Shared experience, tips and learning models to help you being a better mentor. Presented by Marc van Gend and Erik Stielstra at DrupalCon Vienna 2017

1. BEING A BETTER MENTOR
Erik Stielstra (sutharsan)
Marc van Gend (marcvangend)

2. Erik Stielstra
Sr Drupal Developer and Mentor
Contrib and Drupal 8 core development
Drupal trainer since 2009
Mentor at local and DC Friday sprints
Sutharsan

3. Marc van Gend
All-round Drupalista
Mentor at various code-sprints
Top 1% on Drupal Answers

4. Why we mentor
To see people grow.
To start a snowball effect.

5. Personas in slides are not real mentees.
Composed of our experience with real people.
Suzanne Fabio Tobias

6. Subjects
Learning plan
Learning materials
Give feedback
Psychological models: Learning cycle, Learning loop

7. Suzanne
Colleague, 8 years Drupal experience, excellent site builder.
Writes basic D7 modules.
Wants to learn to write complex D8 modules.

8. Learning plan
• Makes learning goals explicit.
• To set and keep focus.
• For medium-term goals, e.g. 3 months.
• Choose realistic targets.
• Include milestones and concrete actions
(for both Suzanne and mentor).

9. Learning plan
• Sit down and discuss Suzanne’s ambitions and goals.
• Suzanne is eager to learn.
• Has no private time to invest.
1. Learn Drupal 8 basics.
2. Improve skills to get clear specs from customer.

10. Learning plan
1. Learn Drupal 8 basics.
• Course or video on D8 concepts.
• Code review of colleague's work.
• Examine company modules or simple contrib
modules.
2. Improve skills to get clear specs from customer.
• Analyse a recent event. What can you improve?
• Observe others doing this task.
• Mentor is present at meeting and gives feedback.

11. Learning plan
• Suzanne is owner of the plan.
• Mentor facilitates.
• Regularly check progress.
• Evaluate and renew the plan.
• Celebrate success.

12. Give feedback

13. Give feedback
• Mention positive points and improvements.
• Limit the number of feedback items.
• Identify problem and options.
• It does not have to be perfect.
Positive feedback works

14. Learning styles
Kolb
Honey & Mumford

15. Learning styles: Kolb, Honey & Mumford
How do you perceive things?
• Feel: Concrete experience
• Think: Abstract conceptualisation

16. Learning styles: Kolb, Honey & Mumford
How do you perceive things?
• Feel: Concrete experience
• Think: Abstract conceptualisation
How do you process things?
• Watch: Reflective observation
• Do: Active experimentation

17. Feel
Think
WatchDo
Learning
Cycle

18. Assimilator
Theorist
Reflector
Diverger
Converger
Pragmatist
Activist
Accommodator
Learning
Cycle
Feel
Think
WatchDo

19. Reflect
U
nderstand
Plan
D
o
it!
Learning
Cycle
Assimilator
Theorist
Reflector
Diverger
Converger
Pragmatist
Activist
Accommodator
Feel
Think
WatchDo

20. Reflect
U
nderstand
PlanD
o
it!
Suzanne
Learning Cycle:
Suzanne
Start with:
• Read and edit working code
• E.g. add another block plugin
Next step:
• Look up documentation
• E.g. read about the plugin
pattern
Feel
Think
WatchDo

21. Fabio
New colleague. 15 years Flash/Actionscript programmer.
No Drupal skills.
Wants to become a Drupal Developer.

22. Prepare Fabio to work on projects
• Learning path depending on situation.
• Offer structure.
• Tech and soft skills.
• Limited work on projects.

23. Learning materials for Fabio
Exercises
• Introduction: Purpose of the exercise.
• Tasks: Tasks broken down in steps.
• Sources of knowledge: Leverage online sources.
• Notes/questions: Self-check and/or mentor-check.

24. Learning materials
Questions and mini-tasks
• Code exercises. e.g. work with D8 entities, CSS layout.
• Interview colleagues. e.g. favorite Drush command..

25. Help the brain
• Association: Connect to existing knowledge.
• Upload is bottleneck: Model and reduce to essence.
• Repetition: Practise, repeat.
• Curious: Variation in activities, use motivation.

26. When helping Fabio

27. When helping Fabio
• Be careful with giving complete solutions.
• Think out loud. It helps to follow the thought process.
• Summarise the decisions, the process, the concepts.
Don’t just give the fish, teach to fish

28. Reflect
U
nderstand
PlanD
o
it!
Fabio
Learning Cycle:
Fabio
Start with:
• Watching a video
• E.g. entities and entity reference
Next step:
• Apply in a concrete plan
• E.g. work out a content model
Feel
Think
WatchDo

29. How does learning work?
Action - Reaction

30. Single-, double-, triple-loop learning
How does learning work?
Mentees have...
• Short-term tasks
• Medium-term goals
• Long-term beliefs

31. Single-loop Learning
rules action result
feedback
What does feedback do?

32. Single-loop Learning
mental
model
rules action result
feedback
Feedback changes what we do.

33. Double-loop Learning
mental
model
rules action result
feedback
Feedback changes why we do it.

34. Triple-loop Learning
mental
model
rules action result
feedback
Feedback changes who we are.
beliefs

35. Single-, double-, triple-loop learning
mental
model
rules action result
feedback
beliefs
mental
model
rules action result
Choose the right level
• Do explain Suzanne why we submit patches
• Don’t teach a content editor why hacking core is bad

36. Tobias
Attends the First time sprinter workshop at DrupalCon Vienna.

37. Meet Tobias
• Have a social chat.
• Introduce yourself and Tobias to others at the table.
• Ask questions about experience and what he likes.

38. Work on task
• Easy tasks. Easy tasks are hard, he has a lot on his hands
(tools, procedures, etiquettes, etc.).
• Core is intimidating. The big thing, very complex, very
large.

39. When helping Tobias
• Hands off. Use your eyes, ears and heart.
• Give compliments, have fun.
• Acknowledge you don’t know everything.
• Introduce him to people.
Be the swimming instructor, let him swim, keep an
eye on him.

40. Change behaviour
Tobias likes to start coding immediately, skips reading,
makes assumptions about the problem.
• Praise him for his enthusiasm.
• Check your observation of him making assumptions.
• Make him aware of the risk.
• Ask for his solution.
• Explain how you would approach it.
• Rework the issue.

41. Reflect
U
nderstand
PlanD
o
it!
Feel
Think
WatchDo
Tobias
Learning Cycle:
Tobias
Start with:
• Testing a patch in the queue
• E.g. a test that was added
Next step:
• Do you understand the
solution?

42. Wrap up
No two mentorships are the same.
• Get to know the mentee.
• Adapt to skills, time, learning style.
• Keep observing.
• Use their motivation.

43. JOIN US FOR
CONTRIBUTION SPRINT
Friday, 29 September, 2017
First time
Sprinter Workshop
Mentored
Core Sprint General Sprint
9:00-12:00
Room: Lehar 1 - Lehar 2
9:00-18:00
Room: Stolz 2
9:00-18:00
Room: Mall
#drupalsprints

44. Questions?
Your mentoring experience?

45. WHAT DID YOU THINK?
Evaluate this session
https://events.drupal.org/vienna2017/sessions/being-better-mentor
Take the DrupalCon survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/drupalconvienna

46. Creative Commons sources
• Suzanne: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hlship/3519744280
• Fabio: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ggdmarche/6849859858
• Tobias: https://www.flickr.com/photos/snowsuitmel/2418844019
• Awesome: https://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/3674050796
• Fisher: https://www.flickr.com/photos/onlynick/2823854565
• Swimmer: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lambchops/390060708