Tsion Zewdie
What?
A MavPASS Leader is a peer who facilitates study sessions for academic support in historically difficult courses. As part of a peer-facilitated academic support system, leaders are required to attend the class for which they hold study sessions and undergo training in collaborative learning techniques. This setup is designed to encourage students to attend the sessions, ask questions, and gain confidence in the material, ultimately helping them achieve better grades in class. Our main responsibility as leaders is to create an environment where students feel curious about the course, ask questions, and leave the sessions with clarity and confidence.
In my role as a MavPASS Leader for Microeconomics, I had the opportunity to serve in a leadership role within an academic setting. This involved creating lesson plans for the week's topic, conducting two study sessions and two office hours, participating in weekly meetings with all MavPASS Leaders to review general student engagement and program performance, and attending one-on-one sessions with our peer mentors to assess our progress and receive guidance for improvement.
Our weekly meeting with all MavPASS Leaders from various courses provided an interactive platform where we discussed best practices for our sessions and exchanged important tips to enhance our leadership skills. Since my course was in-person, attending class was mandatory, especially for building strong relationships with students and the professor. I also utilized this time to get to know my students and promote my study sessions.
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So what?
One of the most profound lessons I learned during this leadership experience was the critical importance of roles within group and team settings. As a leader, my role was dynamic. Ensuring that my sessions were both educational and engaging was one of my top priorities. Most of my sessions would typically start with an individual or group game. This relieved the tension in the room and made the rest of the session highly interactive. Additionally, it fostered a sense of teamwork and healthy competition, which was particularly beneficial when working within a team environment. Encouraging active participation during discussions involved asking questions continuously and following up with additional questions. These sessions aimed to provide academic support and assist students in navigating the course's challenges. This was achieved by allowing students to lead the session and by creating a welcoming environment for asking questions.
However, session attendance was the most challenging obstacle I had to overcome. Out of the two hundred students registered for the class, only three to five people attended the sessions, and sometimes there were none. Particularly during my initial sessions as a leader, I believed that the low attendance was due to my insufficient marketing efforts. To address this issue, I approached the professor teaching the course and offered extra credit incentives to students who actively participated in the sessions. While this approach did motivate some students to attend, it still resulted in relatively low attendance numbers when compared to the total number of students.
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Additionally, during our weekly meetings, course participation statistics were displayed. Among more than ten courses and thirty MavPass leaders, I consistently noticed that my student engagement was at the bottom of the list. This was discouraging, especially when courses like chemistry had over sixty students participating, while my sessions had at most ten attendees. This significantly impacted my confidence and my perception of my leadership abilities. However, I began to discern a pattern. For instance, during the first exam review session, a higher number of students attended compared to our regular sessions. Furthermore, on the midterm and final exam review sessions, we experienced an even greater turnout compared to other courses. It became evident that the level of student engagement correlated with the necessity for the sessions. Students were more likely to utilize the sessions when they had a heightened need for them, such as during exam periods or when assignments were due.
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This realization allowed me to adapt my approach and better understand student behavior. While the initial challenges were discouraging, I learned to leverage the specific moments when students needed our sessions the most, ultimately improving attendance and participation.
Expectations from both my students and supervisors were the other challenge. It was a trial-and-error process to figure out what worked best. Initially, I didn't fully grasp what my students were expecting from these sessions and what they were seeking from both me and the sessions. I recall my first MavPASS session when I felt the need to provide every single detail of the course. I believed that summarizing every main point from the PowerPoint slides was the right approach. However, this approach defeated the primary purpose of the sessions. What sets me apart from the professor is the space I offer for students to engage actively. Consequently, I shifted my strategy by providing discussion topics for students. This allowed them to focus on specific areas of the course and gradually build their understanding. I encouraged them to work through complex concepts, step by step, enabling them to construct a comprehensive understanding of the material.
My peer mentors were instrumental in helping me understand and develop my leadership style. While preparing for my study sessions was often demanding in terms of time and effort, my mentors provided valuable support throughout the process. They consistently offered feedback on my lesson plans, helping me make them more effective. For example, they suggested shifting the focus during exam review sessions from explaining topics to solving practice questions, which turned out to be highly effective in enhancing my leadership. Regular performance evaluations were conducted by my peer mentors, offering crucial insights into the effectiveness of my study sessions and their impact on students' performance. In cases where no students attended my sessions, my mentors helped me brainstorm solutions, such as offering virtual sessions, which improved attendance. Looking back on the mentorship I received, I appreciate the leaders who guided me in my journey as a leader. They demonstrated patience and understanding as I learned to manage my time effectively and provided motivation during moments of self-doubt. Overall, they played a vital role in my growth as a leader, helping me refine my approach and continuously strive for improvement.
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Now what?
If you had asked me before what makes a successful leader, I would have said the one who always knows what is right. However, my personal theory of leadership has evolved significantly over time, and it continues to do so. My experiences as a MavPASS Leader were instrumental in shaping my belief that effective leadership is rooted in understanding the unique strengths and weaknesses of others, empowering them to contribute meaningfully, and nurturing a sense of unity and shared purpose.
Sometimes, motivation alone doesn't take you far. It requires grit and a willingness to face uncomfortable situations, such as sitting in an empty room and waiting for someone to show up while being ready to share the hard work you've put in. The next time someone shows up, you will value how much they had to overcome to believe in you and feel confident in the value you will add to their education and lives.
As a leader, it's essential to create a space where others feel comfortable being vulnerable. I understand that it takes effort to acknowledge the need for help and invest time to attend a MavPASS Session. This is precisely what my students experience every time they walk in, a situation I've encountered when attending MavPASS sessions myself. Admitting that I don't have all the answers and recognizing that every session is an opportunity for my personal growth became a valuable lesson I learned while attending the courses I facilitate or when creating my lesson plans for the week.
My approach as a leader has become more versatile, and I embrace this style by encouraging open discussions, actively listening to others' concerns, involving them in decision-making processes, and empowering others to take ownership. This experience has made me more open to other leadership roles and taking chances. Professionally, this philosophy guides me to foster a collaborative and inclusive environment, ensuring that everyone's unique strengths are acknowledged and valued. Continuous learning, humility, and adaptability remain core values of my leadership philosophy as I navigate my professional journey.