Mentoring and Professional Learning (More Than Mentoring, Part 4)

Join Kathleen Paulsen, assistant director of induction and mentoring at the Arizona K12 Center, as she connects with long-time educator and author Joellen Killion. They take a deep look at mentoring and induction and talk about what continues to inspire and drive Joellen’s work.

Joellen is a renowned leader in education with 30 years of experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of professional learning. Joellen has served as a senior advisor to Learning Forward and is also the author of several books. On the podcast, Kathleen specifically discusses Joellen’s article “Coaching Light Coaching Heavy” and how it informed and changed the way in which she views mentoring, induction, and her own professional learning.

Joellen starts the podcast by talking about the magic that results from high-quality professional learning and the impact that this has on students. She also talks about her “why” and what pushes her to continue to support the field.

Joellen and Kathleen discuss the feedback element in the professional growth process and the impact that this can have both on teachers and students. Joellen calls us to start by asking the person we are in community with what they would like to learn? This can be an entry point that leads to greater results and deeper understanding.

Joellen also pushes us to think past not only using teacher retention as a measure of success, but to look at measuring the success of a mentoring program through the student's success. She explains to Kathleen what this could look like in practice and how making students the primary goal of mentoring might play out in school buildings. Kathleen also emphasizes the delicate balance of building mentor-mentee relationships as well as supporting students in the classroom through mentees. 

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore how you might further connect students to community and co-design learning opportunities unique to your location. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Learn more about Joellen’s work through some of these links:

• Original Article: Are You Coaching Heavy or Light? by Joellen Killion

• Updated Article: Coaching heavy, coaching light: How to deepen professional practice by Joellen Killion

• Assessing Impact: Evaluating Professional Learning by Joellen Killion

• The Feedback Process: Transforming Feedback for Professional Learning by Joellen Killion

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.