The mentor's role
We regard expert artisans as superior not only because they grasp the theory and know the reasons for acting as they do. What distinguishes the expert artisan is an ability to teach.~ Aristotle, Metaphysics
Mentors are expert coders paid to participate in and support the learning of our candidates.
They have a powerful presence because they act as: friendly guide, technical expert and trusted confidant. They are self-consciously role models for our candidates.
Our mentors also officiate the grading process: engaging with candidates through discussion and code review, of projects submitted for assessment.
They have two aims:
- To push candidates to make their project better than they ever imagined possible.
- To gather evidence of the candidate's level of attainment for the grade they're taking.
When a mentor has enough evidence of a candidate's level of attainment, they write feedback and award a mark for the grade.
Mentors engage with a blend of approaches: questions about the project, code and design choices, requests for new features or reports of bugs for candidates to fix, new resources for candidates to explore and incorporate into the project.
A mentor will never contribute code to a project, that's the candidate's task!
Rather than provide answers, solutions or relieve problems a mentor ~ understands that learning is a process that flows without end, welcomes questions and the challenge that is a candidate's confusion, offers experience, constructive criticism and unwavering support, but ensures it is the candidate who takes the steps on the journey to experience.
The candidate's journey with their mentor helps them transcend mere coding techniques: because while technical knowledge is necessary, it not sufficient. Collaborating with a mentor is a path that reveals: the understanding needed to creatively blend approaches to make something of value.
As a result our mentors are expected to have: compassion, uncompromising integrity, formidable pedagogical intuition, and a humble desire to awaken candidates to their full potential.
By mentoring we become a sophisticated, supportive and sustainable community. CodeGrades is a deliberate exercise in passing on such an engineering culture. Since that culture is collaborative, creative and compassionate, ...so are our wonderful mentors.
Education makes our future possible.
What that future is depends upon who turns up to support our candidates.
We are proud of our mentors and cherish their work, efforts and achievements.
If you would like to take the next step and explore how to join us as a mentor, get in touch, ask us questions and learn what we offer.