Being a mentor

Be a Mentor


 

GLOBE mentors are an important way The GLOBE Program interacts with the greater community. They can provide feedback for teachers' science lesson plans, assist students with earth science projects or support the community in a wide variety of ways. Each relationship between a scientist and a GLOBE school is unique, and as such, the exact roles and responsibilities of a GLOBE mentor are determined by both the school's needs as well as the scientist's interests.

Tip: Becoming a GLOBE mentor will fulfill your "one activity per year" GISN membership requirement. 
 



Mentor Tips

For a few quick pointers on being a GLOBE mentor, consider the tips below that GLOBE has adapted from The Leadership Alliance:

  1. Assess the interests of the teacher and students
  2. Develop a plan for the project with feedback from the teacher. Keep in mind, there may be important administrative dates the school is limited by, like school holidays, breaks or standardized testing sessions 
  3. Keep in contact with the students and teacher. This can be through phone calls, emails, texts, online video meeting services, or in person classroom visits.
     


Mentor Resources

Check out the resources below to explore strategies on mentoring older mentees, underserved populations and other minority groups in STEM:
 

STEM Mentor Role Model Training with NASA's Jessica Taylor

A virtual Role Model training focused on STEM Mentors presented by Jessica Taylor from NASA Langley. In the presentation, Taylor emphasizes the importance of deconstructing gender stereotypes in STEM fields and explains the mentorship strategies outlined in the SciGirls Role Model Strategy resource.

MENTOR

MENTOR’s newest resource takes the cornerstone best-practice guide for mentoring, "The Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring," and offers research-backed and practice-based tips specifically for STEM mentoring programs. "The STEM Supplement to the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™" provides additional research-informed recommendations for youth mentoring programs with a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics focus.

MentorNet Mentoring Program

In their continued effort to promote the beneficial relationship between STEM mentors and mentees, the MentorNet organization has released a collection of mentor guidelines developed by the American Physiological Society. These guidelines provide information on establishing mentoring relationships, interacting with mentees and avoiding potential pitfalls. This document is designed for mentoring opportunities in a post-secondary school setting, however, the techniques and approaches within may be adapted for mentees of all ages.

National Academy of Science

"The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM" hosts a collection of resources, mentoring tools and information focused on providing mentors with the necessary background to help develop science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) professionals.

National Center for Interactive Learning

Resources and suggestions from NCIL on creating memorable STEM learning experiences for diverse learners in partnership with libraries.

National Library of Medicine 

"Mentoring Underrepresented Students in STEMM: Why Do Identities Matter?" discusses the topic of identity and how ignoring a person's identities and sociodemographic background, including first-generation (FG) status, without positively recognizing and affirming the value of differences, can affect specific populations of mentees in White, male-dominated science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) disciplines.


 

PBS SciGirls: Role Model Strategies 

PBS SciGirls takes the bold aim of changing how millions of girls think about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The approaches utilized in this resource are research-based, gender equitable strategies designed to engage girls in STEM while addressing the importance of connecting them with knowledgeable role models and mentors.

techbridge girls: Role Models Matter

Techbridge girls' "Role Models Matter Online Training" helps mentors and role models develop the necessary skills to engage girls from marginalized communities through videos, reflection questions and other interactive elements.


 

The Leadership Alliance

The "Mentoring Undergraduates in Summer Research Programs" document provides information on how to maximize your beneficial impact on students during a short period of time. This document is designed for mentoring opportunities in a post-secondary school setting, however, the techniques and approaches within may be adapted for mentees of all ages.