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Abstract:
This paper describes a peer-mentoring program in a large language department. Experienced
Teaching Associates (TAs) served as peer mentors to novice TAs, providing the type of
individualized guidance that new TAs need. The peer mentoring model has several advantages over
the supervision-only model, including one-on-one help, multiple classroom visits and meetings, and
regular feedback on various aspects of teaching. The experience that TAs share at different levels, as
teachers and as students, is also important and plays a positive role in a peer mentoring program.
Even though the program described has been instituted in a language department, the model may be
useful to departments in other disciplines that also employ a large number of TAs.
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