The Wizardry of Mentoring

The technique of questioning and answering was used in the Socratic method (dialectics).  Yet, the methods used to teach and nurture curiosity and engagement in learning involved much more than just asking and answering questions. Guided inquiry, elaboration by example, analogies, and experiential learning all contribute to higher level learning.

Experiential Learning

Adult learning theories focus on experiences of the learners, while experiential learning focuses on creating learning experiences.  The importance of experience as a way of knowing was a part of Socrates’ teaching.  The importance of experience as a learning theory has been articulated, discussed and encouraged by distinguished education scholars John Dewey (1938) and Paulo Freire (1970).  Mentors need to consider how to focus teaching to incorporate active and experiential learning.  Socrates used vivid images, storytelling, and metaphors to enable the experience for student learning.  In other words, rather than, or in addition to assigned readings, tell a story related to the content, and scaffold the information, providing time for interpretation.  Doing so allows the mentee to feel, rather than just think.  The mentee can generate their own metaphors and stories related to the topic as well.  Ask your mentees how they can take their newfound knowledge and use it in their daily life at home or at work.  Then, direct them to do so.  Using storytelling and metaphors helps to build understanding, and by reflecting on prior learning lends itself to scaffolding.  This teaching method is learner-centered in that it employs a variety of approaches to enact learning.  Not only is story telling a student-centered approach to teaching, but also a method successfully used by Socrates.

Analogies

Socrates used analogies to help students grasps certain concepts.  Using analogies as a teaching method to explain complex or abstract scientific ideas works well because analogies relate new ideas to more familiar concepts.  For instance, consider the case for building an analogy.  For example, consider using colorful building blocks to symbolize a learning situation.  As the learning begins, it is obvious where the few blocks will be placed as the foundation of the learning.  As the learning heightens with questioning, answering, and practice, the blocks are stacked using a variety of approaches.  The sky is the limit.  Using analogies helps with connection to the content, which leads to deeper understanding.  Beware, however, analogies also have the potential to mislead or further confuse learners.  Your mentee may not necessarily understand the applied analogy because he or she may not be as familiar with the concepts that you defined as you had hoped.  Learning needs to be relevant to what the mentee needs to know and must be connected to his or her experiences to complete the circle.  If the mentor creates the analogy, the mentor built the conceptual framework.  The mentor understands this frame work, but it is not necessarily understood by the mentee.  So, consider asking your mentee to develop his or her own analogies to prevent this lack of connection.

Mentees need the opportunity to express their ideas in a safe and creative manner.  Asking your mentee to create his or her own analogies to explain concepts allows for this.  In addition to helping your mentee build conceptual frameworks, having him or her generate his or her own analogies allows creative expression of ideas, and helps to articulate abstract concepts in concrete terms.  You, as the mentor, also benefit for mentee-generated analogies because you the opportunity to examine your mentee's thinking and organization and then use this information in a formative assessment, providing a unique viewpoint on learning.  The emphasis is on the cognitive process and your mentees’ previous experiences, rather than on learning the content.

Using Examples

Providing examples of real situations related to the topic brings life and more structure to the conversation.  Asking your mentee to share examples brings the content and learning experience home as well.  The richness of the learning flourishes when examples from different walks of life are shared.

Guided Inquiry

Guided inquiry is based is Inquiry-based learning.  Inquiry-based learning begins by asking questions, or introducing problems or scenarios, rather than sharing facts or content that the students need to learn.  Learning activities are student-centered, and go beyond delivery of content.  Rather, the mentor presents the mentee with challenging questions, discrepant events, and seemingly conflicting ideas, and then provides the tools and skills he or she needs to successfully respond.  Mentees are encouraged to use a variety of resources to further question, provide possibilities, and pursue answers.  Mentees learn to select and explore resources, collaborate with others, and solve problems, which are very important skills for 21st century learning and professional development.