Quote:
Originally Posted by JVN
In your definition, how do you draw distinctions between teams and individuals, on both sides of the discussion?
(i.e. a single individual mentors another team than the one their on, or a team mentors a single person from another team, or an individual from one team mentors an individual from another team).
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I think it would be when multiple members of team leadership and students are interacting with each other. If an individual alone works with another team (going in and working with them, not just a question here or there) then I wouldn't consider that individual's team as a mentor team. As an example of what John is asking - I mentored 2495 this past summer (actively going in and working with mentors and students), but I could not say that 3929 mentored 2495. I also think it is important for the mentored team to acknowledge who "mentored" them as opposed to just who lent a part here or there or answered a question here or there.
You might even pose the question of when do you start
feeling like part of another team?
It's a tricky question I suppose, but most teams really should be able to tell when they are stretching the truth in Chairman's essays or other literature. (I'm presuming that's why this question was posed).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Stratis
I think the real question is... where does coopertition end and mentoring start?
A team can call you up and ask if you have a part they need but can't get from the manufacturer in time. That's a team actively seeking your help... but you aren't really mentoring them. A team might give you a call because they can't get their radio working after a competition, so you give them some pointers. How is that different from posting the question on CD? Again, it's mostly coopertition, and not mentoring.
When you get into mentoring, in my opinion, is with more drawn out involvement with a team*. Just answering a random question or a quick request doesn't count. But if the team comes to you with questions repeatedly over the build season, it might be mentoring. if you help the team through an entire project, it's probably mentoring. If you help a team get started, it's probably mentoring.**
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*-You're right here, thanks for stating in more detail. By definition of the word "mentoring," any type of advisement is considered within the definition, but I guess for FIRST purposes one might suggest there should be a deeper definition.
Quick google search also brought me to this, which I thought fit into FIRST pretty well.
What does a mentor do?
Quote:
The following are among the mentor’s functions:- Teaches the mentoree about a specific issue
- Coaches the mentoree on a particular skill
- Facilitates the mentoree’s growth by sharing resources and networks
- Challenges the mentoree to move beyond his or her comfort zone
- Creates a safe learning environment for taking risks
- Focuses on the mentoree’s total development
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**-Was going to comment, but Wendy posted another thread about this.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...hreadid=107995
Good topics for discussion!