TEACHER AS A MENTOR,

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL
LEARNING
BY- MS. POOJA BHARGAVA
• ‘Education should not be the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’. - William Butler
Yeats
• Where does that fire come from? Who lights it?
• It comes when a sensitive teacher discovers the potential of a child, when he/she
realises that all students do not have the same need and when s(he) stops comparing
children.
“EDUCATING THE MIND WITHOUT EDUCATING THE
HEART, IS NO EDUCATION AT ALL”, SAID ARISTOTLE.
MEANING OF A MENTOR

• A mentor is someone who takes special interest in helping a pupil to develop into a successful
professional. The mentoring relationship between a teacher and student expands beyond teaching to
advancement in the educational and personal growth of the student.
• To mentor someone has been defined as: “To support and encourage individuals to manage their own
learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their
performance and become the person they want to be”
• Each student has a different need. Different students require varied amounts of attention, motivation,
guidance and advice. Some students feel comfortable and confident in approaching the mentors,
wherein some may be shy and reluctant to seek help. A good mentor is the one who can understand
the individual need of a student.
 ELEMENTS OF MENTORSHIP

Ability to give feedback experience:

• Feedback given in the right way and with right intention is an avenue for better performance by the student.

• Each student has the right to know their strengths and weaknesses.

• Feedback should be delivered frequently and carefully.

• A mentor should make the feedback session a positive process and experience for the student.

• Timely and targeted feedback makes the process more effective. Feedback sessions should be regular and not
unexpected. A mentor should always remember that he/she should be specific while giving feedback.

• Feedback should be critically and constructively structured and a teacher should ensure that he/she criticises
the student in private.

• While giving feedback, a mentor should keep in mind to focus both the positive and negative aspects, as that
would give a scope for improvement. Feedback should be always given by the mentor’s perspective
Availability of time:
• Frequent student-teacher interaction is a critical component of mentoring. The teacher needs
to address to the need of the students and that can be attained only if the teacher gives time
to the student. It is important for the teacher to talk to the students personally to ensure
their needs.
• Mentors should be available and accessible for open communication and questions. During the
conversation between mentor and mentee, there should be exchange of knowledge, ways to
improve skills and strategies to be adopted to apply knowledge into practice.
• A good mentoring requires time, commitment, sincerity, continual support and willingness to
share information.
Positive attitude:
• The attitude of the mentors is more important than the learning environment.
Student’s look out for role models in their mentors.
• It is important for the mentors to become positive role models for the students. His /
her positive vibe greatly impacts the students.
• A mentor should enhance the strengths and dilute the weaknesses of the student. The
mentor should develop strategies to explore possible solutions for the weaknesses.
Patience and enthusiasm:
• A good mentor exhibits patience and enthusiasm, and motivates the students by
grooming them into responsible human beings.
• A mentor needs to take interest in the needs of the students.
• These attributes are incredibly important for a mentor. Great mentors will tide over
momentary periods of frustration by exercising patience.
 CONDUCTING A MENTORING SESSION
BEFORE THE SESSION

Objective: The teacher lays a foundation for informal relationships through productive meeting with the
student
Steps
• The teacher identifies the students who needs mentoring, by gathering information from their cumulative
record, academic performance in examination, record of attendance, anecdotal record.
• The target outcomes should be clearly defined. Approach the student and give a date/time/venue for the
meeting with the student.
• Provide a context to help the student understand the teacher and state the objective for the meeting
• Confirm the meeting a day or two in advance
 DURING THE SESSION

Objective: The teacher gets to know the student

Steps

• Demonstrate professionalism by being prompt and prepared.

• Set up the conversation which is relevant and valuable.

• Talk about the performance of the students and understand the insight of the student regarding the studies.

• Do not try to retrieve personal information, as might lead to inhibition from the students’ side to rely on the teacher

• Ensure careful listening and do not make unnecessary judgments.

• Focus on the individual need of the student. Ask questions pertaining to the reasons for regular absenteeism and poor
performance in both theoretical and practical examinations
• Establish a mutually agreed upon plan for future mentoring sessions
• Ensure the confidentiality of the information shared
• Provide solutions, achievable targets to the students and supplement information based
on the experience and knowledge of the teacher. There should be a collaborative
development of appropriate goals and strategies for achieving the goals
• The teacher should display patience and enthusiasm throughout the session.
• The teacher provides a timeline for achieving visible changes in behaviour and
performance
AFTER THE SESSION

Objective: The teacher lays the foundation for the future interactions
Steps
• Follow-up with the student on regular basis to ensure the attainment of visible change in
behaviour and performance.
• Provide timely and adequate positive reinforcement to the students
• Ensure a commitment to an action as a result of the mentoring session.
• Measuring progress with timelines and providing constructive feedback.
• At the next meeting, start with the updates on the progress of the student.
 SOCIAL–EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL)

• Social–emotional learning (SEL) is an educational method that aims to foster social and
emotional skills within school curricula. SEL is also referred to as "socio-emotional
learning", "social and emotional learning", or "social–emotional literacy". In common
practice, SEL emphasizes social and emotional skills to the same degree as other subjects,
such as math, science, and reading.
• Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process of developing the self-awareness, self-
control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success. People
with strong social-emotional skills are better able to cope with everyday challenges and
benefit academically, professionally, and socially.
*CASEL DEFINES THE FIVE MAIN COMPONENTS OF SEL
AS:

• Self-awareness: The skill of having knowledge of one's own emotions and developing a positive self-
concept.
• Self-management: The ability to regulate one's own emotions and monitor one's own behaviors. This also
pertains to intrinsic motivation and setting personal goals.
• Social awareness: The ability to have awareness of the emotions and social situations of others.
• Relationship skills: The skill to foster relationships and communicate within them.
• Responsible decision-making: The ability to solve problems and hold one's self accountable.
*CASEL -The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) was founded in 1994. It
is an organization devoted to students and educators to help achieve positive outcomes for students,
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikehX9o1JbI&t=88s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zTsJ_Fxhc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_OKCDG8K-k *
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whzVUUbBh0Y&t=35s *
HOW CAN EDUCATORS APPROACH SEL

• There are several different approaches to SEL. Some teachers have a more formally
designated portion of the school day devoted to SEL — sometimes taught in homeroom.
These lessons become a recurring theme throughout the rest of the school day to help
make the core competencies of SEL more real to students.
• Teachers may want to have students journal or write about their thoughts and feelings on
a particular SEL lesson, or even have younger students partner with an older “buddy
classroom” (or vice versa) to help students across different age levels bond or find
common ground.
• Other teachers work SEL-related lessons into more formal subjects, like math, history, or
reading. For instance, examples of SEL-in-action can include assigning a group project
where students self-delegate roles to work together for the good of the group, role
playing as historical figures to understand the rationale behind a person’s actions, or for
students to conduct formal interviews with one another to take a pulse-check on
current events.
• Teachers can also work with students to set goals in areas where they may need
improvement and help chart their progress, giving them a measurable way to show their
achievement and feel a sense of accomplishment.
BENEFITS OF SEL

• Students' Emotional Health Improves with SEL. ...

• SEL Promotes Teamwork and Leadership Skills. ...
• Social Emotional Learning Leads to Academic Success. ...
• SEL Fosters Decision-Making Skills. ...
• Socially Positive Behavior and Attitudes Become the Norm.
HOW CAN I INCORPORATE SEL IN MY CLASSROOM?

• Start the day with a student check-in. ...

• Create opportunities for partner and group work. ...
• Nurture a culture of kindness. ...
• Build social-emotional vocabulary. ...
• Include reflective writing. ...
• Incorporate a “calm-down corner.” ...
• Allow time for talking. ...
• Teach mindfulness.
• Encourage expression through art
• Teach kids to work toward a common goal.