Crafting Mentoring Moments - An Interview With Jim Strachan

Oct 24, 2022

Jim Strachan, author of 'Mentoring For All' and an expert in mentorship programs, shares his insights on effective mentoring techniques. He emphasizes the importance of congruence in building trust and introduces the concept of being a 'saucy' mentor. Jim discusses critical strategies like using a '3rd point' to connect with mentees and the transformative power of collaborative mentoring. Through personal storytelling, he illustrates how mentorship fosters independence and resilience in educators and students alike.

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ANECDOTE

Dittos and Rote Learning

Jim Strachan recalls the smell of dittos in math class, which he associated with rote memorization.
This experience shaped his teaching philosophy to connect learning to learners' real-life experiences.

ADVICE

Learner-Centered Math

Start teaching math by connecting it to learners' real-life experiences and needs.
Focus on building community and inclusion in the classroom, making learning feel lighter and more accessible.

INSIGHT

Mentoring as Teaching

Mentoring and teaching share core principles: building trust and facilitating learning-focused conversations.
Effective mentors, like effective teachers, adapt their approach based on individual needs.

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In this episode, we speak with one of our mentor’s, Jim Strachan. Jim authored the work Mentoring For All and has been instrumental in developing successful mentorship programs here in Ontario.

Stick with us and you’ll hear enlightening moment after enlightening moment. Jim shares how to apply some easy to remember (but hard to do) mentoring moves. He helps us learn how we can build foundational elements of mentorship and how being an effective mentor makes an effective teacher and vice versa.

You’ll Learn:

How to be a “saucy” mentor;
How to apply some easy to remember (but hard to ‘do’) mentoring moves;
Why congruence between what you say and what you do is necessary to build trust;
How using a “3rd point” can assist in building trust with a new mentee;
What techniques and actions are key when mentoring

Resources:

Jim Strachan’s Mentoring For All Website

Teacher Learning and Leadership Program - https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/11/TLLP-Executive-Summary-2018.pdf

NorCan - https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/07/NORCAN-%E2%80%93-Ontario%E2%80%99s-Learning-Journey-A-report-of-the-NORCAN-Ontario-partners-June-2019.pdf

Mentoring for Mentors site - https://sites.google.com/view/mentoringforall

2022 Mentoring eBook as a pdf - https://sites.google.com/view/mentoringforall/updated-ebook

Appreciative Inquiry - https://express.adobe.com/page/hdrBCPMp4PvZS/

Building Trust - https://express.adobe.com/page/ILRon40Cwtwbu/

Looking in the Mirror - https://express.adobe.com/page/vsU2SatIm6pUt/

Mentoring Webs - https://express.

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