Professional Development
Promoting Mutual Learning in Reversementoring: Professional Development
for Experienced Educators
Satoko Kato
Kanda University of International Studies
Reverse-mentoring is a unique form of mentoring, derived from the Information
Technology-related industries in the United States, in which a less experienced person serves
as a mentor (junior-mentor) for a more experienced person (senior-mentee) to share thelatest skills and knowledge in technology. However, there is a lack of research on reversementoring in educational contexts. This study examines the effect of a reverse-mentoring
session embedded within a mentoring program designed for experienced learning advisors
and investigates how mutual learning occurs between mentor and mentee. Qualitative
data were collected via participants’ reflective journals and an open-ended, post-program
questionnaire. The data demonstrate that the five participants underwent an attitude
shift by having the opportunity to become a junior-mentor during the reverse-mentoring
session, which implies that reverse-mentoring served as an effective approach to mentor
development. The data also suggest that establishing a trusting relationship with the juniormentor prior to the reverse-mentoring session, reviewing audio recordings of the preceding
sessions where the junior-mentors attended as mentees, and analyzing how their mentor
interacted with them, all served to effectively prepare the junior-mentors for the reversementoring session. For the senior-mentee, who usually takes the role of trainer, reversementoring was a refreshing experience where she could revisit her professional and personalvalues. The paper discusses how and why mutual learning occurred through the reversementoring process and emphasizes the importance of mentor education.
リバース・メンタリングとは、従来のメンターとメンティの役割を逆転させるメンタリン
グを意味し、より経験の浅い者がメンターとなり、より経験のある先輩にメンタリングを実施するものである。米国のIT業界を発祥とするリバース・メンタリングは、若手が熟練者に最新の技術の知識やスキルを伝達することを目的とするが、教育分野
において実施された例は少ない。本研究では、現職のラーニング・アドバイザー５

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人を対象としたメンタリング・プログラムの中に、リバース・メンタリングセッションを導入し、メンター・メンティ双方の「相互成長」がいかに促進されるのかを検証した。その結果、リバース・メンタリング実施前に両者の関係性を構築しておくこと、それまでに実施したセッションの録音を分析しておくこと、メンターの役割を再認識しておくことなどが、効果的な事前準備となることがわかった。また、通常メンター役を担う
先輩メンティにとっては、自身の教育観や人生観を再確認する貴重な機会となった。本稿は、どのような相互成長がいかに両者の間で促進されたのかを述べ、リバース・メンタリングのメンター教育における役割について言及する。

Reverse-mentoring was initially introduced in the fields of information technology
and business in the United States. It involves a less experienced, younger worker
sharing the latest skills and knowledge in technology with a senior worker
with more experience. The mentor in return learns to establish relationships,
improve leadership competencies, and understand the organizational culture(Murphy, 2012). Thus, it is the inverse of the traditional mentoring relationship,
where the mentor is usually the more experienced specialist extending careerand psychosocial-support to a less experienced mentee through directive andhierarchical approaches (Eby, Rhodes, & Allen, 2007; Kram, 1984; Ragins &Kram, 2007).
Approaches in mentoring have been introduced in teacher education toenhance the professional growth of both novice and experienced teachers(Hobson, Ashby, Malderez, & Tomlinson, 2009). Previous research has shownthat mentoring relationships reduce attrition among new teachers (Delaney,2012), improve confidence in teaching (Hobson et al., 2009), and develop selfreflection skills (Kissau & King, 2014). Furthermore, equality in relationships
establishes trust and rapport which can lead to mutual learning that also helps
experienced professionals grow (Brown, 2001; Delaney, 2012). Some researchers
have observed the positive effects of mentoring on the mentors themselves,noting enhanced self-esteem and that it forced them to reflect on their own
beliefs on teaching and learning (Ford & Parsons, 2000; Gordon & Maxey,
2000; Wollman-Bonilla, 1997).
Fletcher (2012) argues that a distinction needs to be made between
mentoring in education and mentoring in other contexts because teaching is
not merely providing knowledge in one-way learning, i.e., teachers teaching
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students, but involves mutual learning, i.e., teachers learning from students.
Reverse-mentoring in education, therefore, needs to have more diversity, wherethe ‘younger to older’ scheme is not precisely oriented (Dickinson, Jankot,& Gracon, 2009). In addition, while many of the studies on mentoring focus
on training for pre-service or novice teachers, relatively few relate to reversementoring for experienced educators’ professional development.
Therefore, this study examines the effects of a reverse-mentoring session
conducted as part of a wider mentoring program designed for experienced
learning advisors who are professional language educators dedicated topromoting learner autonomy and who work in tandem with self-access centers(Benson, 2011; Gardner & Miller, 1999). These advisors enhance language
learners’ ability to control their own learning through one-to-one reflective
dialogue (Carson & Mynard, 2012; Kato & Mynard, 2016). In general, theseexperienced advisors face more complicated learning issues and so requirecontinuous training (Kato, 2017).
This study focuses in particular on the professional development achieved byexperienced advisors through a mentoring program. It also investigates whether
mutual learning occurs between mentor and mentee, and if so, which features
are observed in such mutual learning.

MethodThe study’s participants, context, procedure, data collection tools and analysis aredescribed below.
Participants and Context
The five female participants (two American and three Japanese) were in their
30s to 40s and were working as full-time advisors at the self-access center at
Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS). All had completed initialadvisor training at the beginning of their careers at KUIS and had between fourto six years of experience providing one-to-one advisory sessions with language
learners there. All had a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages or in Applied Linguistics and had language teaching experience prior
to becoming advisors. Initially, these five participants took the role of “mentee”
70Promoting Mutual Learning in Reverse-mentoring, OnCUE Journal, 11(1), pages 68-80

during the mentoring program.
A sixth female Japanese participant, the author, had native English proficiency
and was also a language advisor at KUIS with over ten years’ experience, who
initially took the role of “mentor”.
ProcedureAt the start of the program the participants were briefed orally and in writingon the purpose of this research study, the procedure, and what their roles would
include and assured that, in line with ethical research practices, their data would
be anonymized, after which they agreed to sign the consent form.
The five mentees each took part in the program’s seven one-to-one mentoring
sessions with the mentor over a 12- to 18-month period. Due to the need to
conduct 35 individual sessions and difficulties in scheduling, the data collection
could not be completed more quickly.
Each session lasted for 90 minutes on average (minimum 50 minutes,
maximum 110 minutes), was conducted in the mentees’ native language(English or Japanese), and was audio recorded using an integrated circuitrecorder. All six participants kept a written reflective journal, updated after eachsession using the standardized form provided. In each mentee’s first session, thementor and mentee shared their life stories, professional and personal values,
and the challenges they were facing, all of which helped to establish a mutuallytrusting, equitable relationship (Kato, 2017). The second and third sessions wereused for traditional mentoring for which the mentees brought their own issues
as an agenda. In the fourth, the mentor and mentee reflected upon the program
to date by sharing their journals. The fifth was another traditional mentoring
session. The mentees were then encouraged to review their previous sessions’audio recordings and their journals before the sixth, “reverse-mentoring” session,to which the senior-mentee brought a different agenda for each junior-mentor.
These covered issues such as reflecting on her (the senior-mentee’s) past ten years
or reconfirming her professional identity. The junior-mentors did not know theagenda in advance. In the seventh, final session, the mentor and mentee again
jointly reflected on the program, including the reverse-mentoring session, by
sharing their journals.
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Data collection and data analysis
Qualitative data were collected via the reflective journal form, on which
participants wrote their thoughts after each session. A 20-item questionnaire wasalso administered at the end of the program to collect additional data on theiroverall feedback on the program.
In line with Creswell (2012), a three-step coding process was applied toanalyze the qualitative data. First, open coding was used to create 34 tentative
labels, each representing a general theme that emerged. Then, axial coding
established relationships among these labels, with four becoming merged withothers. Finally, selective coding was applied to choose core categories to weave
the remaining labels into a simple narrative.

Results

The main categories which emerged from the data analysis were: Raised awareness,
Practical knowledge and skills, Emotions, and Mutual learning. The results foreach are discussed with reference to a sample of relevant supporting qualitative
data from the participants.
Category 1: Raised awarenessAmong the 30 codes used, 11 related to raised awareness of issues such as a mentor’sroles, the effects of role-switching, preparation for the reverse-mentoring session,and broadening one’s perspectives. In totality, data relating to raised awarenessappeared 57 times in the junior-mentor’s reflective journals. Perhaps as a resultof reviewing the previous sessions’ audio recordings where the junior-mentors
attended as mentees, some of them became more aware of how the senior-mentee
had fulfilled her role as a mentor. This review process both helped the juniormentors to understand the mentor’s roles and responsibilities and enabled themto prepare for the sixth, reverse-mentoring session, as the following commentsshow:
Junior-mentor 1: During sessions, I am too focused on the dialogue andcannot afford to analyze it; however, when I am listening to the recordings, I can
pay attention to what was happening in the dialogues (e.g., skills that my mentor
uses, intentions of the question, what I was really thinking at the moment, etc.).
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Junior-mentor 2: …reviewing the dialogues and how they shaped the courseof the relationship was useful in terms of assisting me in delivering constructive
and meaningful feedback during the role-switching session.
However, this attitude-shifting process also caused uncertainty among
junior-mentors when taking the mentor’s roles. More support was apparently
needed for them to deal with their worries and concerns for the role-switchingsession:Junior-mentor 4: Although the theme of the session was role-switching, it
was hard for me to completely switch to mentor-mode.
Junior-mentor 5: I wish I could have one session with my mentor prior to thereverse-mentoring and share my worries about becoming a mentor to my mentor.
The data also indicated that awareness-raising occurred even after thereverse-mentoring session as the junior-mentors continued to reflect on theirown performance and became more aware of the responsibilities and difficulties
mentors have:
Junior-mentor 2: Today’s session was a reminder that mentors also havequestions or issues they are struggling with and [reverse-mentoring] helps to beable to have support to discuss those issues.
Category 2: Practical knowledge and skills
Ten codes were related to practical knowledge and skills which appeared 23 times
in the junior-mentors’ reflective journals. Most of these were associated withconversation strategies such as using metaphors, active listening, and questioning
skills, which are often used by advisors during sessions with learners. Most of thejunior-mentors reflected on the conversation strategies used, and the flow of thefive sessions prior to the reverse-mentoring session by reviewing the recordings.
They then tried to use in their role-switching session those that they had foundeffective.
The data showed that conducting a reverse-mentoring session also
encouraged these participants to become more aware of their performance as
mentors. When the junior-mentors attended the previous sessions as mentees,
there had not been much focus on practical mentoring knowledge and skills.
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However, once their mind was more attuned to the demands of the mentoringrole, they focused more strongly on these practical aspects. An example of each
is offered below.
Junior-mentor 5: I asked questions by repeating, restating, and summarizingin order to keep focusing on [the senior-mentee’s] main message. I tried to ask
questions based on the keywords I noticed in her story.
Junior-mentor 1: I was listening closely to her because I wanted to hear her
thoughts and help her listen to her voice by summarizing and returning to what
she had said previously to flesh out her feelings and help her work through them.
Furthermore, feedback on practical knowledge and skills transfer from thesenior-mentee after the reverse-mentoring session was appreciated by the juniormentors.
Junior-mentor 5: [The senior-mentee] told me that I asked the metaphor
questions at the right time and that was why they were effective. I don’t usually
get feedback on my sessions and it was a very fresh and meaningful opportunity
which increased my confidence.
Junior-mentor 3: After the session, [the senior-mentee] asked me how
I would do the reverse-mentoring session differently if I could do it over. She
told me that thinking about alternative scenarios is an effective way to deal withdifferent cases. I noticed I was always using similar skills in the sessions.
Junior-mentor 4: Because I learned advising techniques from [the seniormentee], I was able to apply them to my sessions. As the series of sessions
made me realize that we advisors can approach students holistically, my entire
understanding on advising was reconstructed.
Category 3: Emotions
Seven codes were related to emotions (enjoyment, worries, trust, gratitude, etc.)
which appeared 13 times in the junior-mentors’ journals. There was an importantdifference between the senior-mentee and junior-mentors in this category. For thesenior-mentee, the highest frequency of comments related to enjoyment, whereas
for the junior-mentors it was concern. For the former, who usually provides
sessions to mentees and does not have many opportunities to be a mentee, the74Promoting Mutual Learning in Reverse-mentoring, OnCUE Journal, 11(1), pages 68-80

reverse-mentoring sessions were a refreshing and enjoyable experience.
Senior-mentee: I can’t remember the last time I attended a session as amentee. I felt so empowered by being listened to by a professional. I believe alladvisor educators need to have this opportunity to switch roles….This has beensuch an enjoyable, emotional and growing experience that everyone who wants
to enjoy this process’ benefits should do so.
Conversely, most of the junior-mentors expressed worries beforehand as towhether they could conduct a productive reverse-mentoring session for their
mentor.
Junior-mentor 1: I was nervous about doing the session because I was hopingthat I could help my mentee in the way that she had helped me.
Junior-mentor 5: As I knew my [senior-mentee] was looking forward to
having the reverse-mentoring session, I was under a lot of pressure before thesession.
However, the junior-mentors did express enjoyment after the session.
Junior-mentor 1: By the end of the session, [the senior-mentee] had her next
steps and I was happy that we were able to get there in one session, especiallysince the topic was so tough.
Junior-mentor 2: [Reverse-mentoring] was the most challenging andenjoyable session. The creative approach is really meaningful to keep therelationship fresh and stimulate interesting dialogues.
Junior-mentor 5: I was glad when I heard that [the reverse-mentoring
session] had helped [the senior-mentee] to reflect on herself and to digest thepast and move on to the future.
Category 4: Mutual learning
The final two codes used related to mutual learning, which appeared 37 times
in the participants’ journals and questionnaire responses. The data showed thatboth the junior-mentors and senior-mentee recognized that learning was often
mutual and collaborative rather than exclusively unilateral and that this often
occurred through a dynamic process of unexpected dialogue.
Junior-mentor 2: A structured mentoring program has the potential
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to mutually enrich each other’s professional lives by co-investigating andchallenging practice in ongoing, reflective, collaborative, inclusive, learningoriented and growth-promoting ways.
Junior-mentor 5: I reached a deeper level of awareness than I could attainby myself. I noticed that [the senior-mentee] was also going through her own
process of discovery which at the end turned out to be the process of co-creation.
From these comments it can be inferred that the junior-mentors were notmerely interviewers asking questions but were collaborators trying to grow withthe senior-mentee. Rather than following a traditional structure where a mentor
provides support to a mentee, the reverse-mentoring in this study followed
a process of collaborative discovery. In the reverse-mentoring session, there
were some moments where the roles returned to the original mentor/mentee
relationship, then switched quickly back to the reverse-mentoring relationship.
This flexibility of operation is one of the advantages of embedding a reversementoring session within a wider mentoring program where good relationships
can be established before the reverse-mentoring sessions.

Discussion

In line with previous research on mentoring (Ford & Parsons, 2000; Gordon &Maxey, 2000; Wollman-Bonilla, 1997), the results of this study highlight thepositive effects of being a mentor, enhancing as it does the mentor’s self-esteem
and reflectivity. However, the results of this study were also unique in thatboth parties could gain from the positive effects of being a mentor through thereverse-mentoring relationships. Both the junior-mentors and the senior-mentee
revisited and refined their professional skills in advising by conducting dialogues
and enhanced their reflective capabilities while simultaneously helping others
to do the same. Meanwhile, the senior-mentee valued the opportunities to belistened to by a trained listener, demonstrating that at times a mentor also needsa mentor and that reverse-mentoring is an effective approach through which toachieve this mutual learning.
The reverse-mentoring sessions conducted in this study were successful
in promoting mutual learning probably because the junior-mentors and the76Promoting Mutual Learning in Reverse-mentoring, OnCUE Journal, 11(1), pages 68-80

senior-mentee had already established a strong, trusting relationship throughthe program’s first five sessions. During this time, they shared their life stories
and values, exchanged journals and reflected together, during which substantial
emotional acceptance and acknowledgment occurred, as in Kato (2017).
Therefore, although the role-switching sessions were a difficult challenge forseveral of the participants, the trusting relationship and atmosphere of goodwill
and openness allowed them to face that challenge. This study suggests that rather
than having a reverse-mentoring session from the beginning, it would be more
effective if it were embedded at the end of a series of mentoring sessions where
the junior-mentors are first able to learn the mentor’s roles by experiencing thesessions as mentees. Moreover, all six participants expressed the benefits of thereverse-mentoring session in terms of being an effective form of professional
development, as shown in the examples below.
Junior-mentor 3: I am very thankful that I had this opportunity. It was not
only about learning skills but also connecting with myself more. I discovered
what kind of advisor I want to be.
Junior-mentor 5: By conducting the reverse-mentoring session, I learned thatin order to help others face their issues, one needs to know how to face oneself.
Our job is to experience the speaker’s world together through the dialogue.
Junior-mentor 1: I felt this mentoring program has benefitted me and myadvisees. I find that I am able to be more present and in the moment with mystudents than before, especially when they are having an emotional moment.
Senior-mentee: Mentors need opportunities to become mentees. It was abrilliant experience for me to participate in the reverse-mentoring session as amentee. I could reconfirm that reflection through dialogue helps us find meaning
to the past experiences we had.

Conclusion

Previous studies have highlighted the lack of research relating to mentor educationand professional development (Hobson et al., 2009). This study emphasizes theimportance of implementing a mentoring skills development program, evenfor experienced advisors. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of embedding a
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reverse-mentoring session at the end of the program, which can serve as a learning
opportunity for both the mentor(s) and mentees. The qualitative data collectedin this study suggest that the combination of traditional and reverse-mentoring
introduced here could serve as a model for a professional development program
where career-support, psychosocial-support, and mentor education result frommentor(s) and mentees establishing a complementary relationship by fully
engaging in reflective dialogue.

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Author bio

Satoko Kato is a Senior Education Coordinator at the Research Institute for Learner
Autonomy Education, Kanda University of International Studies, Japan. She holds
a Master’s degree in TESOL from Teachers College, Columbia University, NY andhas conducted over 3,800 advising sessions since 2006 to promote learner autonomy.
She is also developing and implementing advisor education programs domesticallyand internationally and has co-authored Reflective Dialogue: Advising in
Language Learning. kato-s@kanda.kuis.ac.jp.
Received: June 25, 2018
Accepted: November 12, 201880