Mentoring

findings from research

A Mentor is Generally a person with expertise training or guiding someone of less experience. The word Mentor comes from the Greek mythology. Mentor was a friend and trusted councilor of Odysseus. Odysseus left for the trojan war leaving Mentor in charge of his son Telemachus and of his palace.

Being a Mentor or Mentee is very beneficial for both parties and both will learn a lot from each other. According to (Ensher, 2005, p. 68)

“Applied to mentoring, social exchange is simply the idea that mentors and protégés exchange valuable, albeit different, benefits with each other. Although what they exchange might be very different, the exchange has to be equally valuable and reciprocal for both parties involved.”

Mentoring will not only be between student and the teacher but can be effectively used between students themselves. An example would be to have older students who have completed a topic to pair up with a student who didn’t.

Here in GMIT I am delighted we have NEST Nurturing Excellence in Student Teachers. This gives all students experience at being Mentors and Mentees in front of their peers and can get feedback from the experience. According to (Hawkins, 2013, p. 147) “Coaches, mentors and organizational consultants are all developers of workers, managers and leaders – not as an end in itself, but in order that their client’s clients and staff become more effective in their organizations and work endeavors.” Therefore, a mentor’s work will never be finished. It is important that mentors keep themselves upskilled as much as possible to be the most effective as they as the can be.

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References Ensher, E. A. (2005). Power Mentoring : How Successful Mentors and Proteges Get the Most Out of Their Relationships. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hawkins, P. (2013). Coaching, Mentoring and Organizational Consultancy : Supervision, Skills and Development. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education