Our next MinT Lunch for fall quarter will be:
Tuesday November 3rd from 12:30pm-1:30pm in the PAB room 232 (Physics and AstroPhysics Building)
Map to PAB 232: https://campus-map.stanford.edu/?id=04-470&lat=37.428216406&lng=-122.172665418&zoom=17&srch=Physics%20And%20Astrophysics
We will be sharing examples of different mentor programs and structures so that you all can steal some great ideas for your own programs. There will also be time to bring up other challenges you have faced this quarter and get some suggestions from our other mentors!
What Mentors are saying about MinT Training
"This orientation was excellent!" - 2008-09 MinT Participant
"Listening to ideas and suggestions from other Mentors was extremely helpful. They provided solutions to different mentoring challenges and also gave advice about changing established precedents." - 2008-09 MinT Participant
Learn More
Autumn Quarter Training Workshops
Just before Autumn Quarter, we hold two half-day training workshops to allow Teaching Mentors to develop a set of skills necessary for building a successful mentor-mentee relationship. MinT Fellows are required to attend both workshops. The material presented at the workshops includes information on developmental stages of TAs, running classroom observations, and giving constructive feedback to TAs. During the workshops, Teaching Mentors also have many opportunities to engage in challenging role play scenarios of possible interactions with TAs.
MinT Luncheons
The MinT program includes one to two luncheons per quarter as opportunities to re-visit some of the topics covered in the workshops and to interact with the other Teaching Mentors. Their format may be a roundtable discussion or a chance to practice mentoring skills such as classroom observations and giving feedback to mentees.
A Space to Collaborate
In addition to the benefits that Teaching Mentors receive from their interactions with each other, the MinT workshops and luncheons allow individual departments time to talk about goals for the year that best fit the needs of their TAs, while being able to receive input from CTL and the other departments taking part in the program. TA Training Directors/Coordinators from the respective departments are invited to participate in all MinT events.
Sometimes departments stay for a while after lunch meetings to continue their conversations, since everyone is already infused with new ideas and ready to brainstorm ways to better support their TAs. In some cases, having these discussions as part of MinT events obviates the need to call a separate departmental meeting on the topic and may jump-start new and innovative approaches to existing teaching activities that had not been considered before.
