Dr. Daloz talks about the different developmental theories of adults.
I personally like one of the theories, at the age of 30, it is so from right on, so that is what I am going to talk about.
The theory is called Levinson's Developmental Periods. And here it is.
Age
7
EARLY ADULT TRANSITION
20
Entering the Adult World
28
Age 30 Transition
33
Settling Down
40
MID-LIFE Transition
45
50 Entering Middle Adulthood
Age 50 Transition
55
Culmination of Middle Adulthood
60
Late Adult Transition
65
Throughout our life, we make multiple transitions. Through family, kids, occupations, and so on. As we age, we change.
My wife always tells me that I am not the same person I was at age 19. I'm not. I have went through many changes in the last 11 years. Career, school, marriage, children, death of relatives, and so on. Changes that many people go through. According to Levinson, I was transitioning into the adult world. Now at 30, I am at a point where I am transitioning again.
With my additional education, where do I go from here? Do I go on and get additional education? Throughout our lives, we will come to crossroads. This is where the mentor comes in. A mentor will ask questions, to get you to start looking at the options. What do you want? Where do you want to go? It will be up to you to make those decisions.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Chapter 2-Mentors, Myths and Metamorphosis
In this chapter, Dr. Daloz discusses the myths and the metamorphosis of mentoring:
The number one myth that was dispelled in this chapter is that mentors tell people what to do.
That is not the mentors job.
From childhood on, we have had people that look to, to give guidance. Mentors come in all different shapes and sizes. Our first mentors are our parents. As we grow older, we not only look to our parental figures, but to other authority figures, such as a coach, teacher, or community leader. There are also organizations that provide mentoring to kids who don't have any of the above. Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a mentoring organization that provides guidance to kids. As we get into the college years, we start looking a people in a profession we may want to get into as a mentor. Throughout our young adult life, we will have multiple mentors, that we use for a variety of reasons.
Mentoring takes on a similar face with adults also. When a person is mentoring an adult, they are engaging in one on one instruction, and the mentor needs to be aware of the persons learning needs and style.
Personally I like Dr. Daloz's style of mentoring. He is not forceful, or pushy. He allows his mentees to take responsibility for their decisions. To many times, especially with kids, the mentor is more of a director, telling the person this is what you need to do. Mentors need to remember that the people are not rebots, they should be able to make decisions. The mentor is a guide for the adult. They can provide the person with information, but ultimately, the person needs to decide.
The number one myth that was dispelled in this chapter is that mentors tell people what to do.
That is not the mentors job.
From childhood on, we have had people that look to, to give guidance. Mentors come in all different shapes and sizes. Our first mentors are our parents. As we grow older, we not only look to our parental figures, but to other authority figures, such as a coach, teacher, or community leader. There are also organizations that provide mentoring to kids who don't have any of the above. Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a mentoring organization that provides guidance to kids. As we get into the college years, we start looking a people in a profession we may want to get into as a mentor. Throughout our young adult life, we will have multiple mentors, that we use for a variety of reasons.
Mentoring takes on a similar face with adults also. When a person is mentoring an adult, they are engaging in one on one instruction, and the mentor needs to be aware of the persons learning needs and style.
Personally I like Dr. Daloz's style of mentoring. He is not forceful, or pushy. He allows his mentees to take responsibility for their decisions. To many times, especially with kids, the mentor is more of a director, telling the person this is what you need to do. Mentors need to remember that the people are not rebots, they should be able to make decisions. The mentor is a guide for the adult. They can provide the person with information, but ultimately, the person needs to decide.
Mentor Question
Who is your favorite "Mentor"? It can be anyone, be it in your personal life, TV or in the movies. Who do you feel did the best job mentoring?
Mine is Yoda.
Mine is Yoda.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Chapter 1-First Shards
Dr. Daloz starts off the 1st chapter of the book by explaining simply what mentoring is all about. He says that most people learn more outside of the classroom than inside it. I think we call this experience. He felt that education doesn't need to level off after high school. The problem with adults is that they may need a little more assistance is moving down that right path. When I say assistance, it's not a career planner, but a sounding board.
Dr. Daloz explains mentoring very simply as the following: The key to the success of a mentorship relationship is not asking, how do we influence our student? The key is a question about a relationship, where are our students going, and who are we for them in their journey? The mentor is there is assist the student in anyway that they need to. The mentor is not there to tell the student what to do. They are there to provide a guiding light.
In the 1st chapter, Dr. Daloz introduces Emerald, a student of his who is having trouble with setting a program course for herself. Throughout the exchange, not once does Dr. Daloz give his opinion to Emerald. All he does is ask questions, and sees how she answers them. With many adults, Emerald was voicing her thoughts, and not particularly looking for a solution for her problem. Dr. Daloz has realized, through his years of experience, that the mentor relationship is sensitive. There is a fine line between mentor and guidance counselor. A mentor is there because they have been there, done that, and has built the trust of the student they are working with. They can easily lose the student if they cross that line. So far, Dr. Daloz is maintaining his role as mentor.
Dr. Daloz explains mentoring very simply as the following: The key to the success of a mentorship relationship is not asking, how do we influence our student? The key is a question about a relationship, where are our students going, and who are we for them in their journey? The mentor is there is assist the student in anyway that they need to. The mentor is not there to tell the student what to do. They are there to provide a guiding light.
In the 1st chapter, Dr. Daloz introduces Emerald, a student of his who is having trouble with setting a program course for herself. Throughout the exchange, not once does Dr. Daloz give his opinion to Emerald. All he does is ask questions, and sees how she answers them. With many adults, Emerald was voicing her thoughts, and not particularly looking for a solution for her problem. Dr. Daloz has realized, through his years of experience, that the mentor relationship is sensitive. There is a fine line between mentor and guidance counselor. A mentor is there because they have been there, done that, and has built the trust of the student they are working with. They can easily lose the student if they cross that line. So far, Dr. Daloz is maintaining his role as mentor.
About the Author
Dr. Laurent Daloz became a mentor to adult students for many years, while he served on the faculty at Norwich University. He received his Ed.D in Educational Leadership from Harvard University. He is the author of a variety of peer reviewed articles, reports, and books. He shows a strong passion for the mentoring process, while showing a greater deal of passion for his students.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
My Book Choice
Hello Fellow EDAE 692 Students,
For this course, I decided to read "Mentor" by Laurent A. Daloz. This is the 2nd edition to the book "Effective Teaching and Mentoring." I chose to read this book because I feel that mentoring is a forgotten aspect in many educator's practice. I want to learn more about mentoring, what it means, and how to be more effective at it. Everyone has seen the Seinfeld episode with the protege, and they make light of that relationship. It's definitely a funny episode, but the mentor/student relationship is very important. Now a days, we call this guidance and/or counseling. Being a mentor can mean many things, and can be as big or as little as what the people involved make it. I look forward to reading this book and learning more about being a Mentor. Look for weekly postings with discussion questions. Thank you in advance for taking an active role in this blog.
Jake Waldschmidt
For this course, I decided to read "Mentor" by Laurent A. Daloz. This is the 2nd edition to the book "Effective Teaching and Mentoring." I chose to read this book because I feel that mentoring is a forgotten aspect in many educator's practice. I want to learn more about mentoring, what it means, and how to be more effective at it. Everyone has seen the Seinfeld episode with the protege, and they make light of that relationship. It's definitely a funny episode, but the mentor/student relationship is very important. Now a days, we call this guidance and/or counseling. Being a mentor can mean many things, and can be as big or as little as what the people involved make it. I look forward to reading this book and learning more about being a Mentor. Look for weekly postings with discussion questions. Thank you in advance for taking an active role in this blog.
Jake Waldschmidt
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