Mentoring Students: Considerations, Practices, and Resources

Sponsored by the SMT Professional Development Committee

Greg Decker (Bowling Green State University), Organizer; Don McLean (University of Toronto), Moderator
Daphne Tan (University of Toronto), Graham G. Hunt (University of Texas at Arlington), Anna Gawboy (Ohio State University), David Pacun (Ithaca College), Panelists

"As we face the pressing tensions of a thinning academic job market and the need to diversify our field, and as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to alter university life and classroom spaces, robust conversations on how best to mentor our students to help them navigate challenges both within and outside the university seem imperative. In this session, panelists will explore three broad themes surrounding faculty-student mentorship that intersect with these critical issues, including academic matters and career aspirations, becoming effective and independent teachers, and student health and wellness.

The first category includes practical academic concerns but also encompasses discussions on preparing students for the most opportunities both inside and outside the field, how mentoring can impact diversity in the field (both people and musics), and helping students to develop transferable skills such as critical thinking and communication. Likewise, the skills of effective teaching are desirable traits to encourage in all students. This discussion addresses issues such as strategies for teacher training, best uses of teaching observation, degree of faculty involvement in students’ teaching, and how to move beyond required pedagogy courses. Finally, struggles with health and wellness have great impact on students’ ability to face the pressures of academic life and to benefit fully from the educational community. A discussion of practices and resources will help mentors better aid students in confronting these difficulties. Overall, the goal of this session is to provide mentors with timely considerations and tools to better guide students through perennial and emerging challenges.