Mentoring

There is a lot of debate about the difference between mentoring and coaching, according to Eric Parsloe, The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring, "Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximize their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be."

The MentorSET website posts this additional information:  “Mentoring is a powerful personal development and empowerment tool. It is an effective way of helping people to progress in their careers and is becoming increasing popular as its potential is realized. It is a partnership between two people (mentor and mentee) normally working in a similar field or sharing similar experiences. It is a helpful relationship based upon mutual trust and respect.

A mentor is a guide who can help the mentee to find the right direction and who can help them to develop solutions to career issues. Mentors rely upon having had similar experiences to gain an empathy with the mentee and an understanding of their issues. Mentoring provides the mentee with an opportunity to think about career options and progress.

A mentor should help the mentee to believe in herself and boost her confidence. A mentor should ask questions and challenge, while providing guidance and encouragement. Mentoring allows the mentee to explore new ideas in confidence. It is a chance to look more closely at yourself, your issues, opportunities and what you want in life. Mentoring is about becoming more self-aware, taking responsibility for your life and directing your life in the direction you decide, rather than leaving it to chance.”

As an organization that believes in the power of mentorship, Entrusted Legacy believes that there is certainly an element of coaching that goes into mentoring and also into being a positive role model.  However, we believe that the key ingredients of empathy and empowerment take mentoring a step further.  Gradual Release of Responsibility is a learning theory that for me defines the mentor-mentee relationship.  If you consider Gradual Release as a teeter-totter, in the beginning, the mentor is holding the mentee aloft and gradually, over time, releases the “hold” to the mentee, all the time supporting and scaffolding the release.  In the end, the mentee is empowered to handle it, whatever the “it” may be, on his/her own. 

Please join with Entrusted Legacy as we work to support the development of positive role models and mentors.  The ripples of this work will know no boundaries.  Contact us at support@entrustedlegacy.org

Contributions of Online Education in Brazil

Education is a process that involves the acts of teaching and learning, involving the intellectual, physical, moral and social aspects of a person, which vary according to geographic region or set of values ​​and beliefs of a particular group or individual. Much like the society, education needs and policies change, and for this reason, it is necessary for professionals and students to walk in the direction of change and to respond to it accordingly. This educational process can occur in two places:

- At school: the learner has the opportunity to develop academic skills, and can develop reasoning, language, and science skills (important content for intellectual growth);

- In life: the student learns from life experiences, including: facts, issues or  situations that the learner can then take as lessons of daily life.

            With the changes in education, the way that we learn also changes. Education becomes more complex, because the world is becoming more complex. With this, the need and demand for courses and classes that meet the most diverse sections of the population in different geographical realities, become a constant.

The concept of education that was held just prior to acquisition settings and content now includes knowledge and skills development in affective and social areas.

Over time, educational strategies have encountered new scenarios, as it leaves the physical space of the classroom, to occupy virtual spaces, attendance, academics through professionals from miles away.

            The focus of learning ceases to be content to be the apprentice (and  what he actually learns). The knowledge that previously occurred individually, becomes what we know today as knowledge management and collaborative learning.

Information technology and communications are becoming increasingly cheap and accessible to the population and has the following benefits: education and new knowledge, gained anytime and anywhere.

The courses in Distance Learning, fit the profile and the needs of the students. School curricula have become more dynamic and flexible in time, in space, in the methodology, management and evaluation.

The online education today offers a world of possibilities, with varied pedagogical and technological solutions, and can combine: live classes, social networks, forums/chats and even games for educational purposes. The learning system, using a combination of various media, is a reality that is increasingly present in the scenario of online education in Brazil.

Currently, Brazil is investing in courses at a distance, where the student has the possibility to realize it virtually wherever they are at any time or region. These are courses with online lessons and activities, accompanying features like games, cases, animations and videos. The content of the lessons can be done in real time, or forwarded to the teacher by email. At the end of each course, the student completes an evaluation test in the field. This type of education is ideal for the student or professional who wants to develop academically or professionally, and has limited availability. There are also courses that start as the formation of small groups. The teaching modules are focused on materials and activities.

For some courses, the goal is to serve a larger number of participants. With this type of education, television is used as an effective teaching resource. These are programs produced by professional teams, supported by printed material and guidance of expert tutors.

Called “teleconference”, these are used for classes of up to 50 students, where a teacher transmits his class for classes across the country, accompanied by a local tutor. The classes take place live, and students have the opportunity to ask questions in real time.

The process of change in education is not easy, but it's not impossible. You need to make time to meet and acculturate to new processes and pathways taken by education. Some are prepared (and open) to the new, others not. It takes time and disposition to learn new concepts and ways of conceiving learning. For this reason, it is necessary not only access, but also the democratization of information, so we can be socially included subjects in a society that is constantly changing.

By Contributing Writer, Daniela Silva

Daniela is an Entrusted Legacy volunteer that puts her writing skills and educational background in Pedagogy to use researching and creating informative blog and scholarly articles for educational movements across the globe.  Daniela’s home base in Sao Paulo, Brazil gives her unique insight to educational trend and topics outside of the United States.