• This section is dedicated to administrative positions I have held where I have served as a mentor and trainer of other teachers. While these positions are meant to assist first time teachers, I have found that developing training materials, observing other teachers, and providing feedback has allowed me to better self-assess my own pedagogy including areas for improvement.

Pedagogy Group Mentor – The Writing Initiative, Binghamton University

Position Description: Serving as a Pedagogy Group Mentor for the past two years, I am responsible for the mentoring and training of Graduate Teaching Assistants who are teaching introductory research writing courses for the first time. During the semester, I serve as the leader of a pedagogy group that meets weekly for continued professional development and grade norming. While TAs are the primary instructor for their respective courses, I serve as the instructor of record and support them with the administrative aspects of their courses (i.e. accommodation letters, early alerts, etc.). I also conduct classroom observations to provide feedback and recommendations on their teaching, and I also worked with the other faculty in the Writing Initiative to plan, organize, and Facilitate the department’s pre-semester orientation.

Assistant Director of Teaching Assistant Education – Department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition, Syracuse University

Position Description: Serving as an Assistant Director of Teaching Assistant Education during the 2017-2018 academic year, I was responsible for the mentoring and training of Graduate Student Teaching Assistants who were teaching introductory writing courses for the first time. During the semester, I designed and developed support materials for new TAs which included monthly learning workshops to support my TA group’s in their ongoing development, I conducted classroom observations to provide feedback and recommendations on their teaching, and I also worked with the Director and two other Assistant Director’s to plan and organize the Teaching Assistant pre-semester orientation.

Relevant Documents: Sample Observation Letter 1 | Sample Observation Letter 2 | Pre-Semester Orientation Slides

Teaching Assistant Mentor – Teaching Assistant Program, Syracuse University

Position Description: Teaching Mentors serve as the core instructional staff during the August Teaching Assistant Orientation Program. During the August orientation, Teaching Mentors serve as session planners and presenters as well as small-group leader and mentors to Syracuse University’s approximately 300 new Teaching Assistants. For the Summer 2017 orientation I co-designed and implemented a training session, “Creating A Teaching Persona,” with two other TMs. I also facilitated micro-teaching sessions with my TA group which included recording a five-minute segment of their teaching and then leading the following feedback discussion. In the following academic year, I volunteered to interview TM applicants and to review their application materials in order to help select the 2018 TM team.

Relevant Documents: “Creating A Teaching Persona” Workshop Slides
Participant Evaluations: Summer 2017 (Note: pgs. 10 + 13 pertain to specific facilitated session)

Orientation Mentor – Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program, Syracuse University

Position Description: Fulbright Orientation Mentors serve as members of a core team of trainers for international Teaching Assistants participating in the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program. During the August orientation, FLTA mentors serve as session planners and presenters in addition to working with a group of FLTAs to debrief sessions, answer followup questions, and provide additional support. For the Summer 2018 and Summer 2019 orientations, I presented sessions which covered aspects of US culture within and outside of the classroom, debriefed sessions form other presenters concerning their responsibilities as FLTAs, and led micro-teaching sessions (which included recording video sessions and leading feedback sessions).