Telementoring

USWEST Fellows and Telementoring

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Telementoring: An Examination of the Potential for an Educational Network

David J. Wighton, Ph.D. Research Coordinator Education Technology Centre of B. C. May, 1993

Abstract

This paper is a report on a number of explorations that have been conducted into the potential use of telementoring within an educational telecommunications network. First, a description of the teacher mentoring role will be given, the word -telementoring will be defined, and the initial idea of electronic mentoring that provided the stimulus for the paper will be described. This will be followed by a review of the mentoring literature that has some applicability to that idea. The final part of the paper will outline some of the lessons from other types of mentoring programs that could be applied to a telementoring program within an educational telecommunications network.

Teacher mentors

Heller and Sindelar (1991) reported that the term -mentor had its origin in Homer‘s Odyssey when a wise and learned man named Mentor was entrusted with the education of Odysseus‘ son Telemachus. Today, mentoring is -simply the advice from a respected, experienced person provided to someone who needs help (p. 7). In the education field, mentors are "seasoned, experienced teachers who act as teachers, guides, counselors, role models, and friends to new teachers" (p. 7).

Odell (1990) also recognized Homer‘s epic as the source of the word -mentor. She suggested that a central quality of mentoring was that it was -intentional, nurturing, insightful, and supportive (p. 6). Drawing further from the literature on mentoring, she reported that the mentoring role can be labeled with a variety of terms, including guide, supporter, advisor, teacher specialist, teacher coach, consultant, helping teacher, peer teacher, support teacher, encourager, and befriender.

Telementoring

-Telementoring is defined by the author as a mentoring relationship or program in which the primary form of contact between mentor and mentee is made through the use of telecommunication media such as e-mail, listservers, etc.

The Initial Idea for a Telementoring Program

 

The idea of using telementoring within an educational telecommunications network was sparked by a description of how Teacher Liaison Consultants (TLCs) provided help to their peers using LabNet-a network aimed to support high school physics teachers implement project-enhanced learning (Ruopp, 1993). Eight TLCs each provided assistance through electronic links to 12-15 other teachers scattered throughout the U. S.

The Education Technology Centre of B. C. (ETC) is currently piloting a province-wide educational network. This network has approximately 2,200 accounts, including teachers, administrators, students, and others within the province. Through the network, subscribers have access to electronic mail, conferencing services, and information resources.Various kinds of technical support are provided by ETC to teachers who wish to learn to use the network, including training sessions within the district, an extensive manual, and a free telephone help line. In addition, within a number of school districts, teacher facilitators help novice colleagues. These facilitators receive training and on-going support from ETC.

However, in examining ways in which our support to the field can be enhanced, some discussion within ETC has focused on improving the pedagogical assistance that teachers can access. Much of the help that we provide is technical in nature-for example, learning the skills needed to access the network and overcoming problems with software, telephone lines, etc. Since telecomputing expertise is still relatively limited, since there might be only a small number of teacher subscribers to the network within a school district, and since the network covers a very large geographical area, providing the needed levels of support through traditional face-to-face means is problematic.

Telementoring, however, might be successful in enabling more pedagogical support to be given. Although educational telecomputing has been relatively recent in B.C., pockets of experienced teachers do exist. For example, a consortium of school districts in the central interior of the province has been using a telecommunications network for several years. In addition, there are a number of experienced telecomputing teachers in other districts. The telementoring idea underlying this paper, therefore, is that a cadre of experienced telecomputing teachers would be recruited to provide educational support to novice users who wished to be part of the program. Mentors would be both reactive (replying to queries) as well as proactive (contacting their mentees regularly). The support would be primarily pedagogical in nature, focusing on helping teachers to use telecomputing activities within the curriculum, as opposed to helping them to develop personal technical skills.

 

 

A Review of Selected Literature on Mentoring

An ERIC search revealed that various forms of mentoring have been used by educators. Mentoring has been used within post secondary institutions, for instance in establishing links between faculty members (Boice, 1992 ), between administrators (Johnsrud, 1990), and between non-teaching staff (Tauler, 1989). Within school districts, mentorships have been established between experienced and novice teachers (DeBolt, 1991), in counselling (Benshoff, 1992) and with students (Hamilton & Hamilton, 1992). The most frequent reference in the recent literature has been to mentorship programs established in the United States to assist beginning teachers. In some states, mentorship programs have been mandated, and this has been accompanied by a series of research studies and evaluations to determine the effect of these programs. For a recent review of the research, see Odell (1990); for studies of effective teacher mentor programs, see Ackley and Gall (1992) and Heller and Sindelar (1991); for a discussion of the effects of teacher mentor programs, see Warring (1991); for an examination of the characteristics of the mentor teacher, see Manthei (1992); for a guide to setting up mentorship programs, see Little and Nelson (1990); and, for a report on collaborative ventures between a post secondary institution and a school district, see Warring (1990).

The primary focus of this literature search was to find mentoring programs which used telecommunications. As noted earlier, Ruopp (1993) recounted the experiences of the eight TLCs in the LabNet project. Their purpose was to provide technical and moral support, to reduce teachers‘ sense of isolation, and to advance project enhanced learning by enabling teachers to share information and address the critical questions that they encountered in their classroom about this approach. Contacts between TLC and their mentees were made through telecommunications.

Telecommunications were used for a very specific circumstance by Agresto (1989) who set up a network so that 14 teachers, located in seven schools in six states, could communicate on-line during their training and their implementation of a particular instructional unit. Project information and materials were disseminated through the network. As teachers implemented the unit, they were asked to share their experiences on-line with other teachers, for example by describing what went well during the lesson and what didn‘t go well. Typically, teachers‘ communications involved one message commenting on their own results and several messages responding to messages sent by other teachers. Although this program did not involve a mentoring approach, it is included here because of the use of telecommunications to share information, ideas, and resources.

No other instances of telecommunications within mentoring/inservice programs were found in the ERIC search. However, it seemed appropriate to seek information on telementoring from educators who use telecommunications regularly. Accordingly, a request for information (see Appendix A) was placed on seven listservers-CMC, COSN, EDTECH, EDUTEL, GRTTI-L, IRLEARN, and KIDSPHERE. Subsequently, over 70 messages were exchanged with close to 20 educators.

Electronic Emissary Project. This pilot project is sponsored by the Texas Center for Educational Technology (TCET) and the University of Texas at Austin. The following information was derived from an interim report on the project (Harris, 1993). The reader should contact Judi Harris directly ([e-mail]) for further information.

The Internet makes a huge array of resources available to educators, not the least of which are opportunities for individuals to interact asynchronously with others and, as a result, to form cross-disciplinary, inter-institutional working relationships. However, due to the size and complexity of the Internet, help is needed to bring people together. The Electronic Emissary Project (EEP) is a resource, available through the Internet, which can help teachers identify experts in different disciplines. Curriculum-based collaborations can then be established between teachers, students, and the experts. For example, students could communicate with the expert (ask questions, enter into discussions, etc.), or teachers could be linked with other teachers.

A prototype of the EEP is currently being field tested with 32 pairs of classroom teachers and experts who can send and receive mail to each other through a central point on the TCET server. EEP coordinators help teams to shape their projects to best reflect areas of interest and expertise, the instructional needs of students, the extent of Internet access available, and scheduling constraints. Summaries of the projects, written by the various teams, will be made available to interested Internet users.

If the field testing is successful, and if additional necessary funding is found, a database will be created of requests for collaboration and offers of expertise. Teachers from anywhere on the Internet will then be able to search this on-line database for matches. Future on-line collaborators will also have access to the on-line project summaries prepared by previous teams.

Preliminary information suggests that the pilot is going well. Moreover, there is substantial interest in the project. For example, more than 800 requests for information have been received and more than 250 subject matter experts have volunteered their time and expertise for 1994-1996.

Pluto. Peter Gorny, of the University of Oldenburg (Oldenburg, Germany), reported that a form of telementoring is being used in their PLUTO project (Project to Link Universities & Training Organizations). This project has a subproject called PLUTO European Educational Network which has the training of teachers in the use of Computer Mediated Communications as its main objective. Approximately 53 schools and other educational institutions are linked to the Internet. Through the PLUTO facilities, the university provides traditional support, for example distribution of materials and software, half day seminars by faculty, and initial site-based training by a graduate student research assistant.

The project also makes use of local groups of teachers helping themselves. They have about 8 volunteer teacher mentors who were recruited informally through personal contacts. These mentors provide traditional forms of support for colleagues in their own school and may give assistance as well to other teachers in the community. In addition to assisting colleagues in their geographical area, they also provide telementoring through Internet news groups communications. The mentors have specialized themselves in a moderate way, for example along subject area lines, technical assistance, etc. so as to respond to queries on the server more effectively.

Some of the telementoring is proactive in nature. Student research assistants keep track of the efforts of beginners and may initiate contact with them if there appear to be problems. In addition, mentors may post general helpful articles on the network. However, actively seeking out their mentees on a regular basis is impossible due to the voluntary nature of the program. A lot of the support is reactive in nature. Mentors respond to specific questions posed in their areas of expertise. Technical and pedagogical requests for assistance are approximately equal in weight. There are more technical calls for help but the other questions take more time to answer.

LM_Net Mentoring. Shelley Lochhead, Librarian at Hopkinton High School, provided information on LM_NET‘s Telecommunications Mentoring Project. The purpose of the program is to help subscribers make the most of the School Library Media Services Network and other Internet opportunities -to help you become an eager, independent InterNaut - someone who, faced with the wild and woolly wilderness of the InterNet, can dive right in and find things out (Lochhead, 1993, p.1).The program, initiated in October, 1992, uses general postings on the network to recruit volunteer mentors who are then matched with their preferred number of mentees. Mentees are also identified through postings on the network. Matches are first made on the basis of their desktop operating systems and telecommunications software, and then on the operating system of the dial-up host. There is no formal mentor training program since mentors have solid skill levels or because they are well connected and enjoy problem solving.

Most mentoring takes place electronically, although some partners have also used telephone and/or snail mail. The focus of the assistance is primarily technical in nature since software and hardware issues are of paramount concern to the mentees. Help finding resources is also frequently addressed. Requests for help in application of the Internet resources in instruction, on the other hand, tend to be posted on the list server. Most of the mentoring is reactive in nature, for example the mentor receives a copy of the mentee‘s application which includes their first three queries. Mentors, however, may also nudge their mentees if there has been a hiatus of activity.

California State University at Dominguez Hills. California State University is organizing a telementoring service in which university-level mentors (e.g., faculty, students, staff) are matched with students, teachers, and parents from the junior high through to junior college levels. The telementoring may take place in various formats, including one-on-one, small group, and large group. Topics may include discussions on an academic subject, academic counselling, or personal counselling.This description was forwarded by Shelley Lochhead just as this paper was going through final editing and there was not sufficient time to get further information directly. The information originated from Larry Press ([e-mail]) and an address ([e-mail]) was given for potential mentors/mentees to contact.

University of Hawaii. Mark Peterson, graduate student in the Department of Educational Technology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, reported that the ETEC department and the university use a mentoring program to assist newly admitted students. A mentoring team of experienced users is set up. Students send their questions to a list server and every member of the mentoring team receives a copy. Member of the team take turns answering questions so as to lower the demands on everyone and to get questions answered quickly. Other mentors can contribute answers even if it isn‘t -their turn. One of the biggest topics addressed by the mentors is requests for help on electronic mail and computer conferencing. One of the disadvantages of this system is that people have to be able to logon and use electronic mail. However, this can also be seen as an advantage as it forces people to acquire minimal skills.

University of Regina. Preservice teachers are able to communicate with their advisors using a bulletin board, e-mail, or teleconferencing functions in this program operated in Saskatchewan by Leigh Calnek. This information was provided by Ethelwyn Dzuba just as this paper went through final editing and there was not enough time to obtain details of the program.

Lesley College. Eileen Barnett, Director of the Academic Computer Center, reported that they are using a mentor system to assist faculty at Lesley College in Cambridge. They assign one volunteer with some Internet knowledge to a total novice. Most of the mentors come from the library staff and they use both face-to-face and electronic sessions. Most of the mentoring is done on a very informal basis. Once the college has its own node, a more formal system will be put in place.

Florida State University. Rhonda Chapman, graduate student, assisted with a project in which education students were taught how to use e-mail prior so that during their field work, they would be able to maintain a link with their professors. Students encountered serious problems establishing those links though, as they found that few of the schools had modems. If the school did have a modem, they still faced problems of getting access to a telephone line (schools had only one line and that had to be kept free for phone calls). Finally, if access to a modem and a telephone line was possible, there rarely was anyone at the school who could help students overcome other technical problems that cropped up. University support was just too far away to be much help. Although it is still felt that the idea of linking student teachers and their professor/mentors has merit, the program must overcome many challenges before it can be relied upon to support the mentoring relationship.

Mathematics Learning Forums Project. Margaret Honey provided a description of this collaborative partnership between Bank Street‘s Educational Development Center‘s Center for Children and Technology and Graduate School of Education, and the Learning Link National Consortium. As with the Florida State project, the telementoring is embedded within a formal course offering and thus does not fall within the informal, collegial mentoring that is the focus of this review. However, a brief description of the project is warranted to reflect the breadth of applications of the mentoring process.Starting in September, 1994, The Mathematics Learning Forums Project will be offered within the Bank Street College of Education graduate program to elementary and middle school math teachers around the country who may wish to enroll for graduate credit, inservice credit, or personal enrichment. The forums are on-line seminars, lasting six to eight weeks, which use a combination of print and video materials to introduce new ideas. Students are then given relevant activities to try in their classrooms and, in addition, have access to an extensive on-line database of relevant video, print and software materials. As students try the new activities and techniques in their classrooms, they are guided by faculty, through a mentoring process, to discuss those experiences on-line, and to help one another reflect on the meaning of their experiences.

 

 

Benefits to the Mentee from a Mentoring Program

Mentoring that is intended to help beginning teachers survive their first year in the classroom will potentially have different results than a program intended to help beginning subscribers get onto the Internet. However, there are a number of general benefits that have been frequently attributed to mentoring programs and these would likely also be associated with a CLN mentoring initiative.

Offering emotional support. Various forms of emotional support have been frequently mentioned as one of the prime benefits of mentoring programs. For example, Ganser (1992) reported that beginning teachers appreciated having someone to offer encouragement, to empathize with them and to provide moral support. Ackley and Gall (1992) argued that teacher mentors were ideally suited to giving beginning teachers emotional support and helping them to build their confidence because they shared the same work situations and probably had experienced many of the same emotional stresses. Warring (1991) agreed, noting that a mentor can offer emotional support by listening empathically and by sharing experiences.

Motivating. Heller and Sindelar (1991) referred to mentees receiving inspiration from their mentor, Manthei (1992) referred to the development of a vision, and Ackley and Gall (1992) identified energizing and motivating as significant mentor contributions.

Mustering resources. A benefit identified by Warring (1991) was that of collecting, disseminating, or locating materials or other resources. Ackley and Gall (1992) referred to this as resource building-suggesting resources that can help the protege.

Providing knowledge, skills, and solutions. Warring (1991) noted that beginning teachers obtained instructional information from their mentors-information about teaching strategies or the instructional process. Manthei (1992) referred to the provision of valuable information and guidance, Heller and Sindelar (1991) identified the benefits of knowledge and skills, Ganser (1992) referred to having a support person who could offer possible solutions and with whom one could discuss ideas , and Ackley and Gall (1992) identified collaborative problem solving as the most often used strategy by mentors. While these benefits were cited within the beginning teacher literature, there should be similar benefits within the more specific area of using telecommunications in the classroom. Knowledgeable mentors should be able to provide their mentees with knowledge, skills, and solutions in that area as well.

Sharing systems information. Warring (1991) categorized -systems information as one of the areas of support provided to beginning teacher mentees. By this, he referred to information related to procedures, guidelines, and expectations of the school district. Ganser (1992) identified the same type of support as -help with school logistics (p. 5)-help working in a setting dominated by rules, regulations and procedures. This category of support would also likely be applicable within the telecommunications field, for example if a mentor was able to assist a beginner to acquire information on the Internet -system, to log onto it, to move around in it, to meet expected protocols in communicating electronically, etc.

Benefits to the Mentor from a Mentoring Program

The following benefits for mentors have been found with beginning-experienced teacher mentorships projects but they would likely have some applicability to telementoring programs as well.

Professional growth and revitalization. Personal, professional benefits have been frequently cited as reasons why mentors have enjoyed the experience. Ackley and Gall (1992), for example, found that mentors reported that they had received satisfaction from increased professional growth, that their experience had enhanced their enjoyment of teaching, and that their enthusiasm had been renewed. Ganser (1992) mentioned such benefits as the opportunity to affirm their own expertise, being rejuvenated in their work, learning about new ideas, and being able to reflect on and to improve their work. Heller and Sindelar (1991) noted similar benefits, such as professional fulfillment and the protege serving as a source of knowledge and inspiration. Manthei (1992) also mentioned similar benefits, namely professional growth, professional stimulation, and the enhancement of one‘s sense of professional identify.

Interpersonal benefits. Working with others has been a frequently cited and major source of enjoyment for mentors. This has been expressed in various ways. Ackley and Gall (1992) referred to the opportunity for personal relationships and to help someone. Ganser (1992) reported that mentors get enjoyment in helping people, in feeling needed, and by repaying the help that they received in their beginning by helping others to avoid the same frustrations that they experienced. Manthei (1992) expressed these sentiments as the opportunities to have collegial interaction and to contribute to other teachers‘ growth.

Other personal benefits. Occasionally, other personal benefits have been mentioned in the mentoring literature, such as pride in being selected as a mentor, opportunities for increased personal growth, or personal rewards such as financial benefits or increased prestige (Ackley & Gall, 1992; Ganser, 1992; Heller & Sindelar, 1991). However, although these benefits have been identified, whenever they have been ranked, mentors generally have considered them to be quite low in importance.

What Can We Learn From Other Mentoring Programs?

Although most of the literature on mentoring deals with experienced teachers helping first year teachers in traditional ways, there are a number of elements in the initiation, implementation and institutionalization of these programs that may be appropriate for telementoring. These are summarized below.

Initiation. What are some planning elements that should be incorporated by a sponsoring institution to help get a telementoring program off to a promising start? The following recommendations have been synthesized and adapted from suggestions made by Agresto (1989), DeBolt (1991), Department of Education (1990), Hamilton and Hamilton (1992), Heller and Sindelar (1991), Odell (1990), and Robbins (1991).

a. Identify the specific problems that need to be addressed. Establish clear goals for the program.

b. Determine how the program will be led and coordinated. -Mentor programs need leaders to help plan and coordinate the program. Any mentor program that lacks good leadership and coordination will fail (Department of Education, 1990, p. 12).

c. Establish criteria for the selection of mentors and define their roles. Questions that might be posed to potential mentors are: Why do you want to be a mentor? What special skills and interests do you have? What benefits do you expect to receive by participating in the program? How much time will you be able to devote to the program? Have you ever worked with teachers before in this kind of capacity? (These questions have been adapted from Department of Education, 1990, p. 26.)

d. Determine the duration of the mentorship period. Mentors will want to know how long they will be expected to be involved in the program. If previous records are available, estimate the amount of time that mentors can be expected to contribute.

e. Offer training/orientation sessions to mentors. This not only serves to provide them with necessary information, but it also builds up enthusiasm and helps to develop a sense of collegiality among the mentoring team. As the program becomes established, experienced, enthusiastic mentors can serve as trainers.

f. Establish how mentees will be identified.

g. If possible, talk directly with mentors prior to their selection to allay any fears or concerns that they might have.

h. Acquire registration information from both mentors and mentees that will facilitate matching. Some data from mentees that may be useful include: general expectations, who they prefer to initiate contact, their immediate needs, their preference for a male or female mentor, their preference for their mentor to have subject or grade expertise, and the hardware available to the mentee. Some data from mentors that may be useful include who they prefer to initiate contact, their preference for male or female mentees, their preference for the number of mentees they would be assigned, their educational experience, and their hardware/software expertise.

i. Establish how mentees will be paired. Odell (1990) reported that there is consensus in the beginning teacher mentoring field that it is desirable to assign a mentor who is at the same grade level and teaches the same content area as the mentee. This increases the credibility of the mentor. This may not be as important in telementoring since some general network or technical assistance will be needed that does not require specific grade level or subject level expertise. However, if the mentor is expected to provide support in integrating telecommunications within the curriculum, similar teaching experiences/expertise would likely be beneficial.

j. Suggest ways for participants to get to know each other as individuals and not just as a question/answer machine. Activities that encourage the sharing of personal information (e.g., hobbies, interests, background) can personalize the relationship.

Implementation. What are some techniques that can be adopted by the sponsoring institution that will help a telementoring program to be successful? The following recommendations have been synthesized and adapted from suggestions made by Boice (1992), DeBolt (1991), Department of Education (1990), Hamilton and Hamilton (1992), Odell (1990), Robbins (1991), Ruopp (1993), and Tauler (1989).

a. Just as mentors provide support to teachers, so they too require support. In effect, a mentoring program should be established for the telementors. This can be provided by the organization sponsoring the change or the institution can take steps to ensure that support is available collegially. Support can be both formal and informal. Suggestions include: find formal and informal ways to provide feedback on their efforts; provide review and refinement training sessions; develop opportunities for mentors to share experiences and collaborate in group problem solving; encourage the development of collegiality among mentors; and, find ways for mentors to communicate with each other on a routine basis to reduce their own isolation.

b. The program should be monitored and adjusted as necessary. Acquiring information from mentors and mentees allows the program to be improved. This can be done through periodic questionnaires asking for feedback on the service, for example on the frequency of contacts between mentors and mentees, degree of satisfaction with the service, etc. Also, requiring mentors to submit regular reports is beneficial.

c. Find ways to recognize the efforts and successes of mentors. This not only provides another level of support for them, but it maintains the momentum of the program, re-energizes the participants, provides visibility to the program , and enhances its continuation.

d. Reduce the potential for conflict and disappointment. Mentees should be made aware of the responsibilities of their mentors and the limits of what they can provide. Mentors should be made aware of the expectations of their mentees.

e. Find ways to determine and communicate the immediate and ongoing desires of the mentee. This will enable the mentor to effectively tailor the support to correspond with what the mentee needs. Also, find ways to help mentees who do not know how to ask for help.

f. Help the partnership to determine the style of mentoring that is most comfortable for both the mentor and the mentee. Odell (1990) reported that a continuum of mentoring styles has been identified. At one end of the spectrum is the -responder mentor, who provides help only when asked for it directly. At the other end is the -initiator mentor who assumes full responsibility for initiating interactions and offering support. Mentoring pairs will vary in the degree to which either partner feels comfortable in giving/asking for help as well as comfort in the amount of help to be delivered. Finding ways to smooth the familiarization process will make the mentoring process effective more quickly.

g. Frequent nudges to the mentor and/or the mentee to make regular contacts can ensure that the bond between them and the habit of communicating regularly get established. These will contribute to the success of the mentorship. Practical suggestions include having the mentor maintain checklist diaries and initiating weekly contacts from the organization. Boice (1992) suggested that regular, supportive contacts between the partners were more important than the personal characteristics of the mentoring pair (e.g., subject matter expertise).

h. Encourage mentors to help their mentees develop other sources of personal support, for example through networks with other teachers. This will serve to provide support after the mentorship period.

Institutionalization. Robbins (1991) considered -institutionalization to be a stage where the innovation has become an integral part of the institution. It represents the normal way that things are done. She provided a number of suggestions for maintaining the momentum of a program so that it became institutionalized. A number of suggestions have also been drawn from the Department of Education publication (1990).

a. Find ways to continue to publicly celebrate the successes that have been experienced. This might be done through the creation of special events. For example, telementoring successes might be noted in local educational computing conferences or network wide announcements/awards might be made.

b. Continue administrative support. This form of support is more than just the continuation of financial support (although this is important) but extends to more indirect measures, such as focusing attention on the program, conveying its importance, influencing attitudes towards it, and reinforcing its value.

c. Providing ongoing training sessions. For experienced mentors, this might take the form of brush up sessions. However, there will likely be a need to continue to provide training sessions as experienced mentors drop out of the program and as new ones are recruited. Former mentees could be encouraged to become part of the program again. Tauler (1989) pointed out that former mentees often appreciate the value of the mentoring experience and feel a responsibility to share their own experience with other newcomers. The volunteer pool of mentors is thus perpetuated.

d. Continue to monitor and adjust the program as necessary. For example, mentors and their supervisor should meet regularly. Mentor panels could be created through which information, successes, and problems could be shared.

e. Recognize the accomplishments of mentors both publicly and privately.

f. Invite mentors to reflect on and write about their experiences. This activity will prove beneficial to the writer and the articles can be used to encourage other mentors, recruit new members, and maintain awareness of the program in the field.

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