Teaching Relfection

Overview:

Having spent so much of my life as a student, I never put much thought into what goes on behind the scenes from the perspetive of an educator. Unsurprisingly, the experience of helping to coordinate a course from start to finish was vastly different from the many one-off presentations I had given in the past. I was able to present four lectures totalling over 4 hours to over 150 students, including one guest lecture. This provided ample opportunity to learn new strategies and recieve feedback on ways to improve. Overall it was an amazing experience and gave me a greater appreciation for teachers as well as students who display a willingness to engage.

Opportunities for Improvement

Before my first lecture, I assumed it would be an easier job to present material that I had created than to be the one learning the material for the first time. This mindset led to my first lesson about teaching, which is to put yourself in the shoes of the students. Because I had practiced and reviewed my slides many times before, it sometimes felt like a regurgitation of facts more than an actual presentation. Familiarity with the material had ironically made it challenging to gauge when I needed to slow down the pace, repeat key points, or emphasize important sections. As a result, I recall feeling the urge to rush through statements or skip over material if it resurfaced a few times throughout a single lecture. From my perspective, it felt like doing so would avoid bordem and help retain interest from the audience, but in actuality it disrupted the flow and occasionally led to awkward pauses filled by "umm", as I tried to reorient myself.

The solution that I found most helpful was simply remembering what it felt like to be a student not long ago. I recalled many instances of highly experienced professors advancing through complex concepts without provinding opportunities to pause and reflect on things we were learning for the first time. Likely because to them it was second nature. This realization made the experience of lecturing feel natural and helped remove the mental barrier I had formed by disconnecting from my own identity as a student in order to fit the role of educator. Through constructive feedback and additional lecturing opportunities, I was able to build upon this strategy and improve the overall quality of my delivery. One example being the incorporation of transitional slides. This feedback was particularly beneficial in overcoming my weak points. Where formerly I lacked slides dedicated to adding context before introducing new topics, I now had a built in momements to explain how topics fit within the broader objectives. This not only improved the organization and flow of my lectures, but also gave students time to process the information or ask questions. 

Personal Strengths

Being a fellow, my journey as a student has only recently ended, so it was easy to recall the teaching approaches I found most beneficial during lectures. Because of this, I believe my greatest strength during lectures came from understanding the challenges that life as a student can pose; overwhelmed, underslept, and more often than not, stressed about an upcoming exam. Keeping this thought in mind was my motivation for delivering lectures that were as engaging, understandable, and relevant to the students situations as possible.

During our lecture on Clinical Practice Guidelines, I was able to reflect on my own educational and professional experiences and incorporate personal anecdotes to bolster and reinforce key concepts.There were many resources, and strategies surrounding clinical guidelines that I wished had been incorporated during my own education, but instead encountered through other means. Recognizing this, I was able to emphasize important topics and even highlight specific guidelines that I knew would be valuable in their careers as pharmacists. Having an understanding of the practical implications for my lectures gave them deeper meaning and allowed me to paint a picture of how they might benefits in ways that were relatable and relevant to their future experiences.