As college students study for exams and worry about grades, it's easy for them to take the academic process for granted. Though they interact with professors on a daily basis, many never learn about the other side of higher education, and what it takes to teach in a college atmosphere.
But through the Experimental College's Explorations program, Tufts upperclassmen have the unique opportunity to experience teaching first-hand. The program, which enlists juniors and seniors to lead their own courses for incoming freshman, will be entering its 35th year this fall.
According to Director of the Experimental College Robyn Gittleman the program sets Tufts apart from other schools.
"Nobody appreciates how special Tufts is," she said. "I'm sure if you speak to your other friends, they would have very few, if any, peer teaching programs [at their colleges]."
Although a peer teaching program had existed at Tufts since 1966, the Explorations program was created in 1972, when student members of the Experimental College's board proposed the program as a way to revamp the advising system. In the first year, nine classes were offered, including one on women's studies and one on the environment called "Roots and Growth."
Explorations has always enlisted pairs of upperclassmen to teach courses for entering freshmen, with the support of a faculty member who serves as an academic advisor for the freshmen. According to Gittleman, though, the students teaching the class also become advisors to a certain extent.
The program is not only about students teaching students, she said, but also about "the community-building aspect of it, and the interpersonal relations people build."
Noah Kaufman, a senior who taught the Explorations class "A Walk Down Wall Street" agreed.
"This was my first teaching experience," Kaufman said. "I came in, I wasn't sure what to expect, but the students were fantastic. One of the most rewarding experiences was getting to know this group of students ... and helping them with their transition to Tufts."
Gittleman said that becoming a peer mentor is just one of the many reasons that people have for becoming Explorations teachers. She also explained that there are few restrictions on what courses the students can teach.
"Anybody that has anything that they feel passionate about, that they think they're a mini-expert on ... can do that," Gittleman said.
Katie Lobel, who graduated from Tufts in December, cited her reasons for becoming involved with the program as "curiosity, and just wanting to test out a possible career path." For Lobel, Explorations allowed her to teach the class "Malnourished America," which combined her two areas of study: community health and English.
Kaufman became interested in Explorations because he wanted to teach a class that was not being offered at Tufts. He also said that he knew people who took an Explorations class their freshman year, and he thought it would be a "cool way to bring things full circle and give something back to the Tufts community," he said.
Kaufman said becoming a teacher helped him appreciate the work that goes into creating a class. "We [students] don't really see the other side of what goes into preparing the lectures, coming up with a syllabus," he said. "It was really an eye-opening experience."
Senior Christopher Hope, who taught a course called "Pediatric HIV/AIDS," agreed that the experience of being a teacher was an informative one.
"It's such an enlightening experience because by teaching, you learn yourself," Hope said. "You acquire a lot of skills trying to balance being a peer and an authority figure."
Lobel had much the same experience as both Kaufman and Hope. "I was put on the other end, and you often learn more as a teacher than as a student," Lobel said.
Lobel added that the students' responses to the class were some of the most rewarding aspects of the experience. "We got very positive reactions," Lobel said. "One student told us that it was her favorite course."
Hope agreed. "When you see your students learn, something goes inside of you - I can't explain it," he said.
Looking to the future, Gittleman said that she does not expect the structure of Explorations to change much. "I think that the strength of the program is the peer teaching," Gittleman said. "Our students are great and have always been responsible and willing to do the hard work that is required for teaching. So I don't think that area will change."
Gittleman also wanted to encourage more students to get involved with the program, mentioning a number of the program's elements as enticements.
"I think it's a wonderful opportunity for anyone who remembers their first year and wants to help new students," she said. "Or, anybody that's interested in teaching and is passionate about a subject, and is looking for a challenge."
Hope said that although there is a lot of work and responsibility involved in teaching an Explorations class, there are also many ways to make the classes entertaining. "You can make it fun too," Hope said. "We would play bingo - HIV bingo."
