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If there was one takeaway message from my opening statement, it would be my lack of confidence when it comes to teaching. Despite direct feedback from students via anonymous surveys at the end of the module, I was really unsure if I was teaching "correctly". Having just based my teaching on methods I had seen as a student myself, I had little to no understanding of why a particular method or approach was working. The PGCert has been the biggest confidence boost and been the basis for which I plan all of my sessions now.

I am now far more aware of the types of learners, the different technologies available for teaching and ways in which I can best engage students in a supervisory position. There is something very gratifying about applying new knowledge to practice and seeing the fruits of your labour!

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While I really enjoyed being a student again this year and studying all of the modules I chose, one aspect I particularly loved from the PGCert was the feedback we received from all of our module leads. Not only was the feedback so helpful and detailed in order to help us make the most out of our submissions and final portfolios, but it was interesting to see the different ways in which feedback was given. For example, for the digital learning module, feedback was given via a video from our module lead where she went through specific areas in our essay that stood out or needed to be improved.

Moreover, I was initially quite nervous at the thought of the teaching observations, both by a peer and a member of EDU staff. However, these were probably one of the highlights of my own PG Cert journey! It was so refreshing to have someone observe my teaching practice who could give me objective comments on my teaching alone rather than the subject matter. The feedback I received from both were so valuable and I have taken an active role to implement their feedback into my own practice going forward.

In addition, the sessions with Mark and Tiffany were so valuable in pulling all of our various modules together and forming a broader picture. The interaction and communication between students and teachers  on this course has really made me think about my own communication methods with my own students and how I give feedback. Now realising the value of specific and detailed feedback, I am more motivated to do the same for my own students.

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Before I started the PGCert, I can't say I loved my job. Like I mentioned in my opening statement, I became a teaching fellow by accident and it was never a career I really wished to pursue. However, this year has really shown me that I have a job I wake up happy to "go to" (My commute at the moment is from my bed to my dining table..!)

I genuinely enjoy every minute I am teaching and interacting with students. While at the moment I have no plans to leave teaching or Imperial, I do wish I could explore other options outside of academia. I have been at Imperial since my Masters and do want to experience "field work" which is why I have decided not to apply for the diploma next year. I'm hoping to take a year out and then apply the following year as the PGCert has shown me there are areas of pedagogy that I wish to explore further, such as the theory of connectivism, which I find very relevant to my own teaching practice.

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I must admit I found this module one of the most challenging as it became quite clear early on during the live sessions that many of my peers on this module were PhD supervisors, whereas I only had experience supervising BSc and Masters dissertations, which are far less time consuming and require less interaction with students. I also found it difficult to relate to a lot of the readings which were less relevant to my own practice.

However, I did find I was able to write about my own "niche" experiences with educational supervision in my assignment and I began to apply more student-centric approaches during my supervisory meetings with students. Additionally, I began to introduce anonymous surveys to my supervisees during group meetings so I could use the feedback to ameliorate my own supervisory approach going forward.

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I found this module fascinating as it introduced the idea of the three different types of learners: surface, deep and strategic.

Perhaps the most eye-opening part of this module was being able to reflect on the type of learner I am...and I must admit I probably fall into the category of a strategic learner.

Choosing this module also furthered my own understanding of deep learning and ways in which that can be encouraged through practices such as TBL. When designing the global health module, I made sure to apply these approaches to lesson plans in order to encourage the learners to become deeper learners. With the understanding of the various types of learners there are, I was able to apply this to my practice and make distinctions between students who would ask inquisitive questions surrounding the content and those who would ask questions solely pertaining to the final summative assessment.

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Given the virtual nature of teaching this year, this module was useful in learning about all the various learning technologies that exist and that could potentially be used in my own practice.

With the Global Masters of Public Health (GMPH) programme, everything is all taught via the Coursera platform so I was familiar with the the idea of MOOCs and flipped classrooms. However, hearing how my peers had experienced these technologies with other disciplines has opened my eyes to ways in which these platforms can be used to further enhance the learners experience.

For example, I never really understood why so many people loved using mentimeters during lectures. But I now love it and often use it as a diagnostic tool to gauge students baseline understanding of a topic at the beginning of a module and then use it at the end in order to get informal anonymous feedback from students before the SOLE survey results!

Additionally, I was introduced to the theory of connectivism during this module which certainly interests me and is a main driver of the reason why I hope to pursue a diploma so I can study this further.

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How the PGCert has changed my approach to teaching:

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How the PGCert has changed my approach to teaching:

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Despite the many daunting readings I encountered throughout the year, the How Students Learn and the modules I chose: Approaches to Teaching, Educational Supervision and Digital Learning should all be credited for the success I have found with teaching this year.

When choosing the optional modules at the beginning of the year, I made sure to choose modules I felt would be most relevant to my own teaching practice.

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It’s September 2020. I have my place on the PGCert course and I’m about to log onto Teams to join the first session. I’m nervous because I don’t really know what to expect but I’m excited to learn more about pedagogy (A word I had to google to find out how to pronounce correctly).

I remember one of the first assignments we did was for the How students learn module. We were tasked with completing a reading and then working in groups to present a poster, which would later be displayed in a virtual gallery. Easy, right? No. It took me at least 3 times to read “Vygotsky’s educational theory in cultural context” before I fully understood what on earth he was talking about! I remember feeling so out of my depth and worried that I had underestimated how difficult this course would be. Coming back to the group to discuss our findings immediately put me at ease when I discovered I wasn't the only one feeling this way.

When I look back at my opening teaching statement, my lack of self-confidence stands out. Having been promoted to a teaching fellow quite soon after being a GTA, I really felt the symptoms of "imposter syndrome". During my first year of teaching I had no idea what I was doing or why I was doing it. I really was winging it. I would use “techniques” I had seen other teaching fellows or lecturers use but had no understanding of why it was working or if it was even working at all.

This year has been incredibly challenging as I have been teaching on four different degree programmes while simultaneously trying to make sure I was present at all the PGCert sessions and handing in assignments on time. Aside from allowing me to work on my time management skills, the PGCert has opened my eyes to the world of pedagogy whereby I now understand why some teaching approaches work more than others and how to ensure students are reaching the higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy to allow them to become deeper learners rather than surface learners that see passing an exam as their end goal.

The most rewarding moment this year for me was leading a module for the first time. I led a very short but intense 2-week Global Health module for third year biomedical students. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. The feedback for the module the previous year was excellent and I was worried I wouldn't be able to fill the shoes of my predecessor. The two weeks of teaching on this module were the best two weeks I've had all year. I woke up every day excited to work and open up my laptop to engage with the students. I was so pleased when I concluded to the module to receive kind emails of thanks from the students. I truly believe my success with this module in particular was down to what I have learnt from the modules I have done as part of the PGCert.