Tips and Events for the pre-finals stretch w/ Peer Facilitators

Hi there!

Accessibility Services has so many resources to explore, so I (virtually) sat down with three of our current Peer Facilitators to talk about the peer programs they offer and helpful tips they have for students!

What I learned when talking to the facilitators is that their programs are designed to be an environment where everyone at Accessibility can be themselves, where we don’t have to carve out space for ourselves – we can just be in these programs.

Here is more of what I learned:

Emma is in the second year of her master’s at OISE focusing on social justice education. Her workshops largely centre around workshops with Learning Strategists to help students with study skills (like reading effectively, note-taking, goal setting).

The unique program she facilitates, along with a Learning Strategist is Virtual Accountability Check-ins, once on Mondays to discuss breaking down goals for the week and once on Fridays to discuss progress and rewards (with an emphasis on validating effort)!

Christine is currently working on her PhD in developmental psychology and education, with her areas of research: ADHD, mental wellbeing, resilience, and physical activity.

Her peer programs are the:

• Accessibility Section
  • Graduate Writing Groups (GWG): weekly, Wednesday 9:00-11:30
  • Graduate Productivity Groups (GPG): weekly, Tuesday 10-12
• ADHD Peer Connections: bi-weekly, Thursdays at 1:30
  • This is a support group with virtual presentations of ADHD facts and then connection time!

Christine has been a part of every program she facilitates today.  She also identified a need for something like GWG for undergrads.

Brad is in his fourth year as a psychology specialist with a minor in Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health. His peer programs focus on niche student experience and tips, like how to get the most from Reading Week, scheduling, studying strategies, and time management. Brad works to create connections through his programming, and follows up with students to build a dialogue with them!

When reflecting on his time at U of T, Brad emphasizes the importance of connections from Accessibility workshops, like the Moving Forward workshop and peer programming!

He will also be involved in organizing some programming for Transition Day, April 28, to support incoming/prospective students with disabilities.

Tips for the post-midterm/pre-finals grind:

• Self-reflections: ask yourself what type of break will effectively ‘fill’ your battery (Emma)
• Reminder: your productivity doesn’t have to be what it was pre-COVID AND it doesn’t define you (Emma)
• To-Do List: break down each assignment so you can check things off faster and set lower-stake goals (Emma)
  • i.e., a writing assignment can be broken down to
    • read 10 pages
    • read another 10 pages
    • notes
    • draft notes
    • write ideas
    • review
    • edit
    • submit
• Connections: also surround yourself with people like yourself who you can relate to, like those also registered in Accessibility Services (Christine)
• Study Groups: work in study hubs for productivity (Christine)
• Productivity: don’t keep your phone on your desk, it’s as distracting as being on your phone (Brad)
• Study Strategy: during this downtime, work on small incremental progress with subtasks (Brad)

Programs can be found on the Accessibility Services website and most are posted on CLNx!

Accessibility Services:

Head to ClockWork > “Group Learning Strategy Registration” = “Available Workshops”

CLNx:

Head to the sidebar > “Events and Workshops” > “St. George” > “Accessibility” = and you’ll find a calendar filled with programs to attend!

---

There was so much more I couldn’t fit in this post; thank you Emma, Christine, and Brad for informing me with so much – you are all so kind!