Episode 24: Mentorship Among Instructors: Supporting General Chemistry Teaching Assistants

Guests: Léa Gustin & Claire Lundberg

In this episode, Molly Harris sits down with Léa Gustin, Assistant General Chemistry Lab Director, and Claire Lundberg, Graduate Student and Teaching Mentor for General Chemistry. We explore what it takes to teach one of the largest courses on UW-Madison’s campus and the role that mentorship plays for the success of this expansive teaching team. Léa and Claire share unique insights and practical tips for developing strong relationships between instructors and encouraging TA growth.

See the transcript for this episode.

The L&S Exchange Podcast is brought to you by L&S Teaching & Learning Administration and produced by the Instructional Design Collaborative. This podcast is recorded on ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation has called Teejop (day-JOPE) since time immemorial.

Join the Conversation

How did this episode make you think? What’s on your mind about inclusive teaching? Leave us a message on Spotify for Podcasters, respond to a poll using the Spotify app on your mobile device, reply with a comment at the bottom of this post, or send us an email. We may ask to feature your contribution in this or a future episode.

Conversation Starters

1. Bring to mind someone in your professional life who has supported you or helped you grow. If you wrote a “shout out” (i.e., message of appreciation) to them, what would you say?
2. Léa recommends that faculty and staff who supervise TAs clearly define roles for them and consider what work will be most meaningful for TAs. How do you define the role of a TA? If you are a supervising instructor, what actions could you take to support TA growth in that role? If you are a TA, what questions could you ask or resources could you seek out to grow in your role?
3. Claire shares a story in which her mom gives her a new perspective on her role as a TA Mentor. Has there been a time when someone helped you see your role in a new way? How might a new perspective change the way you engage with your work?
4. Think back to your first time teaching. What was it like? What did you wish you had known? How have you changed as an instructor? What advice would you give to newer colleagues?
5. In this episode, we acknowledge that teaching takes place within larger structures and systems. What teaching structures and systems are you able to influence? What’s one step you could take to improve the teaching experience for yourself and others?

Further Reading & Resources

In this episode we mentioned, were inspired by, or wondered about the following resources and topics.

• Peer Observation Partners helps L&S graduate students improve both teaching and observation skills within a cohort. Enrollment for spring will open soon.
• The Teaching Academy includes faculty, teaching assistants, and other instructors from across UW-Madison, offering events open to campus as well as members-only events.
• The L&S Teaching Mentors Program connects experienced Teaching Assistants with new TAs during the annual L&S TA Training event. Departments are enthusiastically invited to nominate outstanding TAs to participate! The program provides opportunities for Teaching Mentors to advance to Lead Mentors after their first year.
• For more TA voices on mentorship, check out L&S Exchange Episode 19: Roundtable with TA Award Winners, Part II, in which Lucas Wiscons describes his role as a TA mentor in the Department of Sociology.

Production Credits