what is thesis mentoring Mentoring sessions should involve

++ what is thesis mentoring? Mentoring sessions should involve discussion and a chance for mentees to think about their writing goals and challenges, their preferred working style, and their working relationships, along with how these relate to thesis writing process. It focuses on the habits of writing not the detail of what is written.

++ a mentoring approach Listen & explore Ask questions Building mentees problem solving capability Pattern recognition Protected thinking and planning time Help them get a bigger perspective Support them to prioritise Be action orientated, move the mentee forward

++ overview of a mentoring conversation MENTEE talks about a problem or situation that they have not yet resolved/got an answer for… MENTOR Lets the mentee set the agenda, drive the partnership, and take responsibility for their own way forward

++ supporting mentees to think of writing, 1… …as a form of thinking… …not a means of recording. Kamler, B and Thomson, P (2014) Helping doctoral students write; Pedagogies for supervision. Thesis writers can assume that writing thesis will just involve a simple recording of what they did. They wait for the day that they will ‘know what they want to say’, this never comes. Move them forward by encouraging them to think of writing as a way of thinking. See what emerges from the writing and then refine it. Drafting is the way to move forward.

++ supporting mentees to think of writing, 2… …parallel to data collection and analysis …not a final part of the Ph. D “…disengagement from other tasks to engage with writing repositions writing as part of academic work. This is critical for new and emerging researchers: it provides concepts to underpin practices that will enable them regularly to write. ” Thesis writers can assume that writing thesis is always the final stage, and that they cannot start, until they have completed the ‘research work’, as they perceive there is not time for it. Move them forward by reminding them that they can do both, making small spaces to write. If there is a ‘gap’ in thesis that needs filling, the writing process will reveal it.

++ supporting mentees to think of writing, 3… …as a separate skill set… “There is no such thing as academic writer’s block. The key to writing a lot, is to schedule time to do it. ” …as something you need to practice at. Thesis writers can assume that writing is an innate sskill that they are either good or bad at, this can be paralysing. Move them forward by reminding them that as with all things, practice is what matters, to get good at writing, and to feel confident with writing, you must sit down and write. Write more, get better!

++ how can you help…what can you support mentees to do? Help with finding small time slots and scheduling writing Help to take control, plan, manage their time Increase in confidence that they can and will finish Help to prioritise, tackle one thing at a time Avoiding procrastination, gain accountability Support with a difficult relationship Getting out of a pattern of inactivity, worry and paralysis

++ stay complementary to the support provided by the supervisor Never let the mentee try to use you as a substitute supervisor. Do not advise on content of thesis, format, or writing style.

++ what the mentor doesn’t do! Be clear about your boundaries – other players support these specialist areas. English language skills Counseling and mental health support Academic skills, proof reading or giving feedback on writing Never approach supervisors, or offer to mediate Discussion of research questions, methods, or data Visas, copyright, thesis format, printing etc

++ takeaway message: a mentoring conversation works best when the mentee does the thinking Advice: when there is a ‘right answer’ 20% Coaching: when talking about styles, preferences, personal feelings and thoughts about writing, working relationships 80%

++ what hinders mentoring – unclear expectations, so be clear what you can/can’t will/won’t offer 1. Purpose not clear for participants, they can’t see the value 2. Mentee sees the process as magic fix rather than a piece of work they must do 3. Misunderstandings about roles, obligations, commitment or expectations 4. Actions list is too long – never completed, keep goals small and short-term 5. Mentor talks about themselves too much

++ getting feedback from mentees is essential good practice. Collaborate on the mentoring approach. Example questions for after meeting: 1. On a scale of 1 – 10 (1 low 10 high) rate how useful the session was for you and say why this is. 2. What would you like me to do more of in the next session? What would you like me to do less of? 3. Did you notice your thoughts changing positively/negatively during the session. What triggered this? 4. Are you doing/do you plan to do anything new going forward?