Abstract

During research for a PhD case study on peer tutor-mentoring undertaken at Monash South Africa I observed that tutor-mentors, while engaging in the social enterprise of tutoring and mentoring foundation year mathemeatics students, developed a strong group and personal identity specific to their unique experiences as tutor-mentors. My observation of tutor-mentor - student interactions during formal class sessions, and informal conversations with the tutor-mentors, brought about a realisation that there was a common purpose amongst them of academically and psychosocially supporting, helping and guiding foundation year mathematics students. I suggest, therefore, that the consequential formation of a mathematics tutor-mentor community of practice is in accordance with Wenger’s four components of learning: that of identifying with a specific community of mathematics tutor-mentors through the development of personal relationships within that community, which gives meaning to the practice of tutor-mentoring as a common social enterprise within the Monash South Africa Foundation tutor-mentor programme.