Mentoring
Punit Shukla
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. A mentor is someone who allows you to know that no matter how dark the night, in the morning joy will come. A mentor is someone who allows you to see the higher part of yourself when sometimes it becomes hidden to your own view.” ....Oprah Winfrey
Cambridge Dictionary definition of Mentoring : the act or process of helping and giving advice to a younger or less experienced person, especially in a job or at school
Mentoring is a protected relationship which supports learning and experimentation and helps individuals develop their potential.
A mentoring relationship is one where both mentor and mentee recognize the need for personal development. Successful mentoring is based upon trust and confidentiality.
“Mentoring is for the mentee. Most of all, for the mind of the mentee. I think that Mentoring needs to focus on and develop the mentee’s finest independent thinking about their work, their career, their life, their dreams. The Mentor’s perspective is an important ingredient in this special relationship. But it feeds. It is not the feast” – (Kline 2009)
“To help and support people to manage their own learning in order to maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance, and become the person they want to be” – (Parsloe 1992)
“Off-line help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking” – (Megginson and Clutterbuck 1995)
“A learning relationship which helps people to take charge of their own development, to release their potential and to achieve results which they value” – (Connor and Pokora 2007)
Principles of mentoring: The mentoring relationship should be based on trust, confidentiality, mutual respect and sensitivity. The relationship should be based on agreed boundaries and ground rules that address the power differentials between the mentor and mentee.
Different types of mentoring:
a. Traditional One-on-one Mentoring- A mentee and mentor are matched, either through a program or on their own...
b. Distance Mentoring- A mentoring relationship in which the two parties (or group) are in different locations...
c. Group Mentoring- A single mentor is matched with a cohort of mentees.
Mentors may enter a long term mentoring relationship or may be called upon to act as a one-step mentoring advice point for a specific topic. In all roles, the mentor will act as an independent source of career advice and support. Training is available for both mentors and mentees and is strongly advised prior to entering into any form of mentoring relationship.
Long-term formal mentoring...- Long term formal mentoring involves a number of meetings with the same mentor over a period of time. As either mentor and mentee you will be participating in a formal mentoring programme and you will both have agreed to a level of commitment to the programme. This gives you both the chance to get to know each other, and therefore the mentor can tailor how they share their experience and give encouragement.
One-stop mentoring advice- If you have a specific need you can select a mentor with experience in that specialist area to meet with once (or more if you wish!)
Informal mentoring- There are currently many informal mentoring. An important advantage of having undertaken mentoring training, even for informal mentoring relationships, is that there will be a shared understanding of the mentoring process for both mentor and mentee.
Importance of mentoring in education- Inadequately trained teachers can have a huge impact on students' performance, as achievement depends largely on the quality of instruction. Mentors can help new teachers improve teaching skills, increase resiliency, enhance communication skills, and boost self-confidence
Role of a Mentor: A mentor may share with a mentee (or protege) information about his or her own career path, as well as provide guidance, motivation, emotional support, and role modeling. A mentor may help with exploring careers, setting goals, developing contacts, and identifying resources.
Developmental Area: Learning is based on positive basic and applied academic attitudes, skills, and behaviors. Learning how to use their individual transition plans to drive their personal instruction, including obtaining extra supports such as tutoring, as necessary.
Stages of mentoring: Successful mentoring relationships go through four phases: preparation, negotiating, enabling growth, and closure. These sequential phases build on each other and vary in length.
How does mentoring help students? Mentors serve as a thought partner for students on their academic journey and help empower students to become autonomous learners and agents of their own change. They express understanding of students' aspirations and fears, and support their success by acting as an advocate for students' best interests.
What is the role of a mentor in school? Learning mentors provide support and guidance to children and young people who are experiencing difficulties in learning due to social, emotional or behavioural problems or other issues. Learning mentors help pupils overcome behavioural, social or emotional problems that are affecting their learning.
Characteristics of Excellent Mentors: A mentee-mentor relationship entails work, commitment, and follow-through on both sides if it's going to be successful. Consider the following traits to assess your mentoring skills and areas that you wish to develop to ensure that the mentoring you offer is effective and has lasting value.
a. Good listener/sounding board
b. Flexible
c. Value diversity of perspectives
d. Knowledgeable
e. Nonjudgmental
f. Able to give constructive feedback
g. Honest and candid
h. Able to network and find resources
i. Successful in career
j. Willing/able to devote time to developing others
k. Eager to learn
Mentoring is trust-based and can be informal and longer in duration. A tutor would be more focused on professional improvement of the trainee, acting more as an expert that can teach, supervise, help solving problems, share techniques and strategies, etc. ... Tutoring is more formal and time framed.
The difference between coaching and mentoring in this regard is that mentoring is a softer and more relationship-focused form of guidance, as opposed to a structured training approach coaching often takes. With mentoring, the mentee is responsible for driving the sessions and steering the relationships.
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