In this blog post I would like to reflect on our peer support group and what an amazing experience we all had. Honestly speaking, this year was hard, doing full time teaching, research, suppervising students AND a final year of the Software Engineering degree would not leave any spare time. Enrolling to the Teaching and Learning Certificate this year was a bit too naive. These ladies helped me to pull through and to complete all deadlines (although not all of them on time!)

Teaching comes naturally to me. With practice it gets better. I have been teaching martial arts for more than a decade and since a couple of years also in academic settings. Yet I have never asked myself what kind of teacher I am or what educational theories underpin my teaching. This academic year I have asked this question. During Teaching and Learning module I have learned a lot as a teacher and an educator. How to make a lesson plan, how to engage students, how to use and re-use digital tools sucessfully were just some of the skills that I have obtained. But the hardest part was to form a philosophy statement and to reflect on what type of teaching style corresponds with me as a teacher. A statement of teaching philosophy is a cornerstone of reflective practice in teaching and learning and a requirement of applicants to academic, teaching positions or tenure tracks. However, according to literature many candidates report that “they have never reflected on what they do when they teach and that they have never systematically written about their teaching philosophies and goals” (Schönwetter, 2002). Yet, a personal teaching philosophy is very important as the process offers an opportunity for developmental reflection (Beaty et al, 2009). A spectrum of approaches and frameworks to generate a comprehensive teaching philosophy statement can be used. A philosophy statement not only reflects personal beliefs (self) but also cultures pertinent to a particular subject (discipline) and institutional context (organisation) (Schönwetter, 2002).