Objectives in mirror are closer than they appear: Reflections on reflections for teaching and professional development

Please join us for special guest, Dr. Molly Metz from the University of Toronto.

When life is organized around an academic calendar, funding cycles, or graduate school recruitment, it is very easy to get stuck in a neverending loop of doing just enough to get through this time with great intentions of making it better somehow next time. This doesn’t seem limited to an age or career stage, as it holds for students (“just get me through this midterm and I won’t cram next time!”), course instructors (“oh I need to fix that slide next time”), and professionals (“I’ll figure out what I want once I have some job security”). For many, we only sit down to articulate our progress and goals when required for some hurdle, such as graduate school applications, personal statements, teaching philosophy statements, tenure packets, etc. Instead of thinking of reflections as just one more assignment or hurdle, I propose that by including them intentionally throughout our educational and professional trajectories we will be more effective (and reflective) learners and teachers.