Ten teacher practices for mentoring successful student EPQs

Previous work has identified ten salient practices for mentoring schooli and University/Collegeii students doing independent research. The practices presented below come from teacher and student interviews conducted as part of a national project,iii and offer insight into how the ten practices relate specifically to delivery and mentoring of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). As such, the ten practices comprise a shared pedagogy of project-based teaching. The interviews revealed that educators develop their own mentoring practice and professional identity through reflective delivery of the EPQ. At some providers, staff recruitment actively stressed the role of mentoring on the EPQ as a form of professional development. It was widely acknowledged in the interviews that educators who engaged with standardisation and assessment were able to teach more effectively as they increased their understanding of the award, and in some cases, this led to educators working with exam boards, attending standardisation meetings and training other staff as mentors. In addition, through engaging with attainment data and observing each other’s teaching/mentoring, there was a strong sense that involvement with the EPQ enhanced teacher motivation and satisfaction.