In this session we discussed Motivational Interviewing, an approach used in the Counseling field to foster change in individuals. Like the previous session on Dweck, this FIG session was open to the larger college community- those who were currently trained as mentors in our formal Student Faculty Mentoring program as well as those on campus who just have an interest in mentoring but are not currently mentoring, and those providing mentoring informally (but are not part of our program). Motivational Interviewing, established by Miller & Rollnick (2002), is a structured approach to helping people change based on enhancing their intrinsic motivation and understanding ambivalence. Participants were asked to read about the basics of MI and in this FIG session, we discussed the utility of the four guiding principles and strategies of MI in relation to understanding and mentoring our KCC students. The readings from this session can also be accessed through the Faculty Student Mentoring program google site.

Motivational Interviewing

In this session, we discussed Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset. We watched a Tedtalk that focused on Dweck’s research and discussed this research in relation to KCC students and the value it holds for mentoring. In essence, Dweck’s research demonstrates that praising children for intelligence with language such as, “you are so smart”, can backfire in that children/ teens/ young adults start to see intelligence as a fixed trait that can’t be changed versus having a “Growth mindset” that can be fostered and in one’s control. Participants in this session were also asked to read two articles that Dweck had written about Growth Mindset prior to the FIG session. These articles and videos can be viewed through the linked, Mentoring Google Site.

Carol Dweck’s talk on Growth versus Fixed Mindset- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ

Dweck-how praise is harming youth

Meeting was held with current mentors in our program in an attempt to check-in about the status of the relationships with their mentees, troubleshoot, and provide support. This was a way for mentors to come together to support one another and learn about resources on campus and about the mentoring google site which provides articles and resources related to mentoring/ information about the mentoring program.