What are the steps to create a mentoring action plan with your mentee?

A mentoring action plan is a document that outlines the goals, strategies, and resources for a mentoring relationship. It helps both the mentor and the mentee to clarify their expectations, monitor their progress, and adjust their actions as needed. Creating a mentoring action plan with your mentee is a collaborative process that involves the following steps:

1 Assess your mentee's needs

The first step is to assess your mentee's needs and interests, as well as their strengths and areas for improvement. You can use various tools, such as surveys, interviews, observations, or self-assessments, to gather information about your mentee's learning style, career aspirations, professional challenges, and personal preferences. Based on the data, you can identify the most relevant and realistic goals for your mentee's development.

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Benjamin Slater

YouTuber/TikToker
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I find the most beneficial way to gather insight is to stay aware and fresh with my approach. We all learn in different ways and life teaches us this, not just the courses and lessons we take. We must always take the human approach. A good way to remember this could be to look back at your own days of studying and bring to mind the people who inspired/helped you the most and how they drew this fresh feeling of inspiration into your own education. This could help you think outside of the box when mentoring others, plus it will help create strong bonds that are hugely beneficial in the educational world.

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Allen Njau

Leading Business Optimisation Specialist
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It was in 2013 with my class assignment to draft a Business Plan while taking my MBA at St. Augustine University of Tanzania. The Business Plan was about establishing and running a honey processing and packaging business in Tanzania. In May 2016 the business was successful lunched according to the business plan in the class assignment, now saving more than 5000 customers across Tanzania and few countries abroad. It is now a Deniza Honey product in volume of 250g, 320g, 500g, 900g and 1000g under the registered small business known as Deniza Health Food Products.

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Karen H. Bradford, Ed.D.

CX Leader | Maximizing EdTech ROI for Schools and Districts
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One thing I have found extremely helpful is to learn the mentee's strengths, talents, expertise and experience. By gathering this information, I can personalize the experience to see exponential growth.

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2 Define your mentoring objectives

The next step is to define your mentoring objectives, which are the specific and measurable outcomes that you and your mentee want to achieve through the mentoring relationship. You can use the SMART framework to ensure that your objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, an objective could be: "By the end of the semester, the mentee will improve their classroom management skills by applying three new strategies and receiving feedback from the mentor."

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3 Choose your mentoring strategies

The third step is to choose your mentoring strategies, which are the methods and activities that you and your mentee will use to accomplish your objectives. You can select from a variety of strategies, such as coaching, modeling, shadowing, co-teaching, peer observation, reflection, feedback, or online learning. You should consider your mentee's preferences, availability, and learning needs when choosing your strategies. For example, if your mentee wants to improve their lesson planning skills, you could offer them templates, examples, and feedback on their plans.

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Karen H. Bradford, Ed.D.

CX Leader | Maximizing EdTech ROI for Schools and Districts
(edited)
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Further, it is strongly recommended that the mentor identify evidence-based practices and research-based strategies to share with the mentee. By doing this, the mentee is participating in this relationship with proven tools.

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4 Identify your mentoring resources

The fourth step is to identify your mentoring resources, which are the materials, tools, and people that you and your mentee will need or consult to support your mentoring strategies. You should review the existing resources that are available in your school, district, or online, such as curriculum guides, professional development programs, online platforms, or other mentors. You should also consider creating or adapting your own resources, such as checklists, rubrics, or portfolios, to suit your mentee's needs.

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5 Implement your mentoring action plan

The fifth step is to implement your mentoring action plan, which means putting your strategies and resources into action and working towards your objectives. You and your mentee should agree on a schedule, frequency, and duration of your mentoring sessions, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each party. You should also establish a communication system, such as email, phone, or online chat, to stay in touch and share information.

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Karen H. Bradford, Ed.D.

CX Leader | Maximizing EdTech ROI for Schools and Districts
(edited)
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Implementation fidelity, that is completing the action steps in the plan as intended, will yield data that is primed for analysis and evaluation.

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6 Evaluate your mentoring action plan

The final step is to evaluate your mentoring action plan, which means assessing the effectiveness and impact of your mentoring relationship. You and your mentee should collect and analyze evidence of your progress, such as feedback, observations, reflections, or data. You should also solicit feedback from other sources, such as students, colleagues, or administrators, to gain a broader perspective. Based on the results, you and your mentee should celebrate your achievements, identify your challenges, and revise your action plan as needed.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the steps to create a mentoring action plan with your mentee?

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1 Assess your mentee's needs

2 Define your mentoring objectives

3 Choose your mentoring strategies

4 Identify your mentoring resources

5 Implement your mentoring action plan

6 Evaluate your mentoring action plan

7 Here’s what else to consider

Teacher Mentoring

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