Mentor Recognition and Accreditation
Introduction
At LJMU we want to
- recognise our mentors’ skills in their work with our trainees;
- support their career and professional development;
- respect their ownership of their own development;
To do this we have designed a Learning Journal. The Journal can be used to meet performance management expectations and provide evidence of achievement of professional standards. Together these provide a framework for development in mentoring. There are three pathways for mentors. It is up to the mentors to decide the extent of their involvement within this framework and they can select one or more of the opportunities it provides:
Opportunity 1: LJMU Certification
Mentors who provide evidence of good practice with trainee teachers will receive certificates. There will be recognition of Developing Practice for those mentors who have completed initial training and have begun to mentor trainees. When mentors complete our initial and core training, and provide evidence of their support throughout a training cycle (typically a year) they will be awarded a certificate recognising Effective Practice. Those mentors who provide all of the above evidence and who are active within the community of mentors, for example, as leaders of cluster groups or internal moderators, will be awarded certificates recognising Advanced Practice.
The mechanism for providing evidence will comprise
- The LJMU Learning Journal
- Mentor file and records
- LJMU feedback records
- Records of attendance at core mentor training
- Records of involvement with the community of mentors or learning communities (advanced mentors)
Opportunity 2: TLA Recognition
LJMU tutors, the LJMU Learning Journal and supplementary material will support mentors who want to gain recognition from the Teacher Learning Academy. Their TLA “project” must centre on work with our trainees and is likely to include the development of mentoring skills for the benefit of pupils.
Opportunity 3: Accreditation at Postgraduate Level
Mentors can enrol on modules which earn credit points towards a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or MA degree. Some of these modules are based on developing practice in mentoring, and appropriate evidence in the learning journal can be used to claim credits through an AP(E)L mechanism.
