If
you are on this page, chances are you have enrolled in GRAD 8102: Practicum
for Future Faculty. Welcome aboard! As you probably know, part
of 8102 is working with a mentor at one of the many colleges and universities
in the Twin Cities and beyond.
For
your mentorship, you will teach three 50-minute classes and do two faculty
role activities. Your mentor is required to observe two of your three
class sessions and conduct a pre- and post-observation discussion with
you on each of these two class sessions.
You
are responsible for locating a suitable mentor and arranging the mentorship. It
is necessary to have your mentorship in place early in the term, ideally
by the first or second week of the semester. This means that you
should begin the process of selecting a mentor one to two months before the term begins. The process outlined below explains the steps.
Reminder: If
you are looking for a mentor for the spring semester, remember that many professors
leave the campus once their winter break begins in mid-December and may not return until mid to late January. Therefore, you will want to have your mentorship
secured in late November or early December.
Steps for Finding a Mentor
1.
To begin, decide where you want to mentor. You can read about possible
mentoring sites by clicking on View the Mentoring Institutions.
To gain additional insight into the missions of these institutions and make comparisons, take a look at the Carnegie Classification Lookup and Listings This site will give you a sense of what is taught (Undergraduate and Graduate Instructional Program classifications), the types of students who attend (Enrollment Profile and Undergraduate Profile), and the institution's setting (Size & Setting).
Consider mentoring on a campus other than the U of M. You are already familiar with large research universities so we encourage you to explore other schools. You might
select a school that represents the academic environment in which you plan
to teach, or you might select one that represents a type of school with
which you have no experience.
2.
When you have chosen a school or two, check out the faculty and course
listings for those schools. With
whom do you want to mentor? Who teaches courses in which you are
interested or which you might want to teach yourself one day? Also,
given your current schedule, which classes would you realistically be
available to observe and co-teach with your mentor this term?
Reminder: Remember
to make sure that the professor you want to work with will not be on leave
the semester you are planning on mentoring. Either check the class
schedule or contact the department's administrative assistant or the school's liaison (Click here for a list of the contacts).
3.
Start contacting professors. Tell them what requirements
are involved. Direct them to our website (where you are right now),
as it might answer questions. Include your CV. Use email, as it is more timely than regular
mail.
4. Here is a sample letter you can use in contacting potential mentors via email. Sample
Letter for Mentors. Of
course, you are free to write your own letter; this letter is meant simply
as a guide. The sample letter has a blank where you can fill in the school's liaison's name as another source of information for your potential mentor about PFF.
5.
If you don't hear back from a professor, wait a week and then send a
polite email asking if s/he has had a chance to consider the mentorship. The
closer you get to the semester's start, the less time you should wait. Once
the semester begins, wait only 3-4 days. If you don't get a response
on the 2nd email, move on to the next professor or contact the school's liaison for assistance.
6. Once
you have determined that a good "fit" exists between you and your mentor (e.g., your approaches and goals coincide), meet with him/her
to fill out the Mentoring
Interaction Plan (pdf). This form will be turned in
to your 8102 instructor early in the term.
7. Now
you are ready to do your mentorship. Complete
the requirements during the course of 8102. For the observations,
if you and/or your mentor would like some guidance (including observation
rubrics), see our webpage on Peer Review of Teaching: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/resources/peer/index.html
8. At
the end of the mentorship, complete the Professional Opportunity Record (pdf).
9. For
mentoring, the mentor will be reimbursed up to $300 for professional development expenses. After
the first observation, the mentor may request the funds with
this form, Professional Development Funds for Mentors (pdf).
As
you can see, the process of finding and securing a mentor requires a fair amount of time, which is why
we encourage students to initiate it as early as possible (one to two months before 8102 begins). You should
plan to have a schedule arranged with your mentor before the beginning
of the semester in which you take 8102.
Enjoy
your mentorship.
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