Adapting Mentorship for Teacher Well-being and Career Resilience

Development��

Ben Kutsyuruba, Queen’s University�Keith Walker, University of Saskatchewan

Session Objectives •  Overall Content: To briefly describe the Adaptive

Mentorship Model and explore its relevant for enhancing and sustaining professional and personal resilience amongst early career teachers;

•  Process Aims: To interact with colleagues in a

fashion that promotes initial exchange, learning and practice with specific tools and strategies that will enhance early career teachers’ resilience as an outcome of adapting mentorship to beginning teacher needs.

Mentoring

•  Adynamicandtwo-wayrela1onshipthatinvolvescri1calreflec1onandfullpar1cipa1onbybothmentorandmentee/protégé

•  Aprocessofsharingexperiencesandexper1sethatmayhelpwiththepersonal,academic,orprofessionaldevelopmentofamentee;mayprovidecareer,psychosocialoreduca1onalguidance

TheMentor-MenteeRela.onship

•  Atrus1ngandmeaningfulassocia1onbetweentwoindividualswithdifferinglevelsofexperienceandknowledgeinpar1cularcontexts

•  Thementor’sroledoesnotdependonposi1onalauthorityandpower

•  Thementorfacilitatesthelearningofanotherandcreatesasafecontextforgrowth

TASK

COMPETENCE

A1

A2A3

A4

D1

D2D3

D4

HIGH

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

LOW

LOW

THECONTEXT

MENTOR’SADAPTIVERESPONSE

PROTÉGÉ’SDEVELOPMENTAL

LEVEL

CONFIDENCE

SUPPORT

ADAPTIVEMENTORSHIP

1.PROTÉGÉDEVELOPMENTALLEVELFORATASK/SKILL-SET

(TWOCONTINUA:COMPETENCE&CONFIDENCE)

D3

D2

D4

D1

HICOMPETENCELO

LOCONFIDENCEHI

CONFIDENCE:alongacon.nuumofinnerpsychological,emo.onalfeelingsofself-assurance,certainty,self-efficacy,self-esteem,comfort

COMPETENCE:alongacon.nuumofability,skill,technicalexper.se,accurateperformance,mechanicalcapability

D3

D2

D4

D1

HIGH COMPETENCE LOW

LO C O N F I D E N C E HI

PROTÉGÉ DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL: 4 TYPICAL POSITIONS ACROSS THE TWO CONTINUA

PROVIDEANACTUALEXAMPLEFROMYOUROWNLIFE-EXPERIENCEFORSOMEONEAT

EACHOFTHEFOUR“D”LEVELS:

D1D2D3D4

D3

•  HICOMPET.•  LOCONFID.------------------------------“TENTATIVELEADER”“NERVOUSEXPERT”

D2

• LOCOMPET.• LOCONFID.--------------------------------“DISCOURAGEDAMATEUR”“DISHEARTENEDROOKIE”

D4

•  HICOMPET.•  HICONFID.------------------------------“SKILLEDPRACTITIONER”“ABLEEMPLOYEE”

D1

• LOCOMPET.• HICONFID.-----------------------------“EAGERNOVICE”“IDEALISTICNEOPHYTE”

HIGH COMPETENCE LOW

LO C O N F I D E N C E HI

PROTÉGÉ DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL

2.MENTOR’SADAPTIVERESPONSEFORPROTÉGÉ’STASK/SKILL-SET

(TWOCONTINUA:TASK&SUPPORT)

A3

A2

A4

A1

LOTASKHI

HISUPPORTLO

SUPPORT:alongacon.nuumofpsychologicalemo.onalencouragement,praise,reinforcement,andaffirma.onregardingprotégé’sfeelingsabouthis/herperformance.

TASK:alongacon.nuumoftelling,direc.ng,guiding,prescribing,instruc.ng,showing,ordemonstra.ng,re:protégé’sprocedural,technical,mechanicalperformanceoftheskill

A3

A2

A4

A1

LOW TASK HIGH

HI

S U P P O R T LO P

MENTOR ADAPTIVE RESPONSE: 4 TYPICAL ADAPTATIONS ACROSS THE TWO CONTINUA

PROVIDEANACTUALEXAMPLEFROMYOUROWNLIFE-EXPERIENCEOFSOMEONEUSING

EACHOFTHEFOUR“A”RESPONSES:

A1A2A3A4

A3

• LOTASK• HISUPPORT----------------------------------

“FRIENDLYPEER”“SUPPORTIVECOLLEAGUE”

A2

• HITASK• HISUPPORT------------------------------------------

“DIRECTIVECOACH”“ENCOURAGING

SUPERVISOR”

A4

• LOTASK• LOSUPPORT

-------------------------------

“DELEGATOR”“OCCASIONALOBSERVER”

A1• HITASK• LOSUPPORT-----------------------------------“PRESCRIPTIVEDIRECTOR”“TELL-ER”

MENTORSHIP STYLE

HISUPPORTLO

LOWTASKHI

D1

• LO COMPETENCE

• HI CONFIDENCE

• “EAGER

NOVICE”

• “IDEALISTIC

NEOPHYTE”

A1

• HI TASK

• LO SUPPORT

• “PRESCRIPTIVE

DIRECTOR”

• “TELL-ER”

MATCH A1 WITH D1

D2

• LO COMPETENCE

• LO CONFIDENCE

• “DISCOURAGED

AMATEUR”

• “DISHEARTENED

ROOKIE”

A2

• HI TASK

• HI SUPPORT

• “DIRECTIVE COACH”

• “ENCOURAGING

SUPERVISOR”

MATCH D2 WITH A2

MATCH D3 WITH A3

D3

• HI COMPETENCE

• LO CONFIDENCE

• “TENTATIVE

LEADER”

• “NERVOUS

EXPERT”

A3

•  LO TASK

• HI SUPPORT

• “FRIENDLY PEER”

• “SUPPORTIVE

COLLEAGUE”

MATCH D4 WITH A4

D4

• HI COMPETENCE

• HI CONFIDENCE

• “SKILLED

PRACTITIONER”

• “PROFICIENT

EMPLOYEE”

A4

• LO TASK

• LO SUPPORT

• “DELEGATOR”

• “OCCASIONAL

OBSERVER”

HOWISTHEADAPTIVEMENTORSHIPMODELAPPLIED?

1.   DETERMINETHE“D-LEVEL”OFTHEPROTÉGÉ;BUT…HOW?• Observe;• Conference;• Ask!

2. SYNCHRONIZETHEMENTOR’S“ADAPTIVERESPONSE”TOMATCHTHISD-LEVEL.

3.   MONITORTHISIMPLEMENTATIONACTION.4.   CONTINUEAPPLYINGTHEMODEL.

DISCUSSSIMILARITIESAND/ORDIFFERENCESBETWEENQUADRANTPLACEMENTS

1.  AZerindividuallyselec1ngtheprotégé“D”quadrants,discussyourchoices.Comments?__________________________________________________________________________

2.  AZerindividuallyselec1ngthementor“A”quadrants,discussyourchoices.Comments?__________________________________________________________________________

1.WHATWOULDMENTORSHIPIN“A1”and“A2”

LOOKLIKE?•  BOTHrequireHIGHTASK(tomeetprotégéLOW

COMPETENCEinboth)•  A2requiresMORESUPPORTthandoesA1(tomeetD2LOW

CONFIDENCE)•  ULTIMATEGOAL:Assistprotégétoreachmaximum

poten1altoaccomplishprofessionalgoal(s)•  HIGHTASKis:direc.ng,telling,showing,demonstra.ng,

modeling,direc.ng,even…“pushing/pulling”•  ForA2,ENSUREplentyofGENUINEencouragement,

support, reinforcement,praise,backing,andbuildingprotégé self-assurance,confidence,andesteem

2.WHATWOULDMENTORSHIPIN“A3”

LOOKLIKE?

•  RequiresHIGHSUPPORT(tomeettheprotégé’sLOWCONFIDENCE)andLOWTASK(tomeetHIGHCOMPETENCE)

•  WillneedtoCOMMUNICATEmorethanwithA4/D4rela.onships

3.WHATWOULDMENTORSHIPIN“A4”LOOKLIKE?

•  LOWresponseofBOTHTASKandSUPPORT(tomeetprotégé’sHIGHlevelsofCOMPETENCEandCONFIDENCE);

•  D4protégéswillwant:self-monitoring,professionalautonomy,andindependentlearning;

•  *NOTE:INDIVIDUALSATD4WILLSTILLOCCASIONALLYNEEDSOMECOMMUNICATION,FEEDBACK,CONSULTATION,ORADVICE!

Language of Living versus Surviving

Mors Kochanski

& Northern

Alberta and Gobi Desert

Lessons

Enhancing and Sustaining Professional and Personal Resilience �

(Teachers Taking Care of Themselves Through Encouragement of Mentors)

•  The term resilience initially came from the field of engineering with regard to the physical strength of material.

•  Merriam-Webster’s definition of resilience in the engineering sense is “the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress.”

•  Resilience is also defined by Merriam-Webster in the psychological sense as “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.”

RAND Report (2011, p.2)

What is Resilience?

State or Trait Perspectives on Complex Construct of Resilience

Key Attributes Consistent with Resilient Individuals

Connectedness

Social environments

Physical environments

Sense of inner wisdom

Spiritual life that is lived out

Family

5Components

WellnessSelf-Assessment

•  OnewayIknowIamstrugglingis…

•  OnewayIknowIamlivingabalancedlifeis…

Well-being and Resilience Continuum

What Works for You? 1. As you think about your own well-being and resilience, what fuels your tank, gives you energy. What refreshes and rejuvenates you? 2. Recount a recent story or incident or circumstance where you found yourself running low on energy but found a way to restore or refresh yourself.

Professional Quality of Life •  Compassion Satisfaction: ability for clinicians to derive a

great sense of meaning & purpose from doing their work well. •  Secondary Traumatic Stress: the natural, consequent

behaviours and emotions resulting from knowledge about a traumatizing event experienced by a significant other. It is the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person

•  Burnout: state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands

B. Hudnall Stamm, 2009-2012. Professional Quality of Life: Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue Version 5 (ProQOL). www.proqol.org.

Complex Relationships

ProfessionalQualityofLife

CompassionFa1gue

CompassionSa1sfac1on(ProQOLCS)

WorkEnvironment

ClientEnvironment

PersonalEnvironment

Trauma1zedbywork

SecondaryExposure

(ProQOLSTS)

PrimaryExposure

Frustra1onAnger

Exhaus1on DepressedbyWork

Environment(ProQOLBurnout)

What is �Compassion Fatigue

(CF)? •  Compassion fatigue is thought to be a

combination of secondary traumatization and burnout precipitated by the care delivery that brings health-care professionals into contact with the suffering

Szabo, B. (2006). Compassion fatigue and nursing work: Can we accurately capture the consequences of caring work? International Journal of Nursing Practice: 12: 136–142.

Finding Flow

Subjective Well-being is Important

Seligman et al.

AD

APT

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TH

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HA

RI W

IND

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Walker & Kutsyuruba, 2016

"We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves.” Francis J. Braceland

Self-care Challenge

Do-ability of Six Daily Self-Care Strategies: An Interview

1. Which of the six “do everyday” practices is the easiest for you?

2. Which of the six “do everyday” resilience building

practices is the most difficult for you? 3. As you look back over the last week, which of the

practices are you already doing quite consistently? 4. What would it take to make ALL SIX Daily Self-

Care strategies integral to your life?

Notes to Self: My Plan