Mentoring Tips

Couldn’t make our Mentor Kick-off Session? Here are some Tips and Takeaways from our chat with B!G Idea Teacher, Deirdre Wilson from St Leo’s College in Carlow.

Takeaways

→ Students are at the transition now between fixed mindset and growth mindset. Over the past 6 weeks, The B!G Idea has been proving to students that they are creative, they are curious, they are collaborative, they are persistent and they’re building these skills. They are very emotionally driven and they do like to win. Encourage failure in learning (something students can struggle with – fLearning in B!G Idea speak). They like to get it right and they like to get it right the first time and they will really engage with your feedback – it was one of the highlights of last year!

→ As a Mentor you are connecting them to the outside world, to industry, and your feedback is incredibly important to them. Your interest in their project and what they are doing means a lot to them! ‘Design is everywhere’ is one of the biggest learnings that your involvement is showing them – this year they are blown away by the breadth of industries and people involved as Mentors.

Tips
→ Be very specific. Instead of saying “do more research” (which may not mean a lot to them), think about saying things like “What would happen if…” That way they can then look something up or look into it in more detail.

→ If you ask them a question they will act on that and they will answer it. Really specific questions are great!

→ Find a focus. Help them understand that we’re looking for one B!G idea. How can you help them focus in and put a spotlight on one idea? Can you give them tangible advice and actions to help develop that?

→ As a Mentor, don’t get too hung up on worrying whether it’s concise or if it’s too complex, as the teachers are there to facilitate. Whatever advice you give will help them to upskill, upgrade and dive in deep. Teachers are there to help students work it out.