1. UTAs Roles’ in Learning & Mentoring
Copied from Mt. Holyoke MaGE program

2. Growth Mindset
Focus feedback on student progress, strategy, persistence, and effort.
Recognize that preparation and ability are not the same thing.
Feedback should offer specific guidance on how to change.
Do not lower standards for success.
High quality feedback when pointing out missteps

3. Self-Efficacy
Confidence in ability to complete a given task in a domain
Where is your self-efficacy high or low?
How does a student’s self-efficacy affect their performance?

4. Goal-Orientation How do you view the purpose of your goals?
Mastery
Performance
Approach
Master the content
Do better than peers
Avoid
Avoid misunderstanding content
Avoid doing badly

5. Self Regulated Learning Systematic, goal-directed behavior
What are you doing? Start with what you know (Syllabus, Office Hours, Class).
Set Goals, try certain plans of action.
Self Observation
Self Judgment
Self Reaction
UTA
contributes to feedback loop
What strategies am I using
AM I making progress toward my goals
What can I do differently to make better progress
Make changes as needed
Am I making progress?

6. UTA Roles When you think of mentoring, what comes to mind?
It’s important to review the images and anticipations we have of mentoring
These images/anticipations may not actually be what the role calls for at various times
A small note to discuss mentoring often evokes a sense of anticipated gratitude from the learner which may not be provided

7. Peer Mentor as Mirror We reviewed self-regulated learning
Feedback, information, checking on process all help the learner to improve, gain confidence and skill because learner gains internal sense of progress
Peer mentors have to walk a fine line
If the mentor plays too strong of a role “doing too much for the learner” then the student is not helped in the longer run
If the peer mentor withholds and makes the student guess too much, the student gets frustrated/angry

8. Qualities of Effective Feedback
Specific and Timely
Focused on both what went wrong and what is going right (and why)
Pointing toward options/strategies vs. just end states
Appreciation of the learner’s effort
Convey attitude that learner will get it
Growth mindset
Be careful with “this is easy” (even if it is don’t say it)
Be careful with “I struggled with X” – you don’t know if the learner identifies with you, but it can help

9. Written vs. Spoken Written feedback has no cues/received privately
To be discussed further but has a big impact on feedback across social identities/inclusiveness
What is needed to help learner to listen into message?
What trust will be established before?
How have you received written feedback positively/negatively?

10. Activity: Serving as a Mirror
Do this
Tell me more about what you are doing
I hear you saying this works.
What happened when you tried X or Y?
Where did you get that information?
Walk me through it so I can see how you are thinking about this
Avoid jumping into advice
First: ask questions, listen, reflecting back
THEN Giving broader context (or process) within which the learner is situated – which steps were taken, which options remain (pros-cons of those), what might happen next

11. Practice
Try it:
Pick something like applying to graduate school or a major project that the person has on her/his mind right now
Have the person talk you through their plan
“Before I can help you, I need to learn more about what you are thinking and how you work.”
Try asking questions, listening, and reflecting back.
With selected problems in 201
One person is the UTA, one person is the 201 student.

12. Mapping/Encouraging: Serving as a Coach
Do this
Are you willing to try a new strategy?
One option is to ….
An alternative would be …
I’m going to try to map where you are, and a short list of steps that might help you to move forward
When you tried those things, which worked for you?
Avoid saying what you would do; focus on the strategy’s usefulness “many people find…”
Feedback: Appreciation of effort is important
Coaching helps if the person is willing to take responsibility (otherwise: “you said to do X and it did not work”)

13. Other Roles Are you a teacher/facilitator? Are you an editor?
Active learning session
Are you an editor?
When do you go into the code and direct edit?
Are you a tutor?
What if the student needs more help?
Are you a friend?
Managing boundaries- discuss
What is the role in the Discussion or Helper Hours?