Mentoring: Theory and Practice Assignment: Collaborative Practice in Mentoring (3,000 Words), Singapore

This summative assignment for the Mentoring: Theory and Practice module asks students to analyse the role of mentoring in providing support, drawing on current research and on their own experience as a mentor. The focus is on collaboration: students explain what they understand by the idea that mentoring is a two-way, reciprocal relationship rather than a one-way, hierarchical one, and build their discussion around that view.

Assignment Question

Drawing on current research and your own personal experience of being a mentor, provide a detailed analysis of the role of mentoring in providing support.

‘Mentoring is increasingly being understood as a reciprocal and collaborative relationship instead of a one way hierarchical one’ (Ghosh, 2013, p.113).

Discuss the title by briefly stating what you understand from the quotation.

Important: The focus is on collaboration in mentoring relationships.

Summative Assessment

The summative assessment is a written assignment aimed at developing your critical and analytical skills. You should demonstrate:

• A clear understanding of the appropriate theoretical and knowledge base necessary for addressing the question.
• The ability to plan, collate and assimilate information effectively.
• The ability to critically analyse and apply theory to your own mentoring practice.

Areas Commonly Covered

• Definitions of mentoring and collaborative practice, and formal versus informal mentoring
• Theories such as Kram’s mentoring functions, Social Learning Theory (Bandura), Adult Learning Theory (Knowles) and Communities of Practice (Wenger)
• Principles of collaborative mentoring: trust, respect, equality, accountability, reflection and inclusivity
• Benefits for mentees, mentors and organisations, and barriers such as power imbalance and time constraints
• Application of collaborative mentoring in a professional setting, with an organisational example