1. Mentoring and Coaching

2. Perspectives of mentoring
Student perspective: a good mentor is a nurturing teacher and a ‘knowledgeable friend’ (Bennett 2002)
A mentor has multiple roles
Requires setting of boundaries (Wilkes 2006)
Optimises the helping nature of the interaction
Excellent discussion on Mentoring can be found in Dietz, Jansen and Wadee (2006) pages 41 – 64.
This workbook is available for free download (see reading list online). The workbook includes a number of scenarios which you might like to work through with colleagues and incorporate into your portoflio.

3. Core functions of a mentor
Develop a personal relationship with the student
Provide professional, emotional, psychological and moral support
Direct, assist and guide the student’s career and professional development
Role-modelling or ‘showing the way’
Develop trust, confidence and mutual respect between the student and mentor
Encourage reciprocity within the relationship in terms of derived benefits

4. Requirements for mentorship
Be aware of all the academic requirements for the programme
Ensure that the student is aware of requirements and of possibilities for funding etc.
Provide personal one-on-one support to student
Be aware of needs of student
Have the capacity to refer the student, when needed, to appropriate personnel for specialised academic or psycho-social support

5. Challenges of mentoring
Developing dependence (Wilkes 2006)
Dysfunctional relationship (Wilkes 2006)
Can you think of more challenges?

6. What is coaching?
Helping student researchers to clarify their life purpose, values and goals, and helping them to attain these goals in a creative and conscious way.
A coach asks:
“What is happening now?” and “What next?” rather than “Why?”

7. How are coaching and mentoring different?
Focus
Individual
Performance
Relationship
Self selecting
Pre-determined
Source of influence
Perceived value
Position
Personal returns
Affirmation / learning
Bias
Biased in your favour
Impartial
Adapted from Starcevich (no date)

8. Coaching, mentoring and supervising?
How are they the same?
How are they different?