Developing project mentoring skills Aims and objectives Considering

Developing project mentoring skills

Aims and objectives • Considering the nature of projects. • Reflect on the teaching that is needed as a foundation for project work. • Reflecting on what makes a good project title. • Making use of pilot projects. • Exploring what makes the project process work successfully. • Considering challenges.

What is a project? • A project is a personally chosen process of inquiry or creation. • It is not just a task. • Projects involve the phases of planning, researching, developing and reviewing. • Projects enable deeper learning because they allow students to exercise freedom of choice and provide time for them to develop their ideas. • Successful projects depend on a basis of ideas and skills provided through teaching.

Teaching for project work • Project skills need to be taught. • Students need to explore ideas so that they can make meaningful choices when it comes to selecting their project title. Discussion: • If you are going to run a project as part of a unit of study, what skills and ideas do you need to teach beforehand as a foundation?

Choosing good titles Discussion: • Generate a list of ideas for projects linked to your subject. Reflect: • Discuss what makes the difference between a good and bad title.

Good titles • The choice of project title is important and should not be rushed. • Titles should be negotiated with the mentor. • The best titles have the following features: • personally interesting • researchable • specific • open-ended • suitably pitched

Developing project ideas Discussion: • How would you advise a student who wants to do a community project? • What would you say to a student who wanted to do a music project? • How would you advise a student who wants to develop a project based on their sports training programme?

A template for a project report • Plan • Project journal • Introduction • Research • Development • Review • Bibliography

Getting going Discussion: • You have a student who has decided they would like to do a project on video games. How would you advise them to get started?

Pilot projects • A short warm-up exercise before the real thing. • Student chooses question, finds sources and reviews them. • A chance to teach research techniques (e. g. using citations, constructing bibliographies, evaluating sources). • Short summative oral presentation and report.

Steps to success with projects • The best way to write the project is to write the project! • Create a plan of research. • Check title (focus, research base, open-ended). • Agree deadlines. • Fine-tune the title following research. • Keep process records. • Write a research review (analysis of sources). • Develop arguments using source material. • Consider counter-arguments/alternative views. • Hold regular supervised sessions. • Review drafts and allow time for re-drafting. • Maintain a supervisor’s log. • End process with an oral presentation/Q and A.

Challenges Discussion: • What would you identify as the main challenges when it comes to implementing project work and how can you address them?