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S1E5: Teaching and Learning as a Graduate Student

Graduate students occupy a distinctive position in higher education, straddling the roles of both teachers and students, mentors, and mentees. Balancing these dual responsibilities presents challenges, tensions, and competing demands. Yet, the close proximity of these roles in the lives of graduate students leads to crucial revelations, insights, and personal growth.

The roles of graduate students as teachers encompass the exploration of innovative pedagogical philosophies, engaging in discussions, experimenting with new teaching practices, and evolving into autonomous and confident educators (Camarao & Din, 2023). These skills are fortified when graduate students have the opportunity to reflect and discuss their experiences within safe, judgment-free groups.

In this episode of What We’re Learning about Learning, you’ll hear about the experiences and lessons learned from five graduate students at Georgetown (Jaime Brown, Kirsty Jones, Rabea Kirmani, Cameron McKay, and Sam Weiss) who participated in the Apprenticeship in Teaching (AT) program at Georgetown. The AT program aims to enhance graduate students’ pedagogical skills, community engagement, and preparation for teaching. Their conversations highlight what students want and need from their professors, as well as how professors can approach their teaching in order to promote greater learning.

They also offer a compelling reminder about why teaching is so important. Cameron McKay, neuroscience Ph.D. candidate, believes that compassion is at the core of being a good student and instructor. This means being gracious with the workload, due dates, and syllabi, so that students can really enjoy learning.

The episode concludes with advice from the graduate students for both undergraduate and graduate learners. They emphasize self-advocacy, self-kindness, seeking help when needed, and recognizing the value of instructors as resources for learning.


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Georgetown resources

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