Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Name Student
ID
Programme MA EDUCATION
MA Special
MA
MA MA Early Educational
My Pathway Education Childhood Needs and
Dissertation PGDip
Only
Inclusion
Campus (Delete as
Canterbury/Medway
appropriate)
Issues in mentoring, Module P18713
Module: coaching and critical Code
friendship
Issues in mentoring, coaching and critical friendship
Assignment Title:
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ISSUES IN MENTORING, COACHING AND CRITICAL FRIENDSHIP: P18713
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ISSUES IN MENTORING, COACHING AND CRITICAL FRIENDSHIP: P18713
Mentoring
My understanding of coaching and mentoring stems from my university days, when I asked
one of my professors for assistance with my observational project. Due to the fact that she and
communication.
Zavala et al. assert that mentoring is an unplanned conversation between a mentor and a mentee
that helps the mentee achieve positive results.(Zavala et al., 2022) A mentee looks to a mentor,
(Gadad et al., 2021) someone whose thoughts and experiences we respect and who encourages
us to become the individuals we are today (Zavala et al., 2022) as well as for direction,
2021) Her words of encouragement, advice, motivation, and criticism helped me produce work
boosts learning, and transforms lives. Among other things, it has been linked to higher job
satisfaction and performance, better physical health and self-esteem, longer employment, better
work connections, and motivation to move up in a career. It also contributes to the mentee's
It also, focuses mostly on recognising and developing an individual's full potential.(Toh et al.,
2022) It can be a long-term partnership in which the student sets goals that may change over
time. The learner is responsible for both the process and the end result. The mentor assists the
mentee in gaining insight and knowledge by increasing their self-awareness so that they are
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ISSUES IN MENTORING, COACHING AND CRITICAL FRIENDSHIP: P18713
Also, it's important to know how mentoring relationships start, because the beginning of the
relationship between a mentor and a mentee has a big effect on how the relationship turns
out.(Toh et al., 2022) I do consider whether my mentoring was effective because my mentor and
I were already acquainted. Since she has been my instructor since I was at level 100, she is
aware of my strengths and weaknesses. Would I have reached the same outcome if it had been
a formal engagement? Or what if I was formally introduced to a third party? I believe the
experience would not have been the same if the incident had not occurred informally. This is
because informal mentoring may have more benefits and a better connection, and the beginning
phase may set the tone and expectations for the partnership. In formal mentoring, a third party
matches mentors and mentees as part of a formal mentoring program.(Keramidas, Queener and
Hartung, 2022)
Moreover, the mentoring category also influences the manner in which the mentor sets the
stage for the mentoring process. Keramidas et al. identified two categories of mentoring. The
first is career functioning, such as learning the ropes and preparing for job promotion, and the
second is psychological aspects, such as providing support and encouragement that may
I believe these two categories are interdependent on each other in a mentoring process. For
instance, an individual’s personal development goes a long way toward improving the
individual in all aspects of their life, including their career. In the same way, a person's career
functioning won't be complete until all of the psychological parts of his or her career have been
fully developed.
Coaching
I have always had the idea that my encounter with my undergraduate instructor constituted
coaching. I had believed that she helped me realise my full potential through coaching, but I've
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come to realise that, despite the similarities, what I experienced was not coaching but
area, often in the short term, which was far from the case with mine. Also, most of the time,
the coach sets the goals, or at least the intermediate or subgoals, with or at his suggestion. The
student is in charge of the main goal, and the instructor is in charge of making sure it gets
done.(Gamage, Perera and Wijewardena, 2021) So, the main goal of coaching is to change the
traditional relationship between a teacher and a student from one in which the teacher gives the
students basic information to one in which the teacher encourages the students to find their own
answers.(Anatoliivna et al., 2019) This could raise students' awareness, sense of responsibility,
From above, it can be observed that coaching and mentoring encourage, challenge, and
motivate coaches or mentees to be focused. (Gamage, Perera, and Wijewardena, 2021) They
also help inspire, challenge, and motivate coaches or mentees to stay focused on their specific
goals, create action plans, and execute the action plans with more self-discipline.(Gamage,
Lastly, mentoring and coaching help people build professional and personal relationships that
help them get the skills they need to be relevant and competitive in the academic world,
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ISSUES IN MENTORING, COACHING AND CRITICAL FRIENDSHIP: P18713
Based on what we've talked about so far about coaching and mentoring, I agree with Keramidas
that the mentoring process should be rough around the edges.(Keramidas, Queener and
Hartung, 2022) This is due to the formality and rigidity of an organised approach, which could
cause the mentee to lose interest in the process. It could even result in something like a father's
or mother's advice to their child. In this instance, can we refer to advisors as mentors? Although
some do equate an adviser with a mentor, Keramidas et al. postulate that the roles of adviser
Moreover, some advising relationships develop into mentoring relationships. The majority of
mentoring relationships between students and faculty arise spontaneously and not as a result of
a structured process such as advising. Most of the time, it's up to the student to start talking
with the teacher.This makes the mentee more focused on what he or she wants to achieve
because he or she feels involved in the process.(Bokeno, 2008) Thus, mentoring is effective
when there is a mutual relationship between a mentor and a mentee.(Zavala et al., 2022)
Coaching has also been shown to work in educational settings, especially when it's used to help
learners who are academically poor in school improve their retention and
performance.(Gamage, Perera and Wijewardena, 2021) For the majority of these students, all
they need is a coach to guide them through the process, calm them down, and serve as a
motivator.The process is mostly short, and since it is student-centered, the student can find his
or her own answers with the help of the coach in a particular area.(Gamage, Perera and
Wijewardena, 2021) Regarding tactical nuts and bolts, it provides a more hands-on
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Critical Friendship
Whereas mentoring focuses on providing hierarchical guidance on how to achieve final goals,
critical friendship, on the other hand, focuses on the process and has no predetermined
conclusion. So, having a critical friend is one of the best ways for co-workers or friends to get
help in an environment where they can learn and improve in a certain field.(Sotiropoulou and
Cranston, 2022)
fostering personal and professional growth. It is prudent to analyse and interrogate our
pedagogical practises and identities, not as a personal endeavour but as a social one.(Barrow
When I was posted to this particular school, the headmaster informed me that I would be
teaching one of the senior classes. As a result, I was a little anxious on my first day. Although
we agreed at the interview, I will accept freshmen. I took the task despite the fact that I was
My first lesson was after lunch, so I went to the library to prepare my notes. In the library, a
colleague teacher approached me. We had a good conversation after his introduction. I
complained to him that I was a little anxious about my first class. He encouraged me and
assured me I would succeed. He gave me some advice and promised to pop by when he was
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When school was done for the day, we discussed ways in which we could improve each other's
teaching delivery. Although he was a little older than I was, our informal relationship made us
feel at ease with each other as well as with our different points of view and constructive
Before delivering constructive feedback, engagement entails active listening, fostering self-
reflection, and asking questions to better comprehend teaching and learning practises and
content. Pragmatic insight and transformation result from shared participation in the
process.(Sotiropoulou and Cranston, 2022) Our self-reflection after every piece of constructive
feedback enables us to enhance our delivery strategy and evaluations for future iterations.
Despite the fact that our input occasionally sparks debate, We came to realise that we were
Based on my experience, I concur with Kelly et al. that a critical friend is someone you can
trust who asks you questions that make you think, gives you information that you can look at
in a different way, and gives you feedback on your job as a friend. Kelly et al., 2022) Feedback
is meant to help and encourage a colleague's work and professional growth, not to evaluate and
Also, Barrow and Norman added that like-minded people are usually the foundation of a critical
friendship.(Barrow and Norman, 2022) This is because the relationship with a critical friend is
more balanced and based on trust, constructive feedback, challenges, support, and helping each
other grow personally and professionally.(Sotiropoulou and Cranston, 2022) Besides, friends
act as a “sounding board” by giving constructive feedback and new ways to solve problems in
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solutions.(Sotiropoulou and Cranston, 2022) The relationship is based on the joint construction
of meaning for practises and systems through an iterative cycle of explaining, informing,
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(The name Mary is not the person's real name for privacy reasons.)
In my second year as a teacher at this school, a female student approached me and told me
about her decision to drop out of school because of her poor academic performance. I remember
telling her that some students are slow learners and that she will eventually progress, so she
should reconsider her decision. Later that day, she came back to me and asked if I could be her
When we began this mentoring adventure, Mary was in the first grade of junior high school.
We discovered evidence that she had low self-esteem, lacked intrinsic motivation, and that
external factors were causing her academic difficulties. For instance, she had difficulty
expressing herself in English; the second was her inability to pay attention in class because she
had low confidence in herself; and the third was her opinion that the majority of her family
members are not academically brilliant, which is why she herself is not good. The worst of all
is that some of her past teachers gave her harsh feedback about her schoolwork, which is why
she doesn't speak up in class and doesn't put in the effort she needs to do better in school.
All she needed was someone to believe in her, someone to listen to her, and most importantly,
someone to encourage, motivate, and make her believe she could make it academically. A self-
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Within the core concept of mentoring, reciprocal relationships do arise through mentorship
opportunities that give both sides long-term support and feedback. In a mentoring relationship,
one individual assumes the role of listening and giving advice or direction at the right time. As
the mentoring relationship gets stronger, the mentee may become more involved, acting as a
listener, giving advice and feedback, and creating chances for both parties to learn. (2021,
Environment model because it best suited the circumstances surrounding my critical incident.
According to Wilson, "The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking
we do first."(Wilson, 2022). Therefore, the question is: what is required for people to encourage
one another's self-esteem? Nancy Kline observed that when people are asked this topic, their
responses are typically not about intelligence, education, or experience, but rather about how
She then identified ten factors that were responsible in this regard.(Wilson, 2022)
Attention: Mary needed someone to hear her out. Due to her poor academic performances, she
thought her teachers were not paying attention to her needs, yet she desired someone with
Attention is motivated by the assurance that there will be no interruptions, and respect for and
interest in where people's thoughts may lead are essential to a thinking environment.(Kline,
2022) The mentor is therefore someone who is available to listen when you are attempting to
work through something and who helps establish an environment where you can discuss
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ISSUES IN MENTORING, COACHING AND CRITICAL FRIENDSHIP: P18713
anything. They act as sounding boards and can answer questions, even if they do not have the
We may ask ourselves, "Why was she not getting the attention she required from her teachers?"
Could it be that the way some teachers relate to her in class or out of class makes it difficult
for her to open up with them? Again, could it be the fact that she didn’t trust many of them to
really listen to her concerns? She believed she had a situation in which only a listening
facilitator could help her. As a result, she embarked on a quest to find that one teacher with
Equality: Mary was the class's third-oldest student. She was also the oldest girl among the
females, and because of 1. her poor academic performance, which sometimes makes some
teachers isolate her in the learning process, and 2. her age, she could not tolerate her younger
peers making fun of her academic achievements because of her age. Therefore, she prefers to
be passive rather than active in class. She hoped that would spare her some embarrassment in
class. She wished for a teacher who would treat her like a fellow thinker, determine her rate of
academic progress, and assist her in achieving academic confidence. (Kline, 2022)
Ease: The ideal way to think is when you are at ease, which means you are not pressured or in
a hurry. One difficulty in working with Mary was not putting her under too much academic
pressure. She was under pressure from her parents and teachers, as well as from her upcoming
national examination. During one of our sessions, she told me that sometimes while in class,
she becomes absentminded because she is thinking about these pressures. (Kline, 2022)
Appreciation: I have always felt that every person has attributes that make them exceptional.
Academically, Mary is bright, but her talent for dancing, acting, and drawing made her stand
out. Even her writing is excellent. I pondered why someone with these qualities would be an
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uninteresting student academically. There must be something blocking her from academic
excellence.
having the mentee feel valued might improve his or her academic success.(Wilson, 2022) Life
teaches us that being grateful is vain, while being critical is realistic. In talks, we focus
primarily, and often exclusively, on what is not working. Due to the fact that the brain requires
“Appreciation keeps people thinking,” and this phase encourages each participant to share a
positive quality about the other that they have appreciated throughout the discussion. This is
meant to get the thinker to keep thinking even after the session is over.(Bassot and Reid, 2013,
p 62)
Encouragement: By transcending internal competition, one can have the guts to pursue
motivate, praise, and occasionally reward her when she performed well on her responsibilities
to improve her confidence in her academic abilities. Also, instil in her the notion that she is an
intelligent student capable of greatness if she can put in the academic effort.(Wilson, 2022)
Feelings: When we are irritated, we stop thinking. However, if we communicate our emotions
enough, we can restart our thinking. Good thinking will return if, when others display
emotional indications, we relax and accept them. (Kline, 2022) Being the dullest student in
your class, combined with so many criticisms from your teachers, being under pressure from
your parents, and the fact that age is not on your side if you fail your national examination, can
make someone unhappy. It could be the reason why her immediate action was to drop out of
school.
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Permitting mentees to express their emotions aids in restoring their capacity for rational
thought.(Wilson, 2022) We all need the right environment to do this. Mary and I needed this
Information: Intellectual integrity is the product of complete and accurate information. After
mentors foster connection, integrity, dedication, and trust, they provide emotional support,
which includes an expectation of privacy and discretion that enables a mentor to impart
information that the mentee could not obtain otherwise. (Hussey and Campbell-Meier, 2021)
The most frequently mentioned parts of mentoring are the type of feedback and expectations
for how the information will be used. Feedback from mentors is seen as counsel and is offered
Diversity: welcoming divergent thinking and diverse group identities. Diverse realities exist.
To think properly for ourselves, we must be surrounded by people from many identification
groups and understand as much as possible about their lived experiences. The greater a group's
diversity, the greater the variety of perspectives and the richer the diverse thinking of each
Incisive questions: Underneath an incorrect and restricting belief lies a rich source of creative
thoughts. A perceptive query will dispel it, allowing the mind to think more creatively.(Kline,
2022)
I recalled asking Mary, "What do you believe is preventing you from attaining your objective?"
This prompts the thinker to consider their restrictive preconceptions. According to Kline
(1999), there are three types of limiting assumptions: facts, such as "I don't have the required
qualifications," possible facts, such as "my family would not be supportive," and bedrock
assumptions about oneself and how life works, such as "I won't be able to do that because I'm
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not good enough" or "people like me don't do that." Such fundamental assumptions can be
deeply established and typically require time to surface. (Bassot and Reid, 2013) Mary assumed
that because few of her family members performed poorly in school, she was no different.
Frequently, they serve as obstacles to work advancement and can damage confidence and self-
The incisive question is so vital that it must be written down so that it is not lost. It is essential
that the paper be written in the author's own words. The listener then repeats the perceptive
question until the thinker has expressed all of their new, optimistic ideas for their future.(Bassot
Place: When our physical surroundings affirm our significance, we think more clearly and
courageously. When our bodies are acknowledged and cared for, our cognition improves. A
thinking environment is created by two people. collaboration between a mentor and mentee
that fosters collaborative thought. Carol asserts that listening is the most essential setting for
thinking, so active listening is preferred to passive listening. This represents the partner's focus
on the thinker. The attentiveness of the listener allows mentorship to commence. This attention
must therefore be divided into three streams for an effective session. In the first stream, the
focus of the partner is on the content of what the thinker is expressing. In the second stream,
the focus is on the respondent's reaction to what the speaker is saying. In the third stream,
emphasis is placed on creating a thinking environment for the thinker. Nancy Kline'(Wilson,
2022)
The mentoring process I had with Mary gave me the critical professional awareness I needed
in my teaching profession. Again, it gave me an insight into the reason why some students
don’t do well and have to drop out of school. Moreover, the process made me aware of the fact
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that the teacher plays a crucial role in the academic life of the child. Finally, a teacher's role is
not limited to academics but rather to making the child a better person now and in the future.
Our relationship with our students can impact their academic lives. As humans, our words can
have an impact on them, both positively and negatively. For instance, the theory of The Gift of
Doubt by Carl Dweck teaches us to embrace a learning curve method she calls “growth
mindset." The growth mindset has the power to make an individual student progress steadily
in an academic setting. The student abandons a fixed mindset in favour of a growth mindset.
In one study, when teachers stopped grading students with failing remarks and replaced them
Mary’s challenge was her mindset. The aim was to help her embrace positivity in her mind so
she could make academic progress on her own. Her challenge was not physiological needs
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Acessed on 2/12/2022)
Simon Sinek (2020), sharing his experience of mentorship in an interview, argued that
“mentorship is like friendship: It evolves over time and it’s a two-way street.” Mentorship
transcends simple friendship. You cannot simply walk up to a stranger and say, "I'd like you to
be my mentor." His interaction with his mentor provided him with a new understanding of what
mentoring entails. His mentor developed an amicable rapport with him. There was no
difference in social standing between them. He emphasised the need for an effective mentoring
Moreover, his mentor's eagerness to engage in dialogue with him piqued his interest. The
mentor's desire to serve as his sole mentor made him feel relieved and valued. According to
him, he once told his mentor, "Thank you for being my mentor," to which his mentor replied,
"Thank you for being mine." Since then, he has understood that mentoring is more than a
friendship. The relationship develops because a mentor always makes time for you, recognises
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Initially, he believed that his mentor was doing him a favour, but he soon realised that he was
also learning from him. He emphasised the relationship-based (informal) foundational premise
2022) concur that the outcome of the mentoring process is affected by the mentor-mentee
connection. This is also the perspective of Nancy Kline's notion of the "independent thinking
environment."(Kline, 2022)
Strength
His description of his mentoring experience suggested that mentorship is more than just
environment for the mentoring process, the mentor's willingness to help, listen to you,
appreciate you, and give you the necessary attention helps to increase the effectiveness of the
mentoring. In addition, he agrees with scholars who believe that informal mentoring is more
effective than formal mentoring in most instances.(Keramidas, Queener and Hartung, 2022)
Also in most cases, it is up to students to initiate the relationship. This makes the mentee more
focused on what he or she wants to achieve in the process because he or she feels involved in
it.(Bokeno, 2008)
Limitations
We could argue that his perception of the process is tainted by the fact that he worked for the
same business as his mentor and that his mentor's willingness to mentor him was therefore
Overall, his experiences affirm Nancy Kline’s Independent Environment Thinking model as
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to think”’, Australian Journal of Career Development, 22(2), pp. 91–99. Available at:
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ISSUES IN MENTORING, COACHING AND CRITICAL FRIENDSHIP: P18713
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