CMCL 507 Semester Plan Alicia Srinivasagam

My goals as a peer mentor this semester are:

1. To improve my verbal communication skills, to convey ideas more clearly and

confidently. I tend to over-explain things or be unsure of what I am saying as I am
talking, even if I completely sure my information is correct. This mainly comes from a
lack of confidence in myself. I would like to learn how to teach and explain concepts in a
straightforward and confident manner during practicum; and be able to develop this skill
further so that I can successfully facilitate a discussion in class.
2. To improve my listening skills in order to facilitate student learning. I believe that I
am a very strong listener when it comes to emotion and more personal topics. I think my
empathy will make me very approachable and help me to relate to students who may be
struggling with the course content; however, I would like to listen to academic questions
and direct conversation in a way that helps the student to learn rather than just giving
them the answer. I hope to learn more about these techniques during lecture so that I can
apply them in the lab during my practicum.
3. To overcome my fear of public speaking. I have a lot of anxiety surrounding public
speaking. I have never given a talk of any kind on my own, I was exempt from all
presentations in high school due to anxiety and I have really struggled even saying as
little as possible in group presentations throughout my undergraduate degree. Even
though I have not had a bad experience with a presentation I continue to have anxiety
surrounding the idea of presenting alone. This semester I am really determined to get
over that- I have 3 solo oral presentations to do before April! I know that the fear is all
internal, and I would like to get over my fear by working with the other students in this
course and completing the class facilitation.