Teaching & Learning
Mentoring

To foster inquiry about teaching approaches and practices, participants engage in and reflect on teaching with the help of mentors. Participants will:

1. Arrange for a consultation with a Center for Teaching consultant. This could be a Small Group Analysis (SGA), a video tape consultation, or an in-class observation. See the CRT's web pate on Services for more information on these options, and contact the CFT to schedule a consultation. After the consultation, participants should complete responses to reflection questions on Form 2: Event Attendance Form, and include these in their notebook.
   
   
2. Arrange for a supervised teaching and reflection session with a faculty member. This should include an initial meeting with the faculty mentor to discuss the participant’s upcoming teaching event (e.g., leading a discussion session, teaching a lab, guest lecturing), as well as a debriefing meeting in which the participant and faculty mentor discuss what went well, what could be improved, and what was gleaned from the experience. After the reflection session, participants should complete responses to reflection questions on Form 2: Event Attendance Form, and include these in their notebook.
   
   
3. Arrange to observe a faculty-taught class session in any department at Vanderbilt. After the observation, meet with the instructor to talk about his/her approaches to teaching. Refer to the Sample Questions for Discussion with Faculty and Peer Teaching Mentors to frame the discussion with the faculty mentor. Include questions and responses in the notebook.
   
   
4. Arrange to have a peer review of your teaching style and/or teaching experiences. This requirement may be fulfilled through having a peer observe your teaching and then discussing it with you, or simply engaging in a detailed conversation about teaching with a peer. Refer to the Sample Questions for Discussion with Faculty and Peer Teaching Mentors to frame the discussion with the peer partner. Include questions and responses in the notebook.
   
   
5. Write a reflective essay describing what was learned about teaching and learning through the four mentoring experiences described above. Refer to the Guidelines for Essay on Teaching Mentors for details.
   
   
6. Work with their F2P2 partner to peer-review each other’s essays before sending them to the F2P2 committee for posting on the F2P2 website.