Presented at the 2013 DePaul University Peer Tutor & Mentor Summit
In 2013, Molly Rentscher and I presented a Round Robin for the #DPUTransformers Peer Tutor Summit. Utilizing what we have learned as peer tutors and as workshop facilitators, we focused the Round Robin on how the additional leadership roles that peer tutors take on can affect our roles as “peers”. This idea grew out of our discussions about our own experiences with reconciling the idea of being a “peer” while tutoring with the more authoritative role we must assume as workshop facilitators. We suspected that others might have been struggling with their roles as peer tutors or mentors in a similar way.
In order to demonstrate this concept and get attendees thinking about the interplay between their roles, we created a Peer/Leader Venn Diagram activity. Attendees were asked to write the characteristics or attributes they felt described a peer tutor on the left, the characteristics or attributes of other leadership roles they play on the right, and ways in which they overlap in the middle.
Once they had done so, we led a group discussion about the ideas that they had generated. As we did so, we created a Venn Diagram of the ideas from each of the four sessions on a piece of poster board, so that each group could better visualize how much their roles actually complement, instead of differ from, one another. Each of the small group discussions proved fruitful, and helped all of us to shift our perspectives towards one that will be more constructive as we continue to implement our roles in the future.
For additional information on this conference, visit the 2013 DePaul University Peer Tutor & Mentor Summit website.
Keli D. Tucker 