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Professional to Pre-Service Mentorship Program

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Promoting strong networks of pre-service teachers and professionals

The Werklund Mentorship Program provides mentorship opportunities for students in our Bachelor of Education Program. Students are able to participate in the Professional-to-Pre-Service Program, where alumni, partner teachers, and community members mentor final year students.

As a participant in the program, you will:

  • Examine how to navigate the next stage of your career as an educator
  • Develop lasting connections as part of your broader professional network

As a mentor in the program, you will:

  • Develop your leadership skills and staff development capacity
  • Support pre-service teachers as they navigate their coursework and moving into the profession

It is important to note the difference between our Mentorship program and our Partner Teacher program. Partner Teachers are a formal and structured relationship between In-Service and Pre-Service Teachers. Partner Teachers bring the Pre-Service Teachers into their classrooms and introduce them to professional life as a teacher. Mentors are a more informal relationship that is an optional part of a student's degree experience. Mentorship does not involve grading or reporting, and is only approximately one meeting per month. These meetings take place virtually for now, but could take place in person in the future.

What's Involved

1: Register

Use the "Register Here" button below to access the Mentorlink platform. Once on the platform, click the green "Join Program" button to access the Werklund-specific Mentorship Program.

Answer a few questions about what interests you, and what you hope to gain from mentoring. This helps us match you to someone with similar teaching areas and interests.

2: We Match You

Professional mentors will be matched with Pre-Service Teachers in their final year of the program. We use the Mentorlink platform to support the matching and communication processes. There are also a number of resources available on Mentorlink.

 

3: Get Connected

Mentees will initiate contact with their mentor once they've been matched. Pairs determine how and when to connect. We recommend at least 6 meetings, usually once per month. Communication is key to a successful mentorship.

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Apply a variety of facilitation strategies to encourage discussion, generate ideas, and build consensus
  • Apply a variety of leadership strategies to develop meaningful relationships with the program and its participants
  • Articulate how specific experiences contribute to their growth as an educator
  • Develop stronger connections to the professional community and specific organizations
  • Evaluate successes and setbacks as part of ongoing professional development
  • Examine how programs and educators create communities that are conducive to teaching and learning
  • Navigate new challenges as an educator with the support and guidance of a mentor in a similar field
  • Share and receive knowledge regarding teacher education and teaching practice
Mentor and mentee share a laugh

Interested in joining the Professional to Pre-Service Mentorship Program?

Register here!

Questions? Connect with us! werklund.mentorship@ucalgary.ca

To receive mentorship as a pre-service teacher is to be reminded that we are not alone in our fears, challenges, and hopes as aspiring educators. My mentor helped me to personalize and apply the various instructional strategies I was exposed to in my degree and greatly contributed to my confidence entering the profession. I am incredibly grateful to have developed a long-term professional relationship with my mentor that I will carry with me throughout my career as a teacher.

Jessica Gobran, BEd '21

Our professional journey is enhanced by meaningful relationships that leave a mark on us. Both teacher mentor and beginning teacher mentee can benefit immensely from a reciprocal relationship, helping set beginning teachers on a path for successful integration into the profession and community.

Kelly Bobke BEd, ’85