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Benefits of Mentoring
Mentoring occurs when an older or more experienced person is committed to prepare a younger or less experienced person in all aspects of life.¹

In the Teaching Hammock, mentoring occurs between Seminole students, Seminole Aides and FGCU students. High performance Seminole students gain confidence and an enhanced self-image by mentoring younger students. By acting as teachers, they may realize that they could possibly become teachers themselves someday (the community currently has no certified native teachers).

FGCU students learn about Seminole culture from the aides. The aides, in turn, learn course knowledge and ideal teaching strategies, thereby becoming more self-confident and more competent in interpreting education in terms of their culture. Non-degreed aides gain teaching competencies. This program may spur them to complete an education program or to study towards certification or Child Development Associates (CDAs). As parents, the aides gain those skills needed to guide their own children as well.

Benefits of Partnered Teaching
As partnered teachers, paired Seminole aides and FGCU student teachers plan, execute, and evaluate lesson plans and also mentor each other. Partnered training emphasizes trust, appreciation of both cultures, respect for each other's values, and modeling teaching behavior.

Partnered teachers select teaching methods from an array of activities such as creating math word problems; writing out the process of doing math; making models; counting and measuring; listening; reading, writing and illustrating stories; using drama or acting out stories, using puppets, spelling words, learning words in native Creek language, and researching information in the Seminole reservation library.

Benefits of Language Experience Teaching
The language experience approach to teaching emphasizes cultural relevancy, as students and teachers hear stories, draw pictures, and learn about Seminole culture, then create their own reading material and math problems which are culturally relevant.

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¹ Bellm, D., M. Whitebook, and P. Hnatuik. 1997. The Early childhood Mentoring Curriculum: A Handbook for Mentors. Washington, D.C.: National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force.

Top of Page	Benefits of Mentoring Mentoring occurs when an older or more experienced person is committed to prepare a younger or less experienced person in all aspects of life.¹ In the Teaching Hammock, mentoring occurs between Seminole students, Seminole Aides and FGCU students. High performance Seminole students gain confidence and an enhanced self-image by mentoring younger students. By acting as teachers, they may realize that they could possibly become teachers themselves someday (the community currently has no certified native teachers). FGCU students learn about Seminole culture from the aides. The aides, in turn, learn course knowledge and ideal teaching strategies, thereby becoming more self-confident and more competent in interpreting education in terms of their culture. Non-degreed aides gain teaching competencies. This program may spur them to complete an education program or to study towards certification or Child Development Associates (CDAs). As parents, the aides gain those skills needed to guide their own children as well. Benefits of Partnered Teaching As partnered teachers, paired Seminole aides and FGCU student teachers plan, execute, and evaluate lesson plans and also mentor each other. Partnered training emphasizes trust, appreciation of both cultures, respect for each other's values, and modeling teaching behavior. Partnered teachers select teaching methods from an array of activities such as creating math word problems; writing out the process of doing math; making models; counting and measuring; listening; reading, writing and illustrating stories; using drama or acting out stories, using puppets, spelling words, learning words in native Creek language, and researching information in the Seminole reservation library. Benefits of Language Experience Teaching The language experience approach to teaching emphasizes cultural relevancy, as students and teachers hear stories, draw pictures, and learn about Seminole culture, then create their own reading material and math problems which are culturally relevant. _______________ ¹ Bellm, D., M. Whitebook, and P. Hnatuik. 1997. The Early childhood Mentoring Curriculum: A Handbook for Mentors. Washington, D.C.: National Center for the Early Childhood Work Force.