Roles
From the outset, Carol was clear that she wasn't there to "teach" the students. As she saw it, she had two roles: to mentor students by helping with their projects and answering their questions, and to provide Diana with professional support and development.
"I was there as a technologist of whom students could ask questions. Students soon learnt that they have to work to get the most out of it, that you're not just going to tell them the right answer. They have to bring the information to you and you'll help them understand it. You're there to bounce ideas off, to give them guidance on what to do next - but you're not going tell them what to do, or do it for them."
Diana sees her role in the mentor/student relationship as that of an interpreter, translating what she calls "technology-speak" into "student speak", and asking questions students may not think to ask. She has been pleased at how, as the relationship with Carol and students developed and the level of student understanding increased, she was needed in this role less and less. "Students began to see Carol as someone who knows what she is talking about and who can give them useful feedback on their practice - such as ethical considerations and appropriate testing procedures."
Carol says it is important when working with the teacher that you fit in with their teaching. "When Diana asked me to speak about a specific topic, I'd ask her what messages she wanted me to get across, what she wanted students to come away thinking about."
Carol: "You don't need teaching experience to mentor students. It is not hard. You just need an interest in working with young people, the ability to listen to what they are saying while also understanding that they are going to need guidance at time to get going in the right direction."
"Teachers don't know about all aspects of Food Technology and shouldn't be expected to. They haven't trained as a food technologist. A technologist mentor has the opportunity to share all the little things that can make a student project more real-to-life. They can inject that 10% of spark to make a project special and a challenge to the student - access to that piece of testing equipment or a trip through the real production plant or help to understand the food science that is occurring. This can make all the difference to the project being good and being exceptional. You want the student to have a real sense of achievement if you are going to keep them interested in technology."
Carol suggests that class trips to a workplace are best when they are directly relevant to the project the student is working on. "Otherwise they are just looking around. Workplace visits must have a purpose and must be facilitated, so that mentors can talk about how what students are seeing relates to what they are doing in the classroom."
