Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
At the end of August, NSU hosted the School of Curators, a training where students learn to be real mentors for first-year students. Here, future curators get acquainted with the tasks and challenges that await them ahead. We talked to Grigory Polivkin, the organizer of the School, about what it means to be a curator and what the school program consists of.
The school's goal was to introduce and involve the most active students in the "business" of curating. The challenges were the project topics that the newly arrived participants had to develop using the skills and experience they already had.
In order to teach curators to interact with a wide variety of people and cope with any critical situations, the school conducts psychological training.
— They analyze various cases and give psychological tasks like "hedgehog cut". Team board games are also important, where the outcome of the game depends on everyone. And, of course, these are projects in which guys from different faculties analyze various topics, bringing their unique experience, — says Grigory Polivkin.
The main channel of communication for the guys for quick questions and support is the curator chat. Also, once every one or two weeks, meetings are held at which all the curators of the faculty or institute meet with the coordinator to discuss difficult tasks and find joint solutions. In addition, there is a mentoring system, thanks to which a senior and experienced curator can supervise a newcomer, and joint informal meetings to unite the curatorial corps itself.
As in any business, new curators make a number of common mistakes in one way or another: they often try to be “perfect”, solve all problems alone, or, on the contrary, fall into familiarity. Other mistakes include paying attention only to active students or ignoring feedback.
— It is important to remember: a curator is not a superhero. You need to be able to delegate issues to specialists and be attentive to everyone in the group, — Grigory shares his experience.
The main tool for assessing the work of curators is anonymous student surveys, which ask not only "do you like the curator?", but also "how comfortable are you in the group?", "do you know where to go with a problem?". Reporting on events, analysis of group activity and reflection of the curators themselves are also taken into account.
Grigory is particularly inspired by the history of the Geological and Geophysical Faculty: at first they did not take curatorship seriously, but eventually created an entire official community with its own charter, rules, and system of senior and junior curators. This shows that even skepticism can be turned into strength if you work together.
“The ideal curator is not a teacher or a supervisor, but an older friend, mentor and integrator,” notes Grigory.
It is important not only to be close to a first-year student, but also to be able to hear him, support him, and guide him.
“It’s important not to sit around waiting for problems to arise, but to create an environment where it’s difficult for them to arise. Organize events, meet new people, maintain engagement,” he adds.
Grigory also notes that it is important for a curator to be empathetic and sincere, to be able to take responsibility for others and to be reliable, because a curator is the “entry point” for a student, first-year students turn to him first.
For those who only dream of becoming a curator, the organizer advises:
— Be active, don’t be shy about offering ideas, but always remember that there are rules and etiquette at NSU. Sometimes your ideas may diverge from them — it’s important to find a balance.
The NSU School of Curators is not just a training. It is a space where new leaders are born, where senior friends and mentors appear who can support you in your first steps at the university.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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