Composition Forum 2026 web Open Access

Horizontal Mentorship and Dialogic Reflection: Methods for Supporting Early-Career Faculty Transitions to New English Programs

Antonio Byrd and Virginia M. Schwarz

Abstract

This article describes two early career tenure-track faculty’s approach to horizontal mentorship and dialogic reflection to adapt their teaching to the needs of Research II graduate writing programs. Collaborative reflection about how their teaching evolved helped the authors not only unlearn their original doctoral training but also reimagine graduate education for their new contexts and students. This small case study on sharing vulnerabilities in horizontal mentorship is a practical example for how newly minted PhDs embark on careers outside of their Research 1 training can critically reflect on their own socialization and create strategic mentoring experiences for each other.

Journal
Composition Forum
Published
2026
CompPile
Open Access
OA PDF Gold
Subjects
Graduate Education; Writing Pedagogy Education; Composition Pedagogy; Early Career Tenure Track Faculty; Horizontal Mentorship; Mentoring; Dialogic Reflection
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