Mentoring
Mentoring is aimed at helping students to manage their own learning in
order to maximize their potential, develop their skills to improve their
performance and become the persons they want to be. Thus mentoring is a
fundamental form of human development where the tutor invests time, energy and
personal know how, assisting the growth and development of the students.
Mentoring originated from the Greek word meaning “enduring”. It is defined as a
sustained relationship between a youth and an adult. Through continued
involvement the adult (usually older & always more experienced) offers
support, guidance and assistance as the younger person goes through a difficult
period, faces new challenges, or works to correct earlier problems. Mentoring
is thus a development oriented initiative.
Mentee’s Role
- Be honest
- Regard everything as
confidential
- Express ones wants
clearly from the beginning
- Do not expect to get
all problems to be fixed
- Be flexible in making appointments
Responsibilities of the Mentees
- Utilize the possibilities of mentoring
- Be prepared to divulge all relevant information about particular
issues.
- Regard all conversation with the mentor as confidential.
- Ensure that you make known what help you want from your mentor and
seek clarifications whenever necessary.
- Be flexible in meeting arrangements if mentors cannot honor prior
arrangements and changes have to be made.
- Ensure that the documentation of the mentoring sessions is done
regularly, and periodic review is done with the mentor to assess the
progress that is achieved.
Benefits for the Mentees
- Enhances confidence
and offers challenges to set higher goals, take risks and achieve at higher
levels.
- Individual
recognition and encouragement.
- Psychosocial support.
- Advice on balancing
range of academic and personal responsibilities.
- Provides role
modelling for professional life and facilitates the development of increased
competencies and stronger interpersonal skills.
- Access to a support
system during critical stages of your academic and career development.
- Exposure to diverse
perspectives and experiences.
- Direct access to
powerful resources within the academic environment.
- Provides a welcome
point of stability during a time of change.
- Provide guidance on
areas the student is unfamiliar with, such as facing life in the campus, preparing for exams etc.
- Provides opportunity
to sound off ideas with mentors in a safe space.
- Increases personal
knowledge and awareness.
- Develops an
environment that supports constructive criticism
- Gives wisdom, advice,
help and encouragement
- Provides an effective
learning atmosphere
- Stimulates thinking
about potential future employment options.
Benefits to both mentors and mentees
- Mentoring helps both the mentee and the mentor
recognize their abilities and limitations, thus highlighting areas for
future development.
- It helps prompt thought about academic development
and come to a realistic conclusion about their career potential.
- It can help increase the motivation of both the mentee and the mentor. The mentee gains a new direction or perspective while the mentor
feels a sense of achievement when the mentee succeeds.