The Peer Mentoring Program Manual

Prepared by Karlo Avenido, Student Services Manager

Brief Overview: Proactive Peer MentoringWelcome to the Peer Mentoring Program! During your stay with us, your interpersonal skills and your confidence will develop as you mentor students and improve engagement on campus. This guidebook will explain the purpose of the program, and provide some key tips to being successful in this role.

The Student Services Department designed the Peer Mentoring Program to provide guidance to at-risk or probationary students, helping them succeed in Hanson through delivering support strategies.

Using the Proactive Model of student advising, you, as Peer Mentors, guide students who are at risk, enhance their study skills and help them cope with the demands of post-secondary education, and provide access to support services we have in school.

What is the Proactive Model? The Proactive Model (also called Intrusive Model), refers to the system of mentorship and advising which focuses on bringing services and support programs to students instead of passively waiting for students to access these services. The model also encourages a more personal than professional approach to our students, and using strategies to become an active part of the students’ lives, to keep them motivated (Varney, 2012).

Another key aspect of the Proactive Model is early intervention: identifying at-risk students as early as possible. This means that the Peer Mentors are involved in students’ lives as early as Orientation! Therefore, it is a key part of the program to get our Peer Mentors involved in our Orientation Week through giving guided tours of the campus, conducting fun activities with new students, and getting to know them on a personal level from the very start.

Key to this is constantly reminding students that someone cares about them, about how their performance in school, and about how they will succeed in Hanson. Mentoring is more than just academic tutoring: it focuses on nonacademic factors that prevent students from reaching their full potential as well. This may include financial stress, family issues, relationship issues, adjustment issues, etc.

Who Are the Peer Mentors?

Peer Mentors like you are 2nd to 4th semester students who excel in their program through demonstrating a 3.75 GPA or above, with attendance rates of more than 90%. Moreover, you have taken initiative to volunteer to be the go-to person in their class, as shown through your interactions with peers and instructors. After joining the program, you must make every effort to ensure that every contact that is made with a student counts—that every interaction matters. Values might clash and attitudes might differ, but that is a learning process for both mentor and student (Nakagawa, 1999).

“A mentor’s principal goal is to nurture total autonomy, freedom, and development of whom he or she mentors”

—Paulo Freire

A Peer Mentor is:• A knowledgeable and experienced guide who imparts knowledge with

the goal of academic success and personal growth of both mentor and mentee;

• A caring counsellor, a friend and facilitator who provides another resource outside the mentee’s usual environment;

• A role model who exemplifies the values of Hanson and can lead mentees to a more meaningful stay at Hanson and beyond;

• A trusted advocate, an ally who works with the mentee and on behalf of the mentee’s best interests and success (Nakagawa, 1999).

What Do We Peer Mentors Do?

Your mandate is to support students academically and socially through developing caring and beneficial relationships with them and teaching them appropriate study skills.

Each semester, the Academic and Student Services Departments will distribute a list of At-Risk/Probation students to you. This list will become your main contact list for the semester. Your responsibility is to develop mentoring relationships with these students, explore solutions to challenges that face them, and to follow up with them on a weekly basis.

Your office hours’ schedules involve conducting academic tutoring, advising, and consulting with faculty and staff to improve the student experience. You can also refer students to on-site services such as counselling.

To show peer leadership and support, you and other Peer Mentors will also be asked to participate and assist in various student activities throughout the semester.

Where can we find the Peer Mentors?

You, as Peer Mentors, play an active role in student growth and development throughout students’ lives at Hanson. As such, you are present from Orientation until Convocation. You will be expected to be the most active in the following school events:

• Orientation: conducting tour guides, helping students find their way through the college’s registration procedures, familiarizing students with school policies as outlined in the Orientation presentation

• Major Evaluations: conducting academic tutoring sessions to drop-in students during Week 4, Week 8 and Week 14

• Important Deadlines: tuition fee deadlines, registration weeks

• Weekly Regular Office Hours: 10-12 hours/week, consulting in Room 6 Mentoring Room or at the Main Campus

• Major Events on Campus: Convocation, Orientation, International Night, Career Fairs

Good Listening Habits

Since Peer Mentors communicate with students most of the time, you need to establish good listening habits. Read these statements and circle Yes / No next to the statements (adapted from Nakagawa, 1999).

1. I am easily distracted by noise or by the speaker’s accent or manner of speaking. ( Yes / No )

2. I look at the speaker’s face, eyes, and movement, and I listen to his/her tone of voice. ( Yes / No )

3. I think about other topics while listening. ( Yes / No )4. I listen for what is not being said, as well as for what is being said. ( Yes /

No )5. I fake attention to the speaker, especially if I’m busy or if I think I know

what the speaker is going to say. ( Yes / No )6. I show in a physical way that I am listening, and I try to help the speaker

feel at ease. ( Yes / No )7. I listen largely for details and facts, more than ideas and reasons. ( Yes /

No )8. I am aware of my own facial, body, and vocal cues that I am using while

listening. ( Yes / No )9. I take a look at the truth or accuracy of what I have heard before

checking out the interpretation with the speaker. ( Yes / No )10. I prepare myself for listening by focusing my thoughts on the speaker

and the expected topic and committing my time and energy to them. ( Yes / No )

11. In order to be more productive, I take a look at my phone and answer emails while the other person is speaking. ( Yes / No )

12. I follow the speaker by reviewing what he or she said, and concentrating on what the speaker is saying. ( Yes / No )

13. I make comments like “I know what you mean – it happened to me as well!” and tell my story before letting the other person speak. ( Yes / No )

14. I accept the feelings of the speaker and not reject what they feel or think no matter how silly it sounds to me. ( Yes / No )

Rate the answers. The “Yes” encircled in the even number statements (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14) exhibit good listening habits.

Communicating with the At-Risk List:During the first few weeks, you might get discouraged by the lack of engagement received from the students. However, this should not discourage you from interacting with their students. You are encouraged to develop innovative ways to get in touch with their students. For instance, Peer Mentors can directly contact instructors to meet with their students during scheduled breaks (Earl, 1987).

When communicating with students, it is important to deliver a consistent message: The Peer Mentoring Program is here to support you. Support from the PMP not only comes through academic tutoring, but through supporting you in your stay at Hanson. Guided by the value of success-oriented support, you shape their communication strategies and attitude towards students in a supportive, guiding way.

Moreover, you lead your students to choose to succeed.

Challenges Facing Students

• Student factors:o Low self-esteem, lack of motivation/energy, personal crises

• Classroom factors:o Bigger class size, lack of recognition in class, no peers in class

• Learning factors:o Language problems, lack of basic skills, inability to keep up with

workload

• Family:o Financial issues, lack of communication, student is a caretaker at

home, first time being free, etc.

As Peer Mentors, we need to focus on solving the following barriers for student success:

• Develop listening skills.

o Refer to the listening/communication inventory attached.

• Focus on your student. Be empathetic.

• Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic motivation.

o Extrinsic Motivation: Students perform well because they will get rewarded, and believe that they will be punished if they perform poorly.

o Intrinsic Motivation: Students perform well because they feel fulfilled. Establish a sense of control and self-determination – they are the master of their own lives. It’s up to them to decide to be successful or not successful. Our role is to help them succeed, and encourage them to choose to succeed.

Peer Mentors in Action: How Can You Help?

What support do Peer Mentors get?

• Peer Mentor Training:o During the first week of the semester, the Student Services

Department will hold a general meeting to serve as training for new Peer Mentors and refresher for senior Peer Mentors.

o The General Meeting during is mandatory for all Peer Mentors.

• Teacher Support:o As a Peer Mentor, you can approach your teachers to help you with

coursework should you have any questions on behalf of students.o Teachers are an additional resource you can refer to when helping

your peers. Feel free to email them, introducing yourself as a Peer Mentor!

• Support from Student Services:o Having difficulties getting a student to come to your mentoring

sessions? Come and chat with Student Services staff – they’re here to support you!

• Career Guidance and Resources:o As a Peer Mentor, you will gain a richness in interpersonal skills, time

management skills, and strengthen your résumé portfolio. o The Student Services Department can help you get a head start on

your career! Drop by to get résumé/cover letter support.

The role of being a Peer Mentor may be daunting -- you carry many responsibilities to help students succeed. However, Hanson provides you with the support you need to excel in this role!

Role Play: What Would You Do?

Here are some scenarios that we might face as Peer Mentors. Discuss with your fellow Peer Mentors what good steps of action we could take (adapted from Nakagawa, 1999).

1. Your students tell you that he/she has no one to call for help. How do you encourage your students to gain support from others?

2. Your students are feeling alone and isolated. How do you help them increase their social and recreational opportunities?

3. Your students are feeling anxious and nervous about doing well in college. What can you suggest to help him/her overcome these feelings?

4. Your students bring up an issue that was very painful in the past. You feel yourself becoming overwhelmed by your own emotional reactions. What do you do?

5. Your students ask you a question, and you are confused about how to respond, or you need time to think about an answer. What do you do?

6. Your students keep on saying that they will come to your appointments, but they never show up. You ask them why, and all they say is that they will come next time. What do you do?

Semester Timeline for the Peer Mentoring Program

• Prior to Week 2: Release list of Probationary/At-Risk students to Peer Mentors

• Week 2: Introduce Peer Mentors to students during Student Welcome Party

• Week 3: Getting-to-know-you week, preparation for Evaluation 1

• Week 4: Evaluation 1. Be more available at this time.

• Week 5: Conduct follow-ups and general walk-in tutoring

• Week 6: Follow up with At-Risk/Probationary students

• Week 7: Peer Mentoring Program General Meeting, check-in and evaluation

• Week 8: Midterms Week. Be more available at this time.

• Week 9-12: Conduct follow-ups and general walk-in tutoring

• Week 13: Peer Mentoring Program pre-finals check-in and evaluation

• Week 14: Final Exam Week. Be more available for walk-ins and mentees at this time.

• Week 15: Program review and evaluation

Works Cited

Earl, W. R. (N.D.) Intrusive advising for freshmen. Retrieved from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources web site: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Intrusive-Advising-for-Freshmen.aspx.

Nakagawa, G. (1999). Developing a Mentoring Perspective. CSUN Faculty Mentor Program. San Diego City College.

Varney, J. (2012). Proactive (Intrusive) Advising! Academic Advising Today, 35 (3). Retrieved from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/Proactive-(Intrusive)-Advising!.aspx

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