Roles and Responsibilities of Mentors and Coaches

Mentors and coaches support educators in various ways, and they foster growth and improve teaching practices, thus bringing many benefits to the learning environment. Here are some examples of their roles and responsibilities (this list is not exhaustive):

Mentors

• Help educators identify their own goals and support them in accomplishing them, including helping them overcome barriers, navigate challenges and resolve issues.
• Offer valuable advice, guidance, support and resources to help educators succeed. Resources can include contacts and networking opportunities.
• Impart knowledge and share their experiences, insights and expertise related to professional growth, development, and learning.
• May model various strategies for educators to observe, e.g. teaching methods and classroom management skills.
• Support educators to develop new personal and professional skills and enhance their growth, resilience and determination.
• Observe educators during various activities and provide constructive and meaningful feedback to help them improve.
• Encourage educators to self-reflect to make better-informed decisions, understand how to achieve their goals and look at challenges differently.
• Signpost educators to further help, advice and guidance where needed.
• Support educators’ well-being and provide strategies to help them manage stress and anxiety.

Coaches

• Build rapport and trust to establish positive relationships with educators and other staff.
• Identify educators’ needs, priorities, motivations, strengths, challenges, aspirations and values by conducting thorough assessments and providing individualised support and advice.
• Identify areas for improvement or specific challenges and help educators set clear and achievable goals to address these issues.
• Design and develop individualised coaching plans that align with educators’ needs, preferences and goals, e.g. strategies for professional development.
• Co-plan with educators to create effective learning materials and environments.
• Demonstrate effective teaching practices and model new techniques.
• Observing teaching practices and analysing data to make informed decisions.
• Empower educators to focus on solutions rather than issues to enhance creativity, innovation and adaptability.
• Monitor educators’ progress against their set goals, provide tailored advice to help them achieve them and adjust strategies where required.
• Provide constructive feedback to educators based on their observations.
• Organise sessions, study groups and workshops to help educators with their professional development goals.

The exact role and responsibilities mentors and coaches have will depend on the educational setting and the type of mentoring and coaching required based on educators’ needs.

For mentoring and coaching to be effective, it is vital to establish clear expectations and goals to understand the area(s) that require development and the resources needed to achieve them. Having no direction can mean that goals become vague, unfocused or irrelevant. It can also negatively impact the relationship between mentors/mentees and coaches/coachees.

Setting clear boundaries is crucial in mentoring and coaching relationships, as it maintains professionalism and avoids distractions and violations when all individuals understand and agree upon limits. It helps to build trust within the relationship when individuals know that coaches and mentors will respect their boundaries, and it creates a safe space where privacy and confidentiality are maintained.

Mentors and coaches should be aware of their roles and responsibilities regarding upholding ethical considerations and adherence to professional standards, as it ensures professionalism and integrity. They must obtain informed consent from mentees and coachees and communicate the boundaries regarding confidentiality. They must also understand and familiarise themselves with relevant ethical guidelines and codes of conduct and integrate the principles into their practices.

It is important to note that mentors can also be coaches, and vice versa, and sometimes, their roles and responsibilities can overlap.

Building Effective Mentoring and Coaching Relationships

For mentoring and coaching to be effective, it is vital to build trusting relationships. Firstly, it is important to address the issue of compatibility. Programmes are unlikely to succeed and may even detrimentally affect outcomes if mentors/mentees and coaches/coachees are incompatible. Therefore, it is important to pair them with the right people.

It is vital to choose suitable mentors and coaches. They must be reliable, committed to the program and have the time and resources to participate. They must also establish clear roles, expectations and boundaries and deal with any conflicts/resistance with professionalism. If mentees/coachees know where they stand and see their mentors/coaches want them to succeed, it will help foster trusting relationships.

Building effective mentoring and coaching relationships also relies on mentors and coaches actually knowing what they are doing and having the necessary expertise, skills and experiences to undertake their roles and responsibilities effectively. If mentees and coachees do not feel they can get the help, support, advice and guidance they need, it will make it difficult to build relationships and negatively impact outcomes.

To build positive relationships requires establishing trust, rapport, and mutual respect. Here are some examples of strategies to achieve this:

• Actively listen – mentors and coaches should empathetically listen to the needs, concerns and goals of the mentees and coachees they are working with. Demonstrating a genuine interest in helping and supporting educators and students and listening to their perspectives and experiences can foster trust and mutual respect and enhance relationships.
• Understand their needs – every educator and student is unique, with their own needs, preferences, strengths, interests, aspirations and goals. Therefore, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to mentoring or coaching. Mentors and coaches should identify mentees’ and coachees’ needs and tailor their practices to ensure they provide individualised support. It will demonstrate to educators and students that they are committed to helping them succeed and achieve their goals.
• Use open, clear and honest communication – when mentors and coaches are open and honest with mentees and coachees and share their thoughts and feelings, it can encourage others to do the same. It is also crucial to be mindful of non-verbal communication cues, such as eye contact, body language, facial expressions and gestures, and use those that demonstrate engagement, e.g. smiles and nods.
• Create a safe and supportive environment – being understanding and actively listening with empathy can help mentors and coaches create a safe and secure learning environment. Mentees and coachees will feel supported and comfortable to express themselves freely by knowing they do not need to worry about confidentiality, as it will be maintained and respected. It will help foster trust and build positive relationships.
• Lead by example – coaches and mentors should be role models and show a commitment to their own ongoing learning, skill enhancement and professional development. That way, they will encourage and inspire others to follow their example and can enhance relationships.
• Be consistent and reliable – if coaches and mentors are inconsistent or unreliable, i.e. they are giving conflicting information or not turning up to sessions, it can demonstrate they are uninterested and can damage trust and relationships with coachees and mentees. Trust takes time to develop; it is not easy to regain once lost.

Regular meetings and ongoing communication, constructive feedback, and reflection are essential in fostering growth and development. It allows mentors and coaches to help mentees and coachees understand their strengths and weaknesses, gives them insights into their performance, makes improvements where needed and makes better-informed decisions. It also allows them to adjust their strategies and be flexible to ensure the best possible chances of success.

Professional Growth and Development

Educators should be committed to ongoing professional growth and development to enhance their knowledge, skills, competencies and overall teaching practices to create an effective learning environment. According to the Standard for Teachers’ Professional Development, effective professional development “includes support from someone in a coaching and/or mentoring role to provide modelling and challenge”.

Mentoring and coaching are essential components of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for educators and can contribute to their ongoing professional growth and development, as they:

• Create a holistic approach to personal and professional growth.
• Provide access to valuable resources, such as networking opportunities and information.
• Assist them to assimilate into new roles or responsibilities as well as to develop employment-related skills (Kutsyuruba & Godden, 2019).
• Help them develop new skills, competencies and perspectives.
• Provide personal support and targeted skill development.
• Assist them with setting and achieving their goals and identifying gaps in their knowledge and skills.
• Provide them opportunities to learn from others, gain from their knowledge and experiences and apply new strategies and ideas.
• Help them to be flexible and adapt to the various demands and changes within the educational setting, e.g. students’ needs and the curriculum.

Mentors and coaches can support teachers in various ways, such as setting goals, reflecting on practice, and implementing evidence-based strategies.

Setting goals

• Mentors can provide advice and guidance on setting goals and share their own knowledge and experiences to provide direction to teachers.
• Coaches may encourage teachers to set SMART goals and ask them various questions to help them identify what they want to achieve, such as:
• What is the desired outcome, i.e. what do they want to learn or improve?
• Do their goals align with ethical guidelines and professional standards?
• What resources do they require to achieve their goals?
• When do they want to achieve their goals?
• Mentors and coaches may also help teachers to break down their goals into manageable steps.

Reflecting on practice

• Mentors encourage teachers to reflect on what they have learned, their practices and successes and the areas they should improve.
• Coaches may use open-ended questions where teachers can reflect on the effectiveness of their teaching practices and explore the thinking behind them. They may also provide constructive feedback after observations, help them to challenge their thinking and explore different ideas and solutions.
• Coaches may use the cognitive coaching model, a three-step process involving planning conversations, observations, and reflection conversations.

Implementing evidence-based strategies

• Mentors can provide information and resources to help teachers identify these strategies and methods to implement them.
• Coaches may focus on specific skills, techniques, methods and areas where teachers should concentrate. They provide individualised support and directly work with teachers on their instructional practices.
• Mentors and coaches may focus on teaching practices shown to be highly effective, including evidence-based strategies.

Mentoring and coaching encourage educators to grow and develop personally and professionally and be the best possible version of themselves. Therefore, they have a vital role in promoting a culture of continuous improvement and lifelong learning in educational settings. They help educators improve their teaching practices, foster collaboration and engagement and enhance student outcomes.

Impact on Student Learning

The impacts of mentoring and coaching have been researched extensively, and there is a consensus they have positive impacts within educational settings, especially on student learning and achievement. A study by Gamage et al, 2021 found that mentoring and coaching benefitted undergraduates’ academic engagement and enhanced their confidence and capabilities. They also concluded that students reported enhanced learning and development when their mentors provided an environment that allowed them to explore their individual strengths and capabilities.

It is important to be aware that mentoring and coaching can have negative impacts if the pairings of mentors and mentees and coaches and coachees are unsuccessful or if there are instances of dropping out of programmes (EEF). Therefore, to ensure mentoring and coaching have positive impacts, all involved must be committed to the programme, pairings must be suitable, and goals and action plans should be clearly defined and agreed upon.

When mentoring and coaching practices are effective, they translate into improved teaching practices, classroom management, and student engagement. Here are some examples of how they do this:

• Teachers enhance their competency and capability through professional and personal development, which can improve their teaching methods and instructional techniques.
• Mentors and coaches may observe teachers within the classroom, share their experiences and insights and provide constructive feedback on how they can improve. These improvements can lead to better classroom management and help teachers develop new techniques and strategies.
• Teachers can use the information, guidance, advice and support from their sessions to help students set and achieve their own goals, which can improve student engagement, motivation and overall outcomes. They can also foster a supportive learning environment where students can achieve their full potential.
• Teachers can become more confident, which can help them create more interesting and interactive learning content and environments, thus promoting student engagement.
• Teachers work collaboratively with coaches or mentors, which can enhance their capacity to work with colleagues and students. It can make them better communicators and improve their interpersonal skills, which can help them build trusting relationships in the educational setting.
• Teachers who receive effective mentoring and coaching are more likely to be satisfied in their roles and stay in the profession. Retaining qualified, experienced and skilled educators who are committed to continual personal and professional development can benefit student outcomes.

Student learning outcomes are the learning that should be achieved by the ‘typical’ or ‘model’ student and what they should be able to do at the end of their course. It is vital to align mentoring and coaching goals with student learning outcomes to measure the impact of these practices on performance and identify if any improvements are necessary. If so, they can develop strategies to address any issues. Overall, it can improve student engagement, satisfaction, performance and learning outcomes.

Conclusion

Mentoring and coaching are gaining more notoriety within educational settings and are increasingly recognised for their wide-ranging benefits. They help educators grow and develop professionally and personally, enhancing student outcomes and positively impacting the wider educational institution and community.

Although mentoring and coaching practices often overlap and complement each other, there are differences. There are also numerous mentoring programmes and coaching approaches and models available that mentors and coaches can use as frameworks to ensure they are effective in helping and supporting educators and students. It is vital to understand how these approaches differ and choose the most suitable programme for the individual(s), their needs and goals, and the type of educational setting.

Mentors and coaches have various roles and responsibilities, which they must carry out responsibly, professionally and ethically to ensure they maintain boundaries, build relationships with mentees and coachees and ensure they are effective. They should also have qualifications and/or training to maximise the benefits for those needing help and support with setting and achieving their goals.

Mentoring and coaching are essential in supporting educator effectiveness. Research has also shown that these practices can positively impact student success, which can help them academically and in their lives and future careers. Educators and educational institutions should embrace mentoring and coaching opportunities as valuable tools for professional and personal growth and learning.