Peer Mentoring

Abstract

Interaction between students of higher education, both planned and unplanned, can enrich learning results (Collier, 1983; Johnson & Johnson, 1990; Topping, 1996). Research produced on this subject shows that effective interaction develops skills on known contents, creates rules for judging the best and the worst interpretations and develops he metacognitive conscience. Besides the metacognitive aspects, this horizontal learning also produces motivational and social results, since it is appealing for the mentored students to learn from their colleagues and for the mentors to develop teaching skills, creating bonding and acquaintance among the students and developing possible friendships (Biggs, 1999). Peer mentoring can show different versions: peer groups, debate groups, problem solving groups, etc. For this short program aimed at the development of personal and academic skills, we chose the peer group and the debate group methodology and drew up this document to become the structural and organizational foundation for the projected sessions directed to the 1st year of the courses offered in the University. This document succinctly presents the theoretical framework supporting each session, its goals, activities, materials and the most relevant aspects to be explored. It is directed to the formation of the 3rd year volunteers from the several graduate courses, masters and post-graduate students enrolled in the GPSA (the mentors), and constitutes a guideline that they will use in the formation offered to newly arrived 1st year students. As a functional instrument it will only contain the information considered most relevant.