Teaching development for graduate students in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures features a comprehensive and systematic apprenticeship in the theory and practice of teaching Romance languages with ample supervision throughout. The goal of the Mentored Teaching Experience is to prepare students for an academic career or for a career outside academia. This goal dovetails with the departmental objective of creating excellent scholars and excellent colleagues. The MTE includes Master's and Doctoral candidates and is required of all full-time graduate students whose financial support comes from the MTE.
The Teaching Development Program has 6 phases:
- Teaching Orientation for beginning graduate MTE instructors. This is an intensive one-week program in August prior to the opening of classes. It will be followed by a one-credit Teaching Practicum Course.
- Supervised Language Teaching. Students will complete a number of MTEs for French 101, 102, 203, 204, 307, and, exceptionally, 308. Repeat assignments are encouraged to allow students to improve; expectation is that students will teach at at least two different levels in the course of their program at WU. The assignments will depend on the curricular needs at the undergraduate level; department needs, in other words, will determine the teaching assignments.
- Teaching Practice. Students may also complete an MTE consisting of shadowing a member of the faculty who is teaching a language course or either French 325 or 326. [More information in “Shadow MTE” document below]. In addition, students may have the opportunity to teach a preceptorial and/or a conversation class (depending on curricular needs; this assignment will remain exceptional).
- Non Traditional MTEs or MPEs. Finally, starting with the 2019 class, students will have to complete two semester-long non-traditional MTEs or MPEs. These may be anything other than classroom teaching of traditional-aged students at a private university or college. Some could still be in the area of teaching, for example in a secondary school or community college. Others could be in university administration, like our current administrative internship program. Students will also be encouraged to seek opportunities in museum work (SLAM, the Kemper, the Pulitzer) or any other supervised position in the “public humanities” (Olin Library, the Missouri History Museum Library, the sites and archives in St. Genevieve). Students may apportion these two MEs as they wish among the various possible domains: they might choose one, both, or neither in teaching.
- Annual Instructional Methods Workshop. The language and literature departments offer a workshop for graduate students, often presented by a national figure in language instructional methods. Recent workshops have featured Sally Magnan (University of Wisconsin, Madison); Robert DiDonato (Miami University of Ohio); and Mari Koda and Galil Walker (Ohio State University).
- Advanced Teaching Preparation. The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, in collaboration with colleagues in German, offers a capstone course, designed exclusively for Ph.D. candidates who have finished all course work. This unique seminar, "Integrating Technology into Language Instruction," provides theoretical and practical training which reflects contemporary efforts to enhance language teaching with technological resources such as CD-ROMS, the Internet, and electronic communication.
Shadow MTE
Beginning Fall, 2019, the French section offers "shadow" assignments as part of pedagogical training for graduate students. The Shadow MTE enables students to learn from experienced faculty by observing them over an extended period of time; by conducting interviews with faculty; and by assuming a limited role in teaching and grading.
The Shadow MTE assignment is in addition to and distinct from other aspects of the French pedagogical training, including the pedagogy class taught by Jody Doran; MWF teaching assignments in the language teaching courses FR101-FR307; preceptorials; and conversation classes.
The French section offers two types of Shadow MTE assignments:
- language course sequence (FR101-FR307);
- literature/culture survey sequence (FR 325 or FR 326).
1. Language Course Sequence. The "Shadow MTE" student receives training in two courses levels FR101-FR307 during a single semester. One half-semester [seven-week] assignment constitutes a course "module." The student will complete two modules of the language program sequentially; training in both courses may not be completed concurrently. The level of courses will vary: assignments to classes will depend on the teaching needs of the department and the availability of faculty to supervise, as well as on the student's preparation. Typically, a student can expect to shadow one part of the elementary sequence and one part of the intermediate sequence, but variations of this pattern may occur.
Classes. The Shadow MTE will attend all classes during each of the two modules, excepting days during which the full class hour is reserved for an exam.
Interviews with Faculty. The Shadow MTE will arrange to meet with the faculty member teaching the class twice during each course module [four times per semester] to complete a series of interviews. The purpose of the interviews is for the student to learn more about the instructor's teaching methods. The student will question the faculty member about specific pedagogical techniques observed in class. Topics should include how the faculty member: structured the presentation of specific grammatical points (verbs, adjectives, etc.); contextualized vocabulary with additional material; and constructed specific exercises. Discussions with the faculty member may also include questions about the design of quizzes, compositions, and/or exams. The student will reserve some of each interview hour to plan his/her teaching presentation (see below).
Teaching Presentation. The Shadow MTE will teach one segment (approximately 15-20 minutes) of one class during the final three weeks of each of the modules (two classes during the semester). The faculty members of both modules will identify the teaching assignments at the start of the semester. The student will be assigned a "typical" rather than an exceptional element of the course curriculum.
The Shadow MTE's must ensure that teaching opportunities in both modules are set in place with the faculty members responsible for both classes within the first two weeks of the semester. The Shadow MTE is also responsible for communicating the dates for student teaching with the DUS in French no later than the start of third week of the semester.
The DUS will arrange either to attend, or to have another faculty member attend, the two classes in which the Shadow MTE teaches.
Assessments
There will be two assessments, one for each module. Following each of the Shadow MTE's presentations, s/he will meet with the two faculty members (the faculty member of the course and the DUS or other faculty member selected by the DUS to observe the class) to review the teaching presentation.
The DUS will establish the assessment dates for both modules early in semester. The DUS will arrange for the assessment meetings to take place within one week to ten days of the date of each teaching presentation. Both assessment meetings should be scheduled as soon as the date of the class is determined, i.e. by the third week of the semester.
The DUS will prepare a summary evaluation for the student's file.
Other Guidelines
- During the semester the faculty member may ask, as part of the Shadow MTE's training, that s/he assist with group work that the professor conducts in class.
- The Shadow MTE may help grade some students' assignments as part of the pedagogical training, but the Shadow MTE does not serve as a grader for the course. The professor needs to supervise all student grading.
- The Shadow MTE is not required to attend regular faculty meetings for all sections of the course, but may do so if the course Director and the instructor of the course grant permission.
2. Literature/Culture Survey Classes FR 325 or FR 326
Classes. The Shadow MTE will complete one full semester in either FR325 or FR326. The student will attend all classes during the semester, excepting days during which the full class hour is reserved for an exam.
Interviews with Faculty. Over the course of the semester the Shadow MTE will complete three interviews with the faculty member teaching the course.
The Shadow MTE is responsible for scheduling the three interviews with the instructor at the start of the term. At least two of the interviews should take place before the student's teaching presentation (see below).
The purpose of the interviews is for the Shadow MTE to learn more about the faculty member's teaching methods. The Shadow MTE will question the faculty member about specific pedagogical techniques that s/he observed in class. The Shadow MTE will discuss with the faculty member's presentations of specific texts and contextualization of literature within a cultural framework, as well as other pedagogical topics. Discussions may also include the structuring of quizzes, compositions, and/or exams. The student will reserve some of the first two interviews to plan the student's teaching presentation (see below).
Teaching Presentation. At the instructor's discretion, the Shadow MTE will teach one or two segments (15-20 minutes) of the course. The first teaching presentation will be a literary text (part of the assigned reading). The second, if it occurs, may be a literary text and/or related cultural material (a series of paintings; historical information, etc.). The specific assignment will be made by the professor in consultation with the student during the first two weeks of the semester.
The Shadow MTE must ensure that teaching presentation is set in place early in the term. It is also the Shadow MTE's responsibility to share the dates for the teaching presentation (the second, in cases where students do two presentations) with the DUS in French, who will arrange either to attend the student's presentation or to have another faculty member do so. The Shadow MTE must communicate the date of the teaching presentation to the DUS by the third week of the semester.
Assessment.
Following the student's presentation, the Shadow MTE will meet with the faculty member teaching the course and the DUS or the other faculty member who observed the student teach. For students who do two presentations, this assessment will occur after the second presentation only. Faculty will review the student's teaching and exchange ideas for continued improvement.
The DUS will set up the assessment within seven to ten days following the student's teaching presentation. The DUS should schedule the assessment meeting early in the semester, once the date of the class is determined.
The Shadow MTE will prepare a syllabus for a similar 300-level literature/culture survey course on a different theme. This syllabus should be submitted to the course instructor and the DUS prior to the final class of the semester.
The DUS will prepare a summary evaluation for the student's file.
Other Guidelines
- During the semester the faculty member may ask the Shadow MTE to assist with group work that the professor conducts in class.
- The Shadow MTE may help grade some students' assignments as part of this pedagogical training, but the Shadow MTE is NOT a grader for the course. The professor needs to supervise all grading done by the Shadow MTE.
Job Market Preparation
Our department holds a series of workshops every year which cover important job-related issues; our students should attend these, and participate actively in discussions there. Topics covered usually include such matters as academic essay writing and publishing, networking within the profession, the current and future job markets, and conference paper preparation and delivery. Over the courses of their studies with us, Graduate Students typically benefit from the generous support offered by the Office of Graduate Studies and RLL to attend conferences in which they are delivering a paper. The RLL Graduate Student Travel Funding Request Form is available here to download.
In addition, mock interviews are scheduled and may be videotaped ahead of time in the department for those advanced students wishing to attend the MLA annual convention and who may already have job interviews scheduled. Such mock interviews allow students to assess their own interviewing skills and to prepare for productive meetings with prospective employers.
Preparation for the job market also entails a pre-MLA briefing about trends in foreign language instructional methods based on recent research, textbooks, and methodologies. Faculty members assist candidates with the preparation of a teaching philosophy statement and portfolio and with preparation for the teaching aspect of on-campus interviews. Finally, when hired, graduate students may receive assistance in the initial development of course materials as a new faculty member.