Understand the Difference Between a Mentor and a Teacher
Teachers and mentors have one thing in common at OpenClassrooms: their professional expertise. What’s different is their relationship to the student.
The Role of a Teacher
A teacher is an expert in the field, recruited to create a course on the platform. They are supported by our learning designers and take a multimedia training course to learn how to make engaging videos.
When creating courses, this “expert trainer” provides the knowledge and skills to be taught:
in the most general way (they try to reach as many students as possible through a variety of real-world learning scenarios and contexts).
asynchronously (they don’t teach classes in person, and the student cannot contact them).
This is why the role of the mentor is so important . . .
The Role of a Mentor
A mentor is there to help the student to learn the content.
As a mentor, you help a student:
in an individual and personalized way (you give them more information, based on their professional project and specific problems).
in person (you fulfill their need for interaction and are there for the duration of their path to answer questions).
Support, Guide, Help . . .
Your expertise and technical skills are a real asset for students. Your transversal skills (such as your ability to listen and adapt) are just as important—and highly appreciated by the student!
Here are the main skills that make mentorship so enriching for students and help ensure their success:
So your role is twofold:
Help the student successfully complete projects to validate their training program.
Help them gain confidence and develop a professional approach.
What is the key? Build a relationship of trust based on good communication and an objective approach, and offer constructive feedback on the work they hand in.
As an OpenClassrooms mentor, you will develop your ability to:
Guide.
Motivate.
Inspire.
Assess.
Goal 1: Guide
Check that your student understands the content at each stage of the training program:
What is their goal and how will they achieve it?
Are they on the right track?
Is the student’s deliverable relevant and complete?
Goal 2: Motivate
If your student has doubts, take some time to review their professional and personal goals. Tell them about your own career path and how you achieved your goals.
That will help them:
remember why they are here.
visualize the way forward.
try to do their very best.
Goal 3: Inspire
While you are mentoring, you’ll often need to talk about the future prospects in your industry and your own experience.
When you do this, you help your student to imagine their life after training. This is important because the program is not an end in itself: it’s a springboard in their professional development.
Goal 4: Assess
You know what’s required for a successful assessment, and this allows you to evaluate:
Your student’s progress, by identifying improvement areas at each session.
The quality of their work, by checking that the deliverables they produce are in line with expectations.
This is how you know when your student is ready for the assessment.
Accept That You Don’t Know Everything
About Projects
Sometimes a student will ask you questions you aren’t prepared for.
We recommend that you go over the projects before the sessions, and don’t be afraid to choose only those that you are confident with (other mentors can take over on certain projects).
About Students
You may be required to support someone:
Who’s just starting out in their professional life.
Or someone who has 20 years of experience and wants to retrain.
In both cases, you will find yourself being asked questions that you don’t know the answers to―and that’s okay!
You’re not a teacher and you’re certainly not a living encyclopedia. Make peace with it: you’re there to help the student move forward, not spoon-feed them the answers. Tell yourself that when a student is stuck on something, they don’t need you to do anything for them (that won’t help them). They need you to give them a helping hand and point them in the right direction.
Now, let’s watch Virginia and Alexandra in a short video! Their testimonials will show you how important mentoring is for students. When we asked them what difference it made having a mentor, their answers were clear:
We have plenty of stories like this . . . With your help, we hope to soon have some more!
Let’s Recap!
You’re a helper: the student needs you to help them go the distance. Your role is to help students via your four main tasks: guide, motivate, inspire, and assess.
You’re not a teacher, and you’re not supposed to have all the answers.
In the next chapter, we’ll introduce you to the OpenClassrooms community, and explain how you can use it to your advantage!
