since the birth of our two sons. I had already decided to return to full time teaching in September 2005 and was lucky enough to be offered a full time job at Bitterne Park, where I began my teaching career 12 long years ago. But how was I going to cope with two small boys, a full time job and an MA course? Not being one to run from a challenge I decide to 'Go For It!' I was unbelieveably nervous at the first meeting, wondering who else was going to be there? Was everyone else more up to date on educational issues than me? Would they look at me and think, 'What's the part-timer doing here?' Time would tell. Thankfully, after the first meeting with Simon Riding, Assistant Headteacher at the school, I felt better. Perhaps I could do this afterall? He introduced us to a new term and a whole new way to research; Action Research. I think I and many of my colleagues were unaware of this method and listened with much trepidation and a little bit of excitement as he explained to us what this was and how it worked. Maybe, this was the challenge I needed? I left the meeting with my head full of ideas ready to really get my teeth into something new!
Diary of a Novice Action Researcher!
This is a continuation of the above, it describes how I have felt as the course has progressed
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Always on the go - a bit like children!
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My Musings on Action Research Having now read and hopefully digested quite a lot of literature about Action Research my thoughts and views have somewhat changed. Very early on in this unit, we were asked to write our own definitions of both Action Research and Mentoring. I will deal with the latter of the two later. These were placed online by Sarah Fletcher on our behalf, however, to save you time, I have included my original definition below: 'Action Research is a self reflective programme of research which has benefits for all members of the school community. It is an evaluative process that is completed, evaluated, changed and begun all over again. Action Research is practical research that is conducted by practioners already working in a role where the research is taking place.' (18/5/05) So how would I change my definition of Action Research? Well to begin with, I think my original definition still holds weight and is a fairly accurate description of the process one needs to go through when conducting an Action Research project. What I failed to realise was the fact that Action Research is implicit in the daily lives of all good teachers and those teachers are carrying out Action Research on an informal basis daily. This I think is because, it is Action Research that is the driving force behind curriculum change and improvement, Somekh. (no date) I do not think I fully understood the implications of this and I did not entirely appreciate how flexible Action Research could be and that it has no real end, a point of resolution perhaps? but still no end. Even though our course title contained the phrase 'mentoring' I did not see a link between the two at first but now realise that Action Research is collaborative research and that it needs a strong and healthy mentoring relationship or critical friend if it is to flourish. McNiff (2002) All of these points now need to be incorporated into my new and improved definition of Action Research. Something I need to think about and come back to later!
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This is where it all happens....
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My Action Research and the School! I have been teaching at the school since September 1993 and the school has always striven to be the best mixed comprehensive in Southampton. This being predominantly based on performance in external examinations though I know the school's strong positive ethos would also argue that the school is keen to be the best in terms of contribution to school life and wider community. So how can I support this through my research? Well, quite easily I believe! Through adapting the scheme of work on Tourism and trying hard to deliver lessons that are both inspirational and challenging will mean not only will the pupils understanding of Geography improve but also their understanding of the wider issues relating the Tourism. And what a fantastic time to be teaching about issues in Africa with the Live8 concert on Saturday and the G8 Summit this week! I believe if pupils are engaged and enthused it is more likely they will act on their learning outside of lessons too and become well motivated contributers to society as a result - all this on top of good examination results, which can't be a bad thing!
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My Hopes for the future.... I am hoping that through completing this course and using the mentoring skills I have developed that it can act as a 'springboard' to further professional development for me. I am returning to full time teaching next year and viewed this MA as a way for me to get myself back on the career ladder. In the past I have been both Head of Year and a Head of Geography and I am looking forward to taking on more respsonsibility in the future. Maybe working more closely with the Special Needs Department, maybe acting as the link teacher between school and the university working on the student teacher programme. I did want to progress into senior management at one time, I am not sure whether this is what I want or not now? Maybe if one day the right job came up and the wind was blowing in the right direction? Only time will tell! I do however feel that this course has helped me to 'open my eyes' somewhat to opportunities that may be out there and hopefully those opportunities will be ones in which I can further develop my already developing mentoring or action research skills.
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A bit like Bob the Builder, working together to get the job done!
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A collaborative partnership! We have been asked to describe times when we have worked together collaboratively with our research mentors. Rachele and I have often worked together on an informal basis, sharing ideas and views and offering suggestions on how to improve each other's work. However, there have been a few notable occasions when we have worked together in a more formal situation. The first being during one of the MA sessions in the computer rooms when I was keen to share with Rachele the work my Year 8 class had completed. The pupils were asked to write a journal of a safari holiday to Kenya. During the lesson the scene was set with the pupils arriving to Kenya music playing. We discussed the music and where it came from, the pupils were quick to assess it was from Kenya giving some fabulous reasons as to why this was the case. They were then issued with photos from Kenya and asked to write down words and phrases that best described the images in the photographs, all of the time the music was playing. The feedback from the group during the discussion was amazing and made me feel really proud to be teaching them. Their responses were so 'adult' and 'balanced' it was an uplifting experience. Thank goodness, I had remembered to video this lesson!! After this initial discussion I provided the pupils with an itinerary of a safari holiday to Kenya. They were then asked to write a journal that was geographically accurate describing the sights, sounds and experiences of their holiday.This was completed for their homework. I decided to discuss my plans for this lesson with Rachele as I knew it touched on a topic close to her heart 'imagination' and I wanted her opinion as to how I should go about it and how best to engage the pupils in completing this work. She gave me some useful tips for which I was grateful, the pupils put heart and soul into their work. I was really impressed with the work the pupils had completed, the work was well illustrated and colourful too. They all contained geographical accuracy as well as fantastic imaginative accounts of their feelings on seeing the sights and the animals, not to mention the injections and mosquito bites! It was awe inspiring and I was really keen to share this work with Rachele. She was impressed, it was obvious, and this meant a lot to me as I value her opinion greatly and I was proud to show her the pupils completed journals too. There will be examples of pupil work linked to this snapshot in the future and even some video of the class discussion that 'fired' the imagination of the pupils in the group. Another time when we have worked together has been today (12th July 2005) where close to submission day, we decided to sit down together and have a good read of each other's work and gauge whether we had completed all of the tasks set. This was a really enlightening experience for me as it allowed me to read in one go Rachele's work. It was a really pleasurable and rewarding as it showed me how far she has come on since the early days of our mentoring. Her work shows a real professionalism and intellect. It made me feel really proud to be her mentor and although there were some minor omissions and points on improvement to be made, Rachele has really made my job of mentor an easy one as she has clearly worked with dedication and commitment from the start. I thank you for this Rachele. Rachele did the same with my work and was very complementary about it which was a superb feeling! Yes, there are things I still need to do, well nobody's perfect! But it really helped having a fresh pair of eyes looking over my submission and making some genuine and original suggestions for improvement afterall we are all aiming at the same target. So how did Rachele and I set out to work like this? If I am honest I am not sure? All I do know is that in school you can never be too sure of when you are going to have free time. Often you think you will have some time that day and then the cover goes up and all chances of having a few minutes to yourself are snatched away! Anyone in teaching will know what I mean by this! So up until recently, Rachele and I have just caught each other as and when we have seen each other. This has been sufficient on the whole to meet our needs, what with emails, text messages and phone calls too! It has only been recently, we have felt the need for a more formal setting as we wanted to really have some uninterrupted time to work so for the first time we set a time and place. It was then we both knew that this was 'our' time and it could not be taken from us and we had to make the best of it. So how did we decide on the next steps? Again this was done quite informally with both of us looking at our course handbooks and the other person's snapshot we had annotated. I went first and discussed my thoughts on Rachele's snapshot and she then did the same with me. At the end of this session we both knew what the other party thought our strengths were and also knew where there was room for improvement. We came to our respective targets quite easily as both of us trusted the other in terms of what was good and what was not quite as good. That sounds a bit better than 'bad!' Later on we are hoping to have a go at the self evaluation forms together as neither of us are particularly clued up on these either and we are hoping that the old saying rings true - 'two heads are better than one!'
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Book, books and yet more books!
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Useful Resources and the PLTA! As a new action researcher, I have been keen to discover what the term actually means and how it is one actually goes about conducting a piece of action research. But after reading about it, it soon became clear that mentoring would have a large part to play in this as well, though why I didn't pick up on this I am not sure, especially as the unit title is 'Work Based Mentoring and Action Research.' So there was my first challenge, to complete some reading and find out exactly what these terms meant. Thankfully, Sarah Fletcher our course lecturer, pointed us in the right direction by providing us with some excellent resources that allowed us to investigate the terms further. As part of our assessment for this unit, we have been asked to complete a PLTA which is explained in the link below. By clicking on the link you will be able to see what it is I have read, what I thought about it and how I could use it in my own research and professional development. Now all I had to do was redefine my own definitions of action research and mentoring in light of this reading and think about how to improve teaching and learning through systematic enquiry - no mean feat!
The PLTA
Here you can find a completed PLTA, 'Professional Learning Task Account' a writing scaffold issued by Bath Spa University College that helps us engage with any literature we have used in this unit.
Bibliography, References and Websites!
Here you can find out about all the sources I have used in completing this snapshot.
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My Musings on Mentoring Like Action Research, very early on in this unit we had to write a definition of what we thought mentoring is, this is what I came up with: Mentoring is a two way process between two parties, the mentor and the mentee. This partnership should be built on mutual respect and trust. The mentor should provide a framework for open discussion and advice. The framework should be flexible and meet the needs of the mentee addressing ever changing issues, problems or successes as they occur. (18/5/05) On reflection, I have come to realise that my definition of mentoring does not include several fundamental points. The most notable to me is that mentoring is a two way learning process, Fletcher (2000); as I have always assumed that the people mentoring me were the authority and had completed all the learning they needed to do and not that the whole mentoring processes was a learning tool for them too. Having read about the importance of feedback, Parsloe and Wray (2000) I have been able to appreciate that it is not the feedback as such per se but how it is conducted and delivered. Mentoring also involves not only professional development for both the mentor and the mentee but also offers a wealth of opportunity for personal development as both parties will learn about themselves through being part of a rigorous mentoring relationship, Smith and West-Burnham (1993) I have been able to look at different models on offer as a guide to particpiating in a mentoring programme and have begun to realise that these models cannot be used in isolation but used as a 'spring board' for futher advancements. Brookes and Sikes (1997) They also argue the case for a stepped relationship in mentoring that changes as the competencies of the mentee improves with practise from one where the Apprenticeship model is dominant to one where the mentor acts as co-enquirer that 'provides excellent opportunities for professional devlopment for both parties.' I also thought I had better look at what a 'professional mentor' thought mentoring was and this bought me to our course reader, 'Mentoring in Schools - A Handbook of Good Practice' by Sarah Fletcher to see what she thought and was surprised to find in the introduction alone 23 word or phrases associated with mentoring. No wonder I was finding redefining it such a tough job! I rather like the definition offered by Mullen and Lick (1999) as a 'synergised learning process' rather than a one way apprenticeship where the mentor passes information to the mentee. This Apprenticeship model of mentoring is probably the type of relationship I would have favoured myself at the beginning of the course as I would have welcomed Sarah teaching us rather than just guiding us through the process. However, as the course has progressed I have come to appreciate her input as a subtle and non persuasive influence on my research. Sarah is very much someone who has asked probing and open questions but has left me very much on my own to make up my mind and formalise my own ideas. Her style is very much in line with Mullen and Lick's definition, where the synergy comes from working collaboratively with someone on a pathway of co-enquiry which hopefully leads to greater successes than working independently. This I understand from Sarah, is what research mentoring is all about and her defintion from her website would support this as she suggests that research mentoring is 'creative collaboration between teachers as researchers and other researchers' where the whole is greater than the parts themselves. This idea is at the core of Gestalt Philosophy and I can see its relevance here too. Now I feel more confident in my own abilities as both and Action Researcher and as a research mentor to Rachele, I feel empowered, energised and motivated enought to tackle the further challenges offered by this MA course. To me though the biggest revelation I have had, is that I believe, or at least I feel I could argue the case, is that mentoring is Action Research! If the mentoring relationship develops as it should based on honesty, openness and trust, Fletcher (2000) then this will lead to Action Research occuring. The mentor meets with their mentee and they discuss an action point or plan, the mentee tries it out, it is reviewed and evaluated and changed so that next time it is better and so on and so forth. Mentoring like Action Research is a cycle and although it might come to an end when the mentee or mentor moves on, it is not long before those people are involved in new mentoring relationships which brings new challenges but more experience and begins all over again! This view is supported by Brokes and Sikes (1997) when they write about the mentor as co-enquirer, where there is an equal relationship between mentor and mentee and they work 'as an equal in the process of enquiry in the knowledge that he or she may also gain from this, an exercise close to action research.'
Mentoring spider diagram
This spider diagram was completed on 18/5/05 before I had the opportunity to read much about mentoring, it might be a bit naive? Only time will tell!
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Take me by the hand and show me the way and once I'm there, please tell me!
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How My Mentoring Relationships have developed... At the beginning of the course, once we had all explained our Action Research questions to the other members of the group we then had to find a mentor. We were advised to work alongside someone whose piece of Action Research was similar in some ways to our own. Based on this, Sally Stevens and I decided to work together as both our questions were looking at different learning styles and multiple intelligences. Before starting the course, I did not really know Sally very well, I knew she was a talented Drama teacher who was well regarded by both staff and pupils but I knew very little else, but was looking forward to the opportunity to work with someone new. Although I have touched base with Sally on a few occasions, I feel my mentoring relationship with Rachele Morse has really started to develop. I think this may be a bit of a 'ploy' on the part of Sarah Fletcher who swayed our choice of partner in the first place only for us to see our mentoring relationships develop in a totally different direction? I do feel guilty in some respects as I feel I have not given the same opportunities to Sally as I have been able to give to Rachele but on the other hand Rachele has been able to offer me a lot of support, guidance and friendship too. So what was it that sparked this relationship in the first place? Well it was very much a throw away comment by the fridge in the staff room. I don't know who enquired about the MA first, whether it was me, or Rachele, but all I knew was that somehow something clicked and we were engaging in a conversation about the MA course that felt real and alive, it really was a two way exchange of two people on the same footing trying to find the right route to take! What we managed to squeeze into a few minutes was more relevant, honest and open than any other conversation I had had about the MA course since starting it! I think that Rachele must have felt the same, as the next time we spoke, we just started from where we left off and the collaborative apsect of our mentoring really started to form. This was just what I needed, someone who was positive, even in the face of adversity, as neither of us really knew what we were supposed to be doing at the point. Beforehand most of the conversations I had been involved in with colleagues were negative and unmotivating as they moaned about the work, whereas with Rachele she was upbeat and seemed energised by the whole prospect of the MA. This was exactly how I felt and so the friendship / mentoring relationship blossomed as a result. Rachele and I have regularly phoned and emailed one another with questions about what we needed to do, how we had to do it and we have also rather suprisingly to the both of us, have even discussed mentoring and action research! I am not sure why this relationship has been able to flourish whilst the one with Sally has not? Maybe it is because I have known Rachele for longer? or maybe, it is because I think we are both quite similar- she might agree to differ on this statement though!! As I see it, we both have the same high expectations of ourselves and the pupils we teach. I also know from recent conversations, we both hate missing deadlines too. It would be interesting to see why Rachele thinks the relationship has been so successful. Maybe I'll ask her! Our meetings so far have been somewhat informal from snatched moments over coffee in the staffroom to snatched moments at the bottom of the stairs in the school's main foyer! As yet we have not actually timetabled an actual meeting. At the moment these informal chats, phone calls and emails have been sufficient to meet my needs. I assume they've met Rachele's too? It may be that as the MA progresses we do find there is a need to organise and plan more structured mentoring sessions with a predetermined agenda? Who knows, only time will tell? Another valuable relationship to me has been the suport and advice offered by my husband Alan, who is a senior manager at a Hampshire School. Although he is not actually studying for an MA at the moment he is on the NPQH course and always has a viewpoint and sometimes even a 'pearl of wisdom' to offer. I am also hoping, that he soon volunteers for the position of proof reader too!
Rachele's Mentoring Qualities
I have been reflecting on what makes Rachele such a great research mentor. This is a brainstorm of some of her best qualities - I am sure there are many others, so check for updates later!
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Helping each other!
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Research Mentoring? When I first started this course, I really could not see how mentoring actually fitted into the equation? I grapsed the idea of action research quite quickly and was really keen to get on with my project and not give a second thought as to what mentoring was and how it could be of use or benefit to me or the others on the course. So intially I did not want to be a research mentor, I wanted an MA!!! So it was with reluctance that I took on the role. Intially I had little idea as to what the role of a research mentor was and viewed it as something that required a lot of input from me and very little in return. Maybe this is down to my own past experiences of being mentored and as a mentor myself. Where often this is just a job you are expected to undertake with very little time or resources to fall back on. It has only been since I have begun working alongside Rachele that I have begun to appreciate the rewards that a positive mentoring relationship can have both personally and professionally. Through acting as a research mentor to Rachele I have be able to appreciate the benefits of being able to share and exchange ideas and views with someone whose opinions I value and trust and as a result, I believe that both of us developed our mentoring skills as a result. I know from talking to Rachele that it was a role she was initially reluctant to adopt early on too - so maybe it is just as well we found each other and have had such a positive experience as a result! I think that is because we started at the same point and we have ended up at the same point we feel a certain empathy with each other. Our values have both changed from being quite negative towards mentoring and the usefulness of it to our research to one where we both are able to value the relationship greatly. Although we are research mentors and mentees, it does not feel like either of us are really in either role. We don't sit down and one minute Rachele is the mentor and me the mentee then swap, it much more a fluid relationship where the role changes automatically without much thought going into it. I would describe our relationship as one of mutual support, respect and trust as there is no one time where I have felt either superior or inferior to Rachele! Acting as a research mentor has allowed me to work in a professional capacity alongside a dedicated and talented teacher who has very similar values to me - maybe this is why the partnership has been so successful, it has also taught me a lot about myself too. It has taught me to be less selfish and to support other people more than I would have done in the past, where I would have been content to just get on with it in isolation. Working colllaboratively has meant that my motivation and commitment to this unit has increased and spurred me on to work harder than I think I would have done if I had been left to my own devices! Rachele has always been willing to share her work with me and I have always done the same and as a result I believe that our snapshots look and read really well. Rachele has passed comments on mine and I have done so on hers. Without Rachele's praise, sound judgement and honesty, I don't think I would have attacked this unit with such vigour! I really want to share new additions with her to see what she thinks and she always keeps me regularly updated with hers. This has really challenged my original ideas on mentoring where I have always been on the receiving end and always delivered as a result, something closely resembling the Apprenticeship Model; to being in the position of really valuing the opportunity to work alongside a fellow professional with whom I feel I am on an equal footing with to achieve common goals. This relationship has really developed into one of 'mentor as co-enquirer' Brookes and Sikes (1997) and I have been able to develop my mentoring skills not only on a professional basis but also on a personal level too. This was something I could have never envisaged before I started on this course. I don't profess to be the perfect mentor, I know there are areas I need to improve on. My biggest concern is that when Rachele is explaining something to me, I sometimes don't let her finish and am so keen to voice my opinion that I end up cutting across her and ruining her train of thought. I noticed this quite early on and have promised myself, in future, I will let Rachele have her say and once she has had it only then will I speak! Tough job for someone like me I know. At the moment, I don't think I am being fair to her and providing her with the opportunity to get things off her chest, but I will try harder with this aspect in the future.
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Examples of student work This is where I am hoping to include some work completed by the pupils in my Year 8 group.
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