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.
Bios
Featured in this episode:
- Jaime Brown, McDonough School of Business, Flex M.B.A. student and Associate Director of the Center for Student Engagement
- Kirsty Jones, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Ph.D. candidate in Theological and Religious Studies
- Rabea Kirmani, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Ph.D. student in Comparative Government
- Cameron McKay, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Ph.D. student in Neuroscience
- Sam Weiss, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2021, MA in English
Georgetown resources
- Apprenticeship in Teaching Program’s website
- Brochure for the Apprenticeship in Teaching
- The Prospect blog
- Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) website
Bibliography
- McGoldrick, K., Hoyt, G., & Colander, D. (2010). The professional development of graduate students for teaching activities: The students’ perspective. The Journal of Economic Education, 41(2), 194–201. DOI
- Boman, J. S. (2013). Graduate student teaching development: Evaluating the effectiveness of training in relation to graduate student characteristics. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 43(1), 100–114. DOI
- Camarao, J., & Din, C. (2023). “A group of people to lean on and learn from”: Graduate teaching assistant experiences in a pedagogy-focused community of practice. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 11. DOI
- Hoffmann, D. S., Kearns, K., Bovenmyer, K. M., Cumming, W. F. P., Drane, L. E., Gonin, M., Kelly, L., Rohde, L., Tabassum, S., & Blay, R. (2021). Benefits of a Multi-institutional, Hybrid Approach to Teaching Course Design for Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Scholars, and Leaders. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 9(1), 218–240. DOI
- Lock, J., Johnson, C., Hill, L., Ostrowdun, C., & da Rosa dos Santos, L. (2021). From Assistants to Partners: A Framework for Graduate Students as Partners in SoTL Research. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 9(2). DOI