Supporting Individual Learners
Task One
Defining the Concepts
Mentoring and coaching tend to be used interchangeably, even when they have different meanings. Their differences occur in various aspects, such as the period of interaction, the kind of focus that each holds, the financial benefits, the selection process, their appropriateness in different situations, and the characteristics of the relationship between the student and the mentor or coach (Irby, 2018).
Mentoring supports and encourages individuals to oversee their learning processes to maximize their potential, skill development, and performance improvement, leading them to the person they desire to become. For mentoring to occur successfully, the mentor and the student undergoing mentorship must appreciate the need to achieve personal development (University of Reading, n.d). In addition, confidentiality and trust are critical for successful mentorship because the interaction tends to exist for an extended period, such as a lifetime. In mentorship, the mentee derives support and encouragement from the mentor. A mentor and mentee’s relationship is unique and like a friendship.
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On the other hand, coaching is releasing individual potential for performance maximization. Coaching is designed to support a student so they can assume responsibility for their ways and behaviors to attain better outcomes. Therefore, coaching gravitates more toward helping students than it does teaching them. Additionally, the term coaching highlights learning enhancement, heightening self-awareness, personal responsibility, self-directed learning, active listening, questioning, providing appropriate challenges, and creating an encouraging and supportive climate (Nieuwerburgh and Barr, 2016). These terms point to the assistance a student receives from their coach through various actions.
An educational mentor has clear and specific roles. The first is planning and communication. The mentor is responsible for identifying learning opportunities, establishing regular times appropriate for aiding the intern, providing feedback to the student on various learning activities, providing information regarding the student’s progress to the respective figures, and setting the right example. Secondly, mentors are expected to support the student’s learning process by discussing ideas, observations, decisions, and reflections on various activities. Thirdly, the mentor also assesses the student’s understanding of concepts and ideas and constructively provides feedback (Hayes and Pridham, 2019).
Coaches are responsible for listening to the student’s learning experience. Students’ difficulties, challenges, and achievements will be highlighted gradually. Thus, the coach must listen actively to capture them. Coaches should also advocate for the student’s needs within their environment, such as a school. Coaches must demonstrate expertise in their focus areas whenever students need guidance. The coaches should also partner with the students in their learning process by enabling them to achieve their goals instead of selfishly directing them (Killion and Harrisson, 2017).
Moreover, a teacher should have extensive knowledge about a specific subject. Constant improvement of knowledge is highly recommended. The teaching role is contained in various activities, including planning lessons, conducting learning sessions as assigned, demonstrating understanding of classroom instruction, implementing the curriculum as designated, engaging students actively, creating a learning environment that encourages collaboration, assuming distinct roles in the classroom, and adapting the instruction to the needs of the learner. In addition, a teacher conducts assessments of the student’s progress and provides relevant feedback. They also should function as role models for good behavior (NTU, n.d).
Analyzing Teaching, Coaching, and Mentoring
Teaching, coaching, and mentoring are different from each other. The relationship between a mentor and a mentee tends to be long-term, while the mentor is selected by the individual who desires mentorship. The mentor intends to ensure they support the mentees in achieving their goals. Performance issues are highlighted in coaching, and both parties focus on the individual’s goals. An organization may choose a coach on behalf of the coach. The coach or student must own their behaviors and decisions to attain their goals. Teaching focuses more on improvement issues by highlighting specific problems that need solutions. Specific outcomes must be achieved within a certain period. The organization usually selects a teacher (Irby, 2018). In addition, a teacher conducts assessments of the student’s progress and compares this to a standardized performance requirement.
The three learning interventions are similar in several ways. First, the mentor, coach, and teacher must possess expertise or experience in a specific field. Consequently, this enables them to share their knowledge and guide the students towards the set goals. Secondly, all three professionals provide feedback to the student. The feedback is intended to lead to improvement. Both coaching and mentorship require significant levels of trust, while teaching does not. All three professionals must actively provide learning opportunities. Accordingly, they should identify these opportunities and allow the students to gain skills and knowledge through the process (Rosha, 2013). In addition, all three professionals are role models to the student because they instill knowledge or skills that enable the learner to achieve goals connected to their accomplishments. Lastly, teaching and caching attract financial benefits, while mentorship does not.
I carried out all the responsibilities a mentor should have in my mentorship position. First, I shared knowledge and wisdom with the students. Since elevated levels of trust and confidentiality characterized the relationship with the learner, the student looked up to me for advice on various issues that required decisions. The student trusted my judgment because I provided unbiased advice and feedback based on my experience in similar matters. Secondly, I helped students improve their future educational and career goals. Numerous interactions helped me understand their weaknesses and strengths, which, in turn, enabled me to point out issues that needed improvement. The constructive criticism I provided the student opened their eyes to aspects needing different approaches.
Thirdly, I functioned as a link to other networks to help the students. Using my networks, I directed the students to other counselors and organizations that helped them achieve their ambitions in the future. As a result, this led to an expansion of the student network as well. Fourthly, I encouraged the students to pursue various aspects that were important to them. Specifically, I continued to provide support, especially when they had to participate in new experiences and risks. Finally, I maintained the confidentiality of the information that the student shared. In addition to listening to the student actively, the relationship with the student was also based on a foundation of trust. This meant the student expected me to maintain confidentiality in their shared information. Most importantly, I learned from the student’s experiences and the outcomes they achieved after undertaking certain activities and risks.
Reviewing the Effectiveness of the Role of a Mentor
To assess my effectiveness as a mentor, I used various tools. First among these tools was the possession of characteristics that make a great mentor. According to Berk, Berg, and Mortimer (2005), a mentor should possess various character traits. These include professional integrity, expertise, honesty, motivation, approachability, accessibility, supportiveness, respect from peers in the field, and encouragement. These characteristics lay a foundation for successful mentoring relationships, informally or formally. Based on my assessment, I possessed these character traits, which set me up for the mentorship position.
The second tool that I used for assessment was the ability to fulfill my responsibilities as a mentor. As highlighted earlier, a mentor’s responsibilities span a more extended period. I fulfilled these responsibilities by offering advice, encouragement, constructive feedback, and criticism, listening, offering support, sharing networks, challenging the student, offering opportunities for improvement, respecting the student’s ideas and goals, identifying their strengths, walking with them through their weaknesses, guiding the goal achievement assessment, celebrating the students’ success and achievements, and identifying untapped opportunities.
The third tool I used for the assessment was the student’s feedback. The student constantly provided feedback regarding the mentorship program. I encouraged periodic feedback from the student because it highlighted aspects that remained unaddressed or required improvement. Also, I could learn from the student whether I was effectively carrying out my role as a mentor. This process of obtaining feedback acted as a goal-setting process because I intended to perform better in the future and fulfill the needs that the student highlighted.
Finally, I reviewed the students’ achievements and goal attainment. From the start of the mentorship, I was aware of the student’s goals. I worked with the student through the different opportunities that could lead to attaining these goals. In addition, I offered advice and wisdom on the students’ chosen strategies for goal attainment. The constant support when the outcomes were not as desired was beneficial because the student was confident to try again. Based on this assessment, I performed well in the mentoring process for the student because they achieved more than 60 percent of their goals. They also gained more networks that they could use in the future. Furthermore, they gained new knowledge that will be used even in the future. Overall, the student could be described as a better individual than when the mentorship relationship began.
Most importantly, my impact on the student’s life and education was remarkable. The relationship and friendship that resulted from the mentoring process signify the foundation of trust and confidentiality, which are critical for success—the student’s confidence while carrying out activities, taking risks, and making decisions improved significantly. I also learned from the mentorship process because the student was kind enough to provide constructive feedback.
Task Two
Strategies Used in Helping the Student and a Rationale for Using Them
Effective Communication
According to Xiang, Keat, and Yap (2020), the relationship between a mentor and mentee depends entirely on the type of communication between the two. Various types of communication are applicable in the current global setting. I chose different types of communication depending on the issue being discussed, the time, the urgency, and the availability of tools and resources. Effective communication can occur face-to-face, via video call, telephone conversation, or email. I opted to use video calls for urgent matters, especially if we were far from each other. Reading their body language and facial expressions allowed me to understand the students’ concerns. Physical meetings were the best for discussing new sensitive issues. Also, I emailed or called the student depending on the time to follow up on the discussed aspects. These modes of communication allowed me to become more accessible to the students. Through effective communication, the student could understand my advice, and, in turn, I could comprehend their concerns. During communication, I sought responses and feedback to establish understanding or opposition. I encouraged the student to speak whatever was on their mind. This increased their comfort with me, making it possible to confide whenever confidential issues affected them.
Positive Attitude
Positivity is a critical skill for every individual. In a world where struggles and harmful elements exist, it is necessary to maintain a positive outlook towards life. I chose this strategy because it has been helpful to me several times. The progress I have made by maintaining positivity even during highly challenging periods has been significant, leading me to adopt it as a life skill. I encouraged my students to uphold such an attitude because the negative always coexists with the positive. It was possible to show gratitude for things that were going right by maintaining a cheerful outlook. It was also possible for the student to look at the minor aspects of life and appreciate their existence. Such an approach to life enabled the student to gain the strength to pursue more since negative outlooks tend to drain an individual’s energy.
Focus on Strengths
I also chose to focus on the student’s strengths. This choice was intended to encourage the student to maximize utilizing these strengths. In addition, by pointing out these strengths, the student would be encouraged further. Most importantly, it was possible to highlight elements that the student had not considered strengths.
Constructive Feedback
Providing constructive feedback is an essential aspect of improvement and personal development. I chose the strategy because it has enabled my progress and still does. People who give constructive feedback allow others to grow into the desired positions. I was responsible for the student’s success. This could not be achieved without understanding the student’s goals and providing constructive and honest feedback on strategies for improvement. How the feedback was provided was also crucial in ensuring that the student remained encouraged. Such feedback will encourage the student’s personal development and challenge them to take more calculated risks (Garringer, Kupersmidt, and Rhodes, 2015).
Empathy
Every human being appreciates empathy. As a mentor, I chose to demonstrate compassion to my students because of the fulfilling feeling I experience whenever I experience the same. I could respond to the students’ needs without judging them by being empathetic. Such understanding provided relief to the students because they felt understood and heard. As a mentor, it is my job to be invested in the well-being of my mentee (Garringer, Kupersmidt, and Rhodes, 2015). This outcome is impossible to achieve in the absence of empathy. Therefore, demonstrating empathy promoted trust in the relationship, further easing communication.
Reviewing the Processes Involved In One-To-One Coaching and Mentoring
The diagram below depicts the GROW model for goals, reality, options, and wrap-up. Sir John Whitmore developed the GROW model to guide the coaching process. In a setting where coaching or mentoring occurs one-on-one, the coach or mentor and their protégé meet for the first time (Michael, 2008). The meeting allows them to establish goals and expectations. The coach or mentor should possess inquisitive and listening skills to facilitate the first meeting’s success. This will enable the coach or mentor to identify issues that must be addressed.
Source: (Michael, 2008)
The process of exploring the individual’s reality lies squarely in the hands of the coach or mentor. The first meeting enables understanding of the pertinent issues important to the protégé. The process leads to the generation of options that the protégé could explore. Once the two agree on the action plan, the meeting is wrapped up, and the student follows up with the agreed action (Michael, 2008). As a result, this leads to greater clarity and confidence to achieve the set goals.
The abovementioned process is vital to the student’s emotional, intellectual, and social benefits. Emotionally, the student feels heard and understood. Exploring reality allows the student to reveal their current struggles and future aspirations. They also share aspects they are not immensely proud of and those they celebrate. The mentor or coach’s listening skills enable the student to derive emotional satisfaction and clarity from the meeting. Any feelings bottled up due to unmet objectives or ambitions are shared, leaving no space for bitterness and regrets. Once the options are explored, the student gains confidence and renewed hope to achieve the different objectives. Any anxiety and depression resulting from unfulfilled goals dissipate (Haft, Chen, and Leblanc, 2019). Finally, the student’s emotional state improves significantly, and they tend to demonstrate more joy and hope for the future.
A study conducted on young people with learning disabilities revealed a significant increment in self-esteem and decreased depression once they received mentorship. This study confirms that students who receive mentorship, abled or otherwise, record positive effects on their self-esteem (Haft, Chen, and Leblanc, 2019). In turn, this positively influences their behavior in social groups. Additionally, an emotionally fulfilled individual displays a heightened sense of confidence. The absence of stress enables an individual to interact with others more meaningfully and remain positive and helpful.
Intellectually, a student who has gone through this process tends to have a more straightforward path that they expect to lead them to their goal. Essentially, they are motivated and encouraged. Intellectual clarity promotes their ability to tackle different subjects and understand new concepts. The learning process gains greater meaning for such students. In addition, students who go through the process also gain a greater sense of responsibility for their actions. Their organization and time management skills improve due to the need to incorporate the chosen strategies. The input from mentors and coaches provides a unique perspective that may have been unexplored initially. The innovative ideas that could have emerged during the meeting created a new student energy. Once they understand that they are responsible for their success and capable of achieving their goals, they tend to put in more effort.
Reviewing the Resources Required for an Effective Multi-Agency Approach and Factors Influencing the Referral Process
The multi-agency approach is characterized by more than one practitioner from various agencies. The practitioners jointly work on a project, sharing information, aims, tasks, and responsibilities. The primary intent is to enable early intervention in issues that affect children’s learning processes and educational achievement. Multi-agency working ensures that all parties regularly discuss their roles, understand the responsibilities of others, and share this information with other end users and agencies. In interagency work, the arrangement is formal and meticulously planned (Atkinson, Wilkin, and Stott, 2002).
The primary resources required for effectiveness include the people who form the operational teams. In these teams, the people work towards the main objective using various backgrounds and experiences, which leads to goal achievement. Financial resources are also crucial for facilitating the meetings of the operational teams. The teams are required to meet in distinct locations that have minimal distractions. Infrastructure that supports meetings and storage of information is also critical for effectiveness.
The collaborative use of all the required resources increases the cost-effectiveness of the process. It also encourages the effective use of resources and avoids duplication of roles and responsibilities. It saves time significantly because the task is carried out once, and all aspects are addressed through a multi-agency approach. Collaborative work thoroughly evaluates the process, leading to better results than when the individual agencies carry out their projects. As a result, future problems that could arise from mistakes made by the agencies or overlooked issues are avoided.
Teachers do not refer all students who perform poorly for evaluation. Numerous factors influence the referral process. First is the time and setting. The setting and time refer to the homogeneity of a child’s behaviors in different environments. Second is the child’s development stage, which determines whether it contributes. The third is the child’s health, which could affect their behaviors. Fourth is the cultural background, which could also influence the behaviors if they are considered norms in their family (Mantiri, 2013). Fifth is the parent’s concern regarding the behaviors of the child. These factors are evaluated before teachers refer a child for special education evaluation (Squires, User’s Guide, Bricker, and Twombly, 2015). In addition, academic factors are also used in the determination process. Students with poor performance are primarily within the bracket for a referral. Paired with the highlighted behavioral aspects, teachers can decide on the referral.
Task Three
Evaluating and Analyzing the Effectiveness of My Practice with Regards to One-to-One Teaching and Learning
One-on-one teaching is entirely different for all educators (Kaye, n.d). The differences occur in the responsibilities and dynamics of the classroom environment. My effectiveness in this area is depicted in the strengths facilitating the process. First, I can travel from location to location to meet the students. Consequently, this increases my accessibility. Secondly, the investment usually required to access students, especially as a private tutor, is significantly low. This is due to using social media and obtaining referrals from other educators and parents I have worked with. Therefore, I do not have to spend significant resources on advertising. Also, social media allows access to a broader population than traditional advertisement. Thirdly, I have access to a laptop and portable internet connectivity. My lessons are not interrupted by a lack of printing materials and hardware.
Furthermore, I encourage students to share their email addresses, which I use to provide additional reading materials beforehand. The learners print these and can easily follow them during the lesson. Fourthly, I belong to a group of private tutors who meet occasionally and share ideas and challenges. This group diffuses the lack of institutional affiliation, which is an advantage for teachers working in an institution. As a result, my development as a teacher and colleague does not stall. These aspects facilitate my tutoring effectiveness, increase student accessibility, and enable efficient learning processes (Wisniewska, 2019).
The main areas of improvement concern classroom setup and management and choosing instructional styles. One may assume that private tutors only encounter one student at a time. However, sometimes one has multiple students for a session. This calls for setting up a classroom area that allows uninterrupted teaching (Wisniewska, 2019). Homes with other family members are challenging due to multiple distractions. In addition, the need to use different styles of instruction that suit each student within a group is still a challenge. This is because I had not encountered multiple students in the past. In addition, it takes time before one understands each student’s needs in a group. In addition, I will need to seek out multiple evaluation tools for different learners. Accordingly, this should facilitate more effective evaluations highlighting the various elements each student needs to work on.
A Five (5) Point Action Plan for Improving Mentoring/Coaching Skills
Have a Physical Meeting with all Learners before the First Session
A physical meeting with learners seeking tutoring, coaching, or mentoring is essential. According to the WORK model highlighted earlier, such a meeting provides all teachers an understanding of the learners’ reality (Michael, 2008). Thus, I will physically meet the learner before the first session to identify their needs, which could affect learning. I will also understand their personality and prepare specific communication styles or instructions to suit their needs and personal differences.
Provide Feedback to Learners Every Week
I will provide feedback to learners every week regarding their behaviors and performance. This should create a foundation for goal setting, which should be self-guided and strategy identification. It should also highlight unwanted aspects that could negatively affect the learning process.
Use nearby Facilities for Teaching/Coaching/Mentoring Groups.
I will also use nearby public facilities such as libraries that have uninterrupted spaces. Significantly, this should be ideal because it will provide access to learning materials and enhance the process. The strategy will be applied to multiple learners who need quiet and appropriate learning venues.
Establish Rules that Should Guide the Sessions and Share with Family Members before the First Session
For learners who must be in the home setting, I will seek to establish rules that should govern the sessions before the first session and during the physical meeting. This will touch on issues related to space, noise, interruptions from other family members, participation, and seeking out lesson materials. Finally, the student will share the regulations that touch or affect them with family members.
Encourage Active Participation of Learners during Sessions
The students will be encouraged to use incentives to participate actively in the session. Such participation facilitates learning and interaction, making the session more enjoyable and beneficial to learners and the teacher.
References
Atkinson, M., Wilkin, A. & Stott, A., 2002. Multi-agency working: a detailed study, National Foundation for Educational Research.
Berk, R. A., Berg, J. & Mortimer, R., 2005. We are measuring the Effectiveness of Faculty Mentoring Relationships. Academic Medicine, 80(1), pp. 66-71.
Garringer, M., Kupersmidt, J. & Rhodes, J., 2015. Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring.
Haft, S. L., Chen, T. & Leblanc, C., 2019. Impact of mentoring on socio-emotional and mental health outcomes of youth with learning disabilities and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Child Adolesc Ment Health, 24(4), pp. 318-328.
Hayes, N. & Pridham, B., 2019. The Role of Mentoring in Teacher Education: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.
Irby, B. J., 2018. Editor’s Overview: Differences and Similarities with Mentoring, Tutoring, and Coaching. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 26(2), pp. 115-121.
Kaye, P., n.d. Teaching one-to-one. [Online]
Available at: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/teaching-one-one [Accessed 16 March. 2022].
Killion, J. & Harrisson, C., 2017. I am leading New roles for teachers and school-based coaches at Oxford.
Mantiri, O., 2013. The Influence of Culture on Learning Styles. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Michael, A., 2008. Mentoring and coaching: CIMA.
Nieuwerburgh, V. C. & Barr, M., 2016. Coaching in Education. In: The SAGE Handbook of Coaching: Sage.
NTU, n.d. Duties and Responsibilities of a Teacher. [Online]
Available at: https://ntu.edu.pk/qec/duties-and-responsibilities-of-a-teacher/
[Accessed 16 March. 2022].
Rosha, A., 2013. The Similarities and Differences between Coaching and Other Targeted Interventions. Economics and Business, Volume 24, pp. 119-126.
Squires, User’s Guide, Bricker & Twombly, 2015. Factors to Consider Before Beginning the Referral Process. In: Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc..
University of Reading, n.d. Mentoring: definitions and principles. [Online]
Available at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/engageinmentoring/what-is-mentoring/eim-definitions.aspx [Accessed 16 March. 2022].
Wisniewska, I., 2019. Teaching one-to-one: Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment English.
Xiang, Y., Keat, Z. Y. & Yap, H. W., 2020. Assessing mentoring: A scoping review of mentoring assessment tools in internal Medicine between 1990 and 2019. PLOS One, 15(5).
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Question 
Supporting Individual Learners
Task 1
In the period of your training, you were assigned a student whom you mentored or coached over a period to help the student achieve a goal. You are now required to
- Define the concepts of mentoring and coaching and then summarise the responsibilities of a mentor, coach, and teacher in working with individual learners. AC 1.1
- Analyze the similarities and differences between teaching, coaching, and mentoring and summarize your responsibilities. AC 1.2
- Review the effectiveness of your role as either a mentor or coach in helping your assigned student achieve their goal. AC 1.3
Task 2
- In your role as either a mentor or coach to your assigned student, identify at least FIVE strategies that you used in helping the student and state why you chose those strategies. AC: 2.1
- Review the processes involved in one-to-one coaching and mentoring about their emotional, intellectual, and social benefits for students. AC 4.1
- Review the resources required for a practical multi-agency approach and explain the factors influencing the referral process. AC 3.1, 3.2
Task 3
- Evaluate and analyze the effectiveness of your practice regarding one-to-one teaching and learning (mentoring, coaching, and teaching) and identify your strengths and areas for development. AC 5.1, 5.2
- Following your evaluation in (task 3a) above, develop a Five (5) point action plan (SMART) to help you improve your mentoring or coaching skills in one-to-one teaching and learning situations. AC: 5.3