Mentoring in MFL
Mentoring in MFL is about helping someone else find their voice, their rhythm, their confidence while holding the space for them to grow.
It’s about passing on the baton with care.
It’s guiding, supporting, championing. It’s modelling not just what we do, but how and why we do it. Share your thinking, the “Behind the scenes”.
So much of teaching happens in the invisible space: the thinking behind the questions, the tone of a correction, the small decision to pause or push forward. As mentors, our job is to make the invisible visible.
I remember observing teachers during my PGCE and thinking: “Wow, how do they do that?”, They made it look so easy but I learnt more from conversations with them afterwards, depicting every aspect, question and decision, than by looking at their lesson plans…
I learnt more when it went wrong and we talked about how the intention did not go to plan than when it all went smoothly. In fact, when it all went smoothly, I took many things for granted because most of what the teacher did for the lesson to run smoothly, was invisible.
“It’s not so much what teachers do that matters, it’s how they think about what they do”. John Hattie. My favourite teaching quote.
Everyone can turn up, grab a textbook and complete exercises with students, not everyone can turn up and teach with impact! It’s an art, in the thinking rather than in the doing.
I think about that a lot when I mentor someone. It’s not about sharing my lesson plan, not about sharing my Powerpoint, not about being perfect in the classroom, it’s about sharing my thinking, my intentions, my reasoning, my WHY.
One powerful way to do this? Print off your lesson outline. Add notes that explain your intentions: what you plan to do, why you’re doing it that way, and what impact you hope for.
Let your trainee observe the lesson and read your thinking at the same time. This enables you to share the purpose behind every activity. They can watch what happens, but they have context and that creates a superb foundation for when they are ready to start planning. The power and impact of a teacher lies way deeper than the activities we choose. We’re not here to keep children busy in the classroom until it’s time to go home. We’re creating a set of skills.
Mentoring is also about attitude. The way we give feedback. The way we champion small wins. The way we rehearse challenges together. Every meeting is a chance to model reflection, curiosity, and kindness.
I start every feedback form with extra things I notice, I don’t take anything for granted, if they are doing something basic really well, i still include in the form every time. I share details of character, teaching skills, interpersonal skills… Example:
“You came to the room early to set up everything and make sure you had all the resources at the ready for when students arrived, great organisation skills”
“You rehearsed saying students’ names with me during break before the lesson because you wanted to get it right, this shows you care and have high expectations for yourself”
“You set up in the wrong room and had to log off, move everything to another room, log back on and set up again and as a result, the lesson started with disruption but you remained calm and positive”
And mentoring goes beyond the classroom.
Walk the school together during lunch. Model belonging. Greet students in the corridor (Practise short spontaneous conversations in the TL). Show what it means to connect and be visible around the school.
These are lessons in confidence, identity, and culture not just pedagogy.
Because mentoring is not about perfection.
It’s about presence, reflection, and the quiet joy of seeing someone grow into their own teacher self. 🌱
