I mentored in a co-taught English 9 class and what I have found to be very beneficial is asking open ended questions and making them think about their writing, grammar, etc. When doing this I started to see a switch in attitude from "I can't do this" to "I can". Seeing the growth was remarkable and rewarding. Another way you can make your student engaged is by making Blookets, Kahoots, Gimkits etc. I have made two grammar Blookets so far and the students just love them. They are engaged and enjoying their learning. I would say communicate with your teacher and figure out some concepts you can make a blooket on. Best of Luck! You Got This.
- Mason Colvin
P.S - Remember you don't have to be an expert at English to be awesome!
When I was working in an English 9 classroom, something that I found extremely helpful when working with the students was asking leading questions. Asking leading questions is especially helpful when they are working on writing pieces like theme paragraphs or essays. A lot of times they can be super fixated on their personal style of writing, so by asking leading questions it helps put them on the right track or grow their understanding of the task at hand. Asking the students leading questions can also help them better understand what their end goal is. Sometimes the students might be confused by the directions, and those leading questions can clarify the expectations for them.
-Paige Quimby
I mentored for English 10. Something I found was most effective was getting to know that students besides helping them with school work. Building a connection can help the student feel more comfortable asking for help and talk to you openly. If I forgot how to do something, I would always try to figure it out with my student. Also, I made sure to participate in the work they did in class, so I was caught up with what they were doing.
- Mary Turner
Some English concepts can seem abstract or subjective to the students who are still learning them. Explaining a concept to someone in a different way may seem like a small act to you, but it means a lot to the student. Do not feel like you must always know every rule or have every answer. You may have more English experience than your students, but as my supervising teacher loves to say, there is no mastery over English.
-Nurain Jiwani
After mentoring for English 10, I learned that it is most helpful to prompt the student's ideas rather than simply telling them what to write. One way you can do this is by asking the student's questions to guide their thinking. For example, when writing essays, you can ask a student questions like "what grabs your attention when YOU read something?"
Mentoring English 10 was a super fun experience, especially because I got the opportunity to meet and make connections with some underclassmen. As far as advice goes for mentoring English classes, I found that it was very helpful to read/skim the book that the students were required to read in class. I found that I remembered the key points of the material from when I was a sophomore, but skimming the book a second time as the students read it allowed me to be a better resource to the students.
I mentored for an ALP English 9 class. What i found to work best was to challenge students to help each other. What I mean is that when a situations arose where multiple students needed help with one question or topic, helping one student usually helped many. One of the strongest motivators I saw was when a student had an "Ah-Ha" moment, and then could help a friend with something they where struggling with just a second ago. I saw students feel more accomplished, and also wanting to do their work for another reason then to just, "get it done".
I mentored for the WEC (Writing Exploration Center) in the mornings and during ourtime. During this experience, I found it helpful to have the students explain to me their project with a rubric pulled up on the side to compare and provide clarity for the task at hand.
I mentored an English 9 course, and the most useful strategy I learned was: get to know them personally. Don't just talk to them about school and classwork. Before getting to know them, no one came out or asked me for help. After talking with them, at the end of the term the teacher had to send kids back to work without me!
I mentored an EL class and I would recommend getting to know the students well so that you can find ways to inspire them and understand how they learn best. This will also help the students warm up to you and be comfortable to ask you for help when they need it.
I worked with upperclassmen in Short Fiction, and I found that sometimes people struggle less with the actual subject, and more with keeping up with their assignments. I think that as an academic mentor in this area, it is important to be open to helping with other components like organization, so the students can be successful.
-Paige W.
I worked with English 9, and I noticed that gaining relationships early on really gets students to open up and be comfortable asking questions later on. Making those connections and keeping it going really helped me while I was an Academic Mentor.
- Eesha Yalamanchili