Blog 3: Mentoring vs. Coaching
Mentoring:
Mentoring is a less formal position where another teacher mentors newer teachers or ones that may be struggling. Mentoring plays a crucial role in supporting teachers throughout their careers. Campus's will pair more experienced teachers with newer educators to help guide them through the year and give support where they need it. Mentors can help new teachers set meaningful goals for the year, and provide constructive feedback on instruction (Grossman, 2012). Mentored teachers feel a sense of support through their challenging first year and have someone to go to when they feel alone. Mentors offer guidance on navigating the complexities of the world of education and are able to share valuable insights on how they have been successful in the past. This relationship will help new teachers build confidence, develop their teaching identify, and make informed decisions on instruction.
Coaching:
Coaching plays a crucial role in improving educational outcomes and fostering professional development in schools. Coaching is providing personalized support, feedback, and guidance to teachers. Coaches can be from the district level or on campus given the role to coach and help certain teachers. Coaching can also be set individuals on a campus that help teachers implement upcoming units and help combat potential misunderstandings. The purpose of coaching is to improve instructional practices of teachers to increase student learning (Oliver, 2007). Instructional coaches are on campus to meet with teachers to identify where students will struggle and how to make sure they are understanding the concepts being taught. They are also on campus to push out any new initiatives being put in place by the district. Coaching creates a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging teachers to reflect on their practice and actively work towards enhancing their teaching methods. Effective coaching is designed to be embedded support that attempts to respond to student and teacher needs in ongoing, consistent, dedicated ways (Aguilar, 2013).
Connections:
Mentoring and coaching are different approaches but they share a common goal of supporting teacher development and improving the outcomes of students. Both coaching and mentoring recognize the importance of individualized support and ongoing professional learning. When implemented together, coaching and mentoring can create a strong support and ongoing learning. The combination of coaching and mentoring ensures all teaching practices are effective and helping every learner in the classroom. The combination also promotes the use of effective feedback and the retention of new teachers (Carr et al., 2009). Both mentoring and coaching share the importance of building healthy relationships and trusting the colleagues that are assisting (Carr et al., 2009).
References:
Aguilar, E. (2013, March 25). How Coaching Can Impact Teachers, Principals, and Students. Edutopia; George Lucas Educational Foundation. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/coaching-impact-teachers- principals-students-elena-aguilar
Carr, J. F., Herman, N., & Harris, D. E. (2009). Creating dynamic schools through mentoring, coaching, and collaboration. Hawker Brownlow Education.
Grossman, P. (2012, May 1). Mentoring That Fits. ASCD. https://ascd.org/el/articles/mentoring-that-fits
Holloway, J. H. (2024). Research Link / Mentoring New Leaders. ASCD. https://ascd.org/el/articles/- mentoring-new-leaders
Morel, N. (2019). How to Get the Most Out of a Coaching Session. ASCD. https://ascd.org/el/articles/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-a-coaching-session
Oliver, B. (2007). Send Me in Coach! Just for the ASKing!, IV(IX). Just ASK Publications & Professional Development .
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Isabel, I really enjoyed reading your post! You did an awesome job breaking down the role of mentoring and coaching. I liked how you explained them working together to create that supportive environment that teachers need. It's so true how big of a role mentoring plays in trying to make new teachers feel less isolated, especially during that first chaotic year. I would have made a huge difference if I had a mentor to turn to in those first few years of teaching. My first campus did not have a strong mentor program. Luckily, I had many educators in my family I could talk to.
ReplyDeleteYou discuss coaching needs to be about improving instruction. Effective coaching is great when done well. I enjoy when I walk out off a meeting where I have clear steps to make things better in my classroom. On the other side though, I do think it is easy for coaching to feel forced or mechanical, especially when a relationship hasn’t been built with the staff. There is nothing that irks me more than when an administrator uses buzz words without examples of how to implement or use what they are talking about.
I also liked how you talked about mentoring and coaching synergies. When schools get it right, it's such a powerful combination. When personalized guidance and instructional improvement take place at the same time, it can set up a teacher with the best chance for success. It's not just about surviving the first year or improving test scores. I'm talking about being that type of teacher who can feel confident and capable for the long haul. More schools should realize that having both approaches working together could really improve overall teacher retention, especially new teachers.