What are coaching and mentoring all about?
Coaching and mentoring might form part of your
job role, but what do they mean and how do the roles differ from being a teacher or a trainer?
You
could think of coaching as giving practical training in the short term, and mentoring
as giving advice and support in the long term. Both of these roles could be
considered part of teaching or training depending upon the context in which you
work.
Opportunities for coaching and mentoring might occur naturally. For
example, demonstrating a task to a learner in the workplace (coaching) or
guiding a learner how to search for employment opportunities (mentoring). Both
roles should be about helping the learner to become as independent and
autonomous as possible.
Coaching could occur with more than one learner
at the same time and usually relates to skills, knowledge and understanding.
Mentoring is usually carried out on a one-to-one basis and relates to knowledge
and understanding.
It’s useful to treat the coaching and mentoring
roles in a similar way to the teaching or training roles. It’s a good idea to
carry out an induction and initial assessment and to agree a few ground rules.
You could adapt an individual learning plan to become a coaching or a mentoring
plan. It could include aims, objectives, targets and timescales and be updated
as the learner progresses.
Coaching and mentoring could occur spontaneously as
the need arises, or be planned for certain dates and times. Both roles require
patience and good communication skills.
Learners should be encouraged to
think for themselves, reach their own decisions and set their own action
points. Sessions should always end on a positive note, with both parties
knowing what will happen next. If at any stage the relationship breaks down to
an irrecoverable point, the learner should be referred to someone else.
There will come a point when
the learner is totally independent and no longer needs the coach or mentor.
This is good and means the learner is now confident and knowledgeable to carry
out their role on their own.
You might be an assessor-coach as part of an apprenticeship programme, therefore your role might be slightly different to a coaching role.
If your role involves coaching and mentoring, you might like to research further using the links below, or by carrying out an internet search.
