Mentoring and Coaching in Educational Settings

Introduction

Mentoring and coaching are valuable in educational settings and benefit students, educators and the whole educational institution. These practices can support students academically, especially those struggling or underachieving, and help educators enhance their professional development, teaching practices and overall well-being. Overall, if educators and students perform well, it can positively impact the learning environment.

The importance of mentoring and coaching cannot be understated. It can have positive impacts, such as improving educators’ teaching practices and students’ academic outcomes. It can also foster skill development and enhance personal and professional learning and growth. The effectiveness of coaching and mentoring will depend on those involved and the level of engagement with these processes. However, if they are effective, they can bring many benefits.

According to research conducted by the National Institute of Teaching on practices in mentoring and coaching new teachers, one in 10 teachers in state-funded schools said they had a formal mentor, and 87% of mentees were generally positive about being mentored and could name at least one benefit. This blog aims to explore some of these benefits for educators, students and educational institutions, along with providing a deeper understanding of the concepts of mentoring and coaching.

Mentoring and Coaching in Educational Settings

Understanding Mentoring and Coaching

Mentoring is where someone less experienced (a mentee) is paired with someone with more experience (a mentor). Mentors provide advice, guidance and support to mentees and support their learning, development and well-being.

Mentoring in education definition

“A series of one-to-one conversations in which a more experienced person asks questions, provides guidance, shares knowledge and gives advice to support a learner to improve their performance and achieve success within a nurturing relationship. In addition to being experienced in the area of interest, the mentor should be effective at building relationships and skilled at supporting others to learn” (van Nieuwerburgh & Barr, 2016).

When people hear the term coaching, they tend to think of sports coaching involving PE, sports and physical activity, and it is often confused with many different titles and professions, such as acting coach or financial coach. Coaching is “a structured, sustained process for enabling the development of a specific aspect of a professional learner’s practice” (Lofthouse et al, 2010). It focuses on specific skills, behaviours or outcomes and coaches typically ask questions rather than give directions.

Coaching in education definition

“A one-to-one conversation that focuses on the enhancement of learning and development through increasing self-awareness and a sense of personal responsibility, where the coach facilitates the self-directed learning of the coachee through questioning, active listening, and appropriate challenge in a supportive and encouraging climate” (van Nieuwerburgh, 2012).

Some often use mentoring and coaching interchangeably, and while these concepts are intertwined and complementary, there are differences.

Mentoring

Mentors tend to have broader knowledge, skills and experience.
Does not require qualifications, but training is recommended.
Counsels, guides and provides direction.
Shares knowledge, experience and skills.
Develops confidence, resilience, relationships and character.
Does not aim to develop specific academic skills or knowledge.
Often longer-term process, i.e. months, years and even decades.
Focuses on broader aspects of personal and professional development.
Supports long-term development and professional growth.
Typically less structured.
Often initiated by mentees or mentors.
Involves feedback being given more informally and typically based on advice and experience.

Coaching

Coaches tend to be subject matter experts in the skills, areas, or tasks to be addressed.
Typically requires training in coaching skills or qualifications.
Oversees training or instructions.
Usually short-term or interval-based and time-bound.
Aims to encourage the person to consider how they can meet their goals and achieve more.
Focuses on specific skills, tasks, behaviours or outcomes and is more goal-driven.
Aims to enhance specific competencies.
Typically follows a more rigorous structure and is more formal, but can be informal.
Often initiated by the educational institution or coachee wanting to improve skills to address certain challenges.
Involves regular feedback on performance and progress towards goals.

Mentors and coaches have a vital role in supporting professional growth, development, and learning. Mentors provide advice and guidance, share their experiences and foster personal growth. Coaches focus on developing skills and improving performance. Both assist educators and students in achieving their goals and aspirations and contribute to their professional, personal and academic journeys.

Benefits of Mentoring and Coaching

When mentoring and coaching are effective, they can benefit educators, students, and educational institutions. Here are some examples of the benefits these two practices can have:

Educators

Enhances their teaching skills through guidance and support and improves the quality of learning and teaching, which can lead to better student outcomes.
Enables them to learn strategies that can help them work more efficiently.
Encourages them to reflect on their teaching practices, identify areas for improvement, and continuously develop their skills, all of which contribute to their personal and professional growth.
Increases their confidence, motivation and interpersonal skills.
Reduces the risk of stress and isolation, thus boosting their physical and mental well-being.
Helps them to foster better relationships with their colleagues and students and contributes to collaboration and a positive learning environment.

Students

Acquires useful information, advice and guidance from experienced people that can assist them in making informed decisions regarding their personal development, education and future careers.
Identifies their strengths and abilities and the skills they need to develop to enhance their learning and academic outcomes.
Allows them to explore their preferences, interests and aspirations to make better, informed decisions about their academic and career paths.
Boosts their self-esteem and confidence, as having someone who provides support and encouragement can enhance self-assurance.
Enhances skills that lay the foundation for further education and their future careers, e.g. communication, interpersonal, teamwork, time management, problem-solving and critical thinking.
Provides them with emotional support, as they can discuss their concerns, which can help reduce stress.

Educational institutions

Encourages the sharing of information and experiences to improve the institution’s performance.
Increases employee engagement and retention (PushFar).
Helps students perform better academically, thus boosting the achievement and reputation of the institution.
Contributes to higher student retention, and they are more likely to persist and graduate (i.e. in higher education).
Creates a positive working and learning environment as staff and students feel supported and motivated.

Mentoring and coaching contribute to improved teaching practices by providing ongoing individualised support, professional and personal development and constructive feedback to educators. They encourage educators to reflect on their teaching methods, identify areas for improvement, and implement evidence-based strategies. When educators receive constructive feedback, they can address issues and adjust and refine their teaching practices and techniques.

They also contribute to student outcomes, as educators can create more engaging and effective learning materials when they receive individualised support and enhancing their learning experiences can improve their teaching practices. Mentoring and coaching can also help students to develop essential skills, overcome barriers and achieve their personal and academic goals. According to the Diana Award, mentoring was used to improve the attendance and attainment of students in a secondary school and coaching was used to raise the engagement and attainment of underachieving male students.

Teacher retention can also be improved through mentoring and coaching, as these practices can foster a supportive environment and enable educators to build positive relationships and have meaningful experiences, which can enhance their overall well-being. When educators feel supported in their roles, they are more likely to want to remain in the profession and institution. It is vital for educational institutions to retain experienced educators, as it creates a more stable learning environment, which can positively impact student success.

Mentoring Programs in Education

Mentoring programs in educational settings vary, and the type depends on who the mentees are, i.e. educators or students, the support they require and the areas in which they want to develop. Numerous types of mentoring programs exist, but some examples include the following:

One-to-one – is one of the most common types of mentoring. It is where a more experienced individual, i.e. a mentor, is paired with a less experienced person, i.e. a mentee, and they provide tailored support and guidance.
Group – also known as a mentoring circle where a mentor meets with a small group of mentees (usually 2-3), and they help and support each other with learning, knowledge and skill development. It is usually more structured than one-to-one mentoring, as the group must schedule meetings to accommodate all their needs.
Peer – involves mentors and mentees having the knowledge, skills and experience in an area where others need support and are at similar points in their careers or education. It can be one-to-one or group, and the roles can be interchangeable. It is a good option for creating a co-learning environment.
Reciprocal – where individuals take turns to be mentors or mentees and support one another in various aspects. It usually involves two individuals who are at different points in their careers or at different levels.
Formal – also known as structured mentoring. It is where mentors and mentees follow specific guidelines and goals within an organisational context. For example, induction programs for new teachers in which experienced educators mentor them through a specific process to help them settle into the organisation. It can be one-to-one or within a group.
Informal – this is also known as unstructured mentoring. It is where there are no specific guidelines or goals. Meetings can be involuntary and sporadic, and there is usually no planning, management or evaluation. They are typically mentoring relationships between colleagues that often arise from formal mentoring (NIHR).
Learning – this type of mentoring involves supporting students with behavioural, emotional, and learning difficulties and helping them overcome barriers to achieving their full potential. Skills for Schools has further information on the learning mentor role here.

Mentoring programmes can be effective and successful and can have positive impacts. Some examples of ones that have had success include:

BAME Education Mentoring Programme and Men in Primary Mentoring Programmes – developed by the University of Brighton. The former is for BAME students who are training to teach. Students said how the programmes had increased their confidence and learning. The latter programme matches male students with a male primary school teacher mentor, and a mature student on the programme said: “My mentor was amazing, and I learnt so much.”
EEF – is not strictly a program per se. However, a study by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) found that the impact of mentoring varies but, on average, it is likely to have a small positive impact on student attainment. Regular meetings of once a week or more frequently appear to be most effective.
ONSIDE teacher mentoring – is a framework for mentoring beginner teachers. The University of Brighton and independent research found that participation in ONSIDE mentoring significantly impacted mentors’ and mentees’ professional learning, development, effectiveness, well-being and retention, with resultant benefits for their learners and organisations.
Princes Trust Mosaic mentoring programme – was introduced in 2007 and is a free group mentoring programme for learners aged 11-18, delivered in school by trained volunteers through a series of 1-hour sessions, usually over 12 weeks. It aims to inspire young people and introduce them to the world of work.
The Diana Award mentoring programme – a twelve-week group mentoring intervention and careers skills development programme for young people aged 14-18 who are at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Birmingham, Leeds and London. They found that 89% of secondary schools across the UK considered mentoring programmes effective in social and emotional skill development.
The Writing History Plus (WH+) scheme at UCL History – involves targeted academic mentoring where students meet with a mentor to review their progress, discuss their ambitions, and work towards academic targets. Their research found that students who participated in the programme significantly improved their academic performance.

Further information

Coaching Approaches in Education

Coaches should have specific training or qualifications to undertake the role effectively and use the most appropriate coaching approach for the coachees and educational settings. Some examples include instructional, leadership and peer coaching.

Instructional coaching

This type of coaching involves an expert, e.g. an experienced teacher, an external coach or a senior leader, working with a coachee to help and support them in learning and developing in a particular area, i.e. new teaching practices or specific skills. It can help support educator development and improve student outcomes, as it is an approach to use on the job and in line with the curriculum and assessment.

The process involves the following:

Identify precise goals to help coachees improve.
Guide and support coachees by giving direct and explicit instructions.
Regular observation of coachees.
Provide constructive feedback on the coachee’s performance to help them achieve their goals.
The coachee uses the information from the feedback they receive to improve.

Instructional coaching is not just for novices. Those with more experience can benefit, as there is always something they can improve. It also differs from ‘traditional coaching’, where a coachee comes up with the solutions when asked questions by a coach. The coach’s role with this approach is to guide and support the teacher to make powerful and lasting changes (British Council).

CPD Online College has further information on this type of coaching here.

Leadership coaching

This type of coaching involves coaches working with leaders, e.g. headteachers and governors, to help them develop their leadership skills and set and achieve personal, professional and organisational goals. Often, education leaders learn how to coach and take on the role. They then use coaching in their leadership repertoire.

Leadership coaching allows leaders within education to reflect on their practice, identify areas for growth, and develop new skills and strategies that will support them in leading their schools to success (Excelsior Multi Academy Trust).

Peer coaching

This type of coaching is also known as co-coaching. It is where coaches and coachees of equal or similar status or experience help each other improve their skills, enhance their professional development and work through challenges. It can involve a pair or team of educators who coach one another on any topic relating to their professional practice. They can observe, share ideas, address challenges and provide feedback to learn together and from one another.

The process involves peers taking turns to coach and observe each other in the learning environment. Coachees and coaches then discuss observations, reflect on their current practices, explore solutions and solve challenges together. It is a valuable approach; it fosters learning, skills development and collaboration between educators and their colleagues.

Other types of educational coaching

Educators and professional coaches can also coach parents and the wider educational community. They can also train parents to become coaches so they can coach their children.

Coaches that help and support students can be internal, i.e. trained school staff and students, or external coaches, i.e. professional coaches or trained local community coaches. They work with students to enhance their academic performance and well-being.

Principles of effective coaching

For coaching to be effective, coaches should adopt the following principles:

Active listening – coaches should have active listening skills, which means not just simply hearing what a coachee has to say but listening intently to their needs and concerns without judgment and paying attention to what they say. They should also seek understanding, reflect on what they heard and ask questions to demonstrate to the person they are being listened to. It can help foster trust and build positive relationships.
Questioning techniques – coaches do not typically give direct instructions but should ask insightful questions and present coachees with various options. Questions should be open-ended to encourage coachees to explore different perspectives and identify their own solutions.
Observing and modelling – coaches should observe educators within the learning environment and model effective teaching practices, which can help them implement them within the classroom.
Providing constructive feedback – coaches should give specific, timely and focused feedback on coachees’ behaviours and performance. It can help coachees identify their strengths, focus on the areas where they need to improve and make the necessary changes to work towards achieving their goals.

Coaches must remember that coaching is a collaborative practice and tailor their approaches to meet the educator’s needs, preferences and teaching styles. That way, they can enhance teaching practices and improve student outcomes.

Coaching models

Coaching models are frameworks that help coaches and coachees move through the coaching process. Some examples include:

The CLEAR model (Peter Hawkins,1985)

It aims to help coachees make lasting changes, not simply achieve a goal. It is typically a process for leaders.
CLEAR stands for:
Contract, e.g. establishing rapport and the coaching relationship.
Listen, e.g. actively listening to concerns, aspirations, goals and challenges.
Explore, e.g. coachees’ current situation, strengths, areas for improvement and potential barriers.
Action, e.g. generating options and strategies to achieve desired goals.
Review, e.g. following up on progress and giving/receiving feedback.

The OSKAR model (Steve de Shazer,1991)

It can empower individuals to set and achieve their goals through a structured and solution-focused approach.
OSKAR stands for:
Outcome, e.g. desired goals or outcomes.
Scaling, e.g. current position relating to goals.
Know-how, e.g. existing knowledge, skills, resources and strengths.
Affirm & Action, e.g. recognising achievements, strengths, and progress made.
Review, e.g. review progress and make adjustments where needed.

The GROW model (Sir John Whitmore, 1992)

It can be used to structure coaching and mentoring sessions and is a step-by-step process that coaches can use to guide their sessions.
GROW stands for:
Goals, e.g. aims, aspirations and desires.
Reality, e.g. current position, starting point and story so far.
Options, e.g. ideas, possibilities and resources available.
Will, e.g. the plan, the next steps and their commitment.
In some cases, T-GROW is used, where T stands for topic, i.e. defining the coaching topic and identifying the specific area or aspect to be addressed.
Imperial College London has more on this model here.

There are also various practical guides that coaches can use as frameworks, such as:

CUREE – National Framework for Mentoring and Coaching.
UK – Coaching for teaching and learning: a practical guide for schools.
Patza (2024) Coaching for Teachers: What school leaders need to consider.
The Global Framework for Coaching and Mentoring in Education (van Nieuwerburgh, Knight & Campbell, 2019).