Assertive Mentoring

Much of humanistic psychology has permeated educational practice. Most of it has been beneficial. But some has been misplaced. Mentoring for example.

There seems to have been a taken–for–granted assumption that mentoring should stem from a counselling model. And for good reason. Who could argue with helping students discover their limiting beliefs and encouraging them to create their own solutions on the path to greater maturity, responsibility and commitment to their academic work?

Evidence and a sharp analysis of the dynamics at play in these mentoring meetings reveal a different story. So much so that adoption of a radically different approach has had a remarkable and sustained impact on raising students academic scores.

Eamonn Farrar of Hurworth school in the north east of England created a new type of academic mentoring based on this analysis: Assertive Mentoring. Click the Assertive Mentoring button on the Model Learning website (www.modellearning.com) and it will take you to details of this outstanding school.

In the meantime, have a look at this Double Bubble Eamonn and I  co–created when Model Learning started working with Hurworth school in preparing its systems for the commercial world. The graphic organiser neatly identifies the weaknesses of the traditional, counseling model as opposed to Eamonn’s more rigorous and fit–for–purpose model.