Reflection on Teaching Development

Brea Rhein, PT, DPT, WCS, CLT

A professor of mine used to describe students who were highly organized as the “twenty-
highlighter people”. I was, without a doubt, a twenty-highlighter person. I utilized extensive to do
lists, created tables and charts to organize material, relied on digital strategies for studying
including reorganized power point presentations and flash cards, and designed study guides that
were studied by all my classmates. I had a special skill in organizing and condensing material while
studying, but I often had a difficult time learning in the classroom. It felt like every minute I spent
listening to a lecture was filled with speedy fingers on the keyboard with meticulous notetaking,
and I only began to learn the material when I sat down at my desk on my own. I quickly realized
that I was not an auditory learner, and it was difficult for me to absorb the information the first
time I heard it. Instead, I studied in a way that took advantage of my written and visual skills,
reorganizing the material in ways that made sense to me. By the time I sat down to take an exam, I
had made at least three different versions of a study guide as I condensed and processed the
material.

My time as student not only taught me a lot about learning, but it fueled my passion for
teaching. Different learning styles were evident as I studied with peers, and we all had unique ways
of presenting and absorbing content. Oftentimes, we were studying topics that felt new or foreign
even if we had just covered the material that week. I couldn’t help but wonder how other students
may have struggled with classroom learning. How can material be presented in the classroom to
maximize active learning? Could I learn from my experience as a student and improve my skills as a
teacher? My desire to teach was born before I even graduated. Within my physical therapy career, I
began to pursue this passion through peer mentorship, new grad mentorship, and taking on
students as a clinical instructor. This was quickly followed by a professional leap to apply for a
women’s health residency, in which I was able to participate in many different teaching
opportunities. By the time I began the Certificate Program, I had gained momentum with teaching
experience but still had a lot to learn. At this point, I began to develop core themes of my teaching
philosophy, but knew I required a lot of groundwork to learn more about teaching theory and to
polish my foundational skills.

Throughout the residency, I was able to teach in a variety of settings and gain diverse experiences.
As a physical therapist, patient education is fundamental to my practice. As a resident physical
therapist, I had the privilege of mentorship opportunities as both a mentor and a mentee. These
experiences opened significant opportunities for discussion about my teaching style and areas for
improvement. While the feedback provided focused on one-on-one patient education, the themes
discussed about my teaching skills were applicable to all settings. I learned how to better
consolidate my presentation of material to optimize understanding, focusing on the most critical
content and gearing that content towards the appropriate audience. This was a lesson I applied to
my patients in the clinic and a common theme I focused on when creating course content for core
curriculum.

The residency framework allowed for opportunities designed specifically to expose us to

teaching, but also included a scholarly product of our choice. Following my passions, my scholarly
product revolved around education. I created an educational continuum proposal to better
integrate pelvic health topics into Saint Louis University's Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
curriculum. Additional learning opportunities included teaching in Saint Louis University's DPT
program in both lectures and labs, updating lecture material, and creating new learning
opportunities by incorporating pelvic health topics into core curriculum. One of the most exciting
components of my scholarly product was creating a proposal for a pelvic health seminar, an elective
course offered to third year DPT students with a special interest in pursuing a career in pelvic
health. To my delight, the proposal was successful, and the course was approved.

Having the opportunity to participate in the Certificate Program offered an even more
diverse and wholesome experience to become a better teacher, and it was crucial in my
preparation of the pelvic health seminar. By the time I enrolled in the Certificate Program, I had an
idea of what type of teacher I wanted to be, but my experience was sparse and diverse. While this
type of experience allowed me to explore the world of education through a variety of lenses, it
made it difficult to focus on specific skills necessary to design and conduct a graduate level course. I
knew I wanted to be a teacher that was supportive to her students, inclusive of diverse individuals,
and prioritized in-class learning through interaction and discussion. While these goals continue to
be primary themes of my teaching philosophy, I did not have the knowledge or the experience on
how to put these ideas into action. The Certificate Program was crucial for this growth and could
not have come at a better time during my career as I stepped into higher education.

My first experiences within the Certificate Program included the online courses where I
cultivated my teaching philosophy, learned about course design, and discussed how to incorporate
technology into learning. Exploring the content within the teaching philosophy course was very
exciting as it supported me in my adventure of finding my identity as a teacher. It allowed me the
chance to create a framework for the type of teacher I wanted to be. The following courses then
supported those goals by teaching me how to design and construct a successful course, serving as
an excellent guide as I began to put together the syllabus, content, and assignments for the pelvic
health seminar.

The Praxis workshops and book discussions were also very supportive, serving as
supplemental learning opportunities on special topics. The workshops that stood out to me the
most were about teaching multiple experience levels, designing active learning projects, and
designing non-traditional projects. The discussion about teaching different experience levels felt like
it was curated specifically for me. Improving my ability to create course content specific to the
audience, supporting the educational continuum I designed and recommended, was a common
feedback theme that I am constantly working on. This helped me recognize that while I may have
found confidence in my identity as a teacher, my strategies and presentation of material needs to
change based on the goals and audience. Learning about creating assignments within the courses
provided and the Praxis workshops helped me design projects specifically for the seminar, allowing
me to receive feedback and real-time modifications as appropriate.

The first book I read while participating in the Certificate Program was “What Inclusive
Instructors Do”. I learned a lot about creating a safe environment and facilitating different learners.
It also sparked a great discussion on the difference between equality and equity, and how we need
to consider the themes of equity when teaching our courses. It is the harsh reality of our world that
different students have the support they need to even the playing field as much as possible. I
learned a lot about my own shortcomings regarding my awareness of these social issues and am
grateful to have been a part of this candid discussion. We were also given various strategies on how
to optimize equity in the classroom, which influenced my course design and assignment outline.
Examples include clear expectations, flexibility in types of participation, and ways to engage
different individuals in classroom discussion. I especially appreciated these suggestions because
core beliefs in my teaching philosophy encourage active participation in the classroom, which may
be challenging for different students. It was a good reminder that while my teaching philosophy
reflects me as an individual, my teaching needs to reflect a variety of learners and personality types
while considering other needs that may put certain students at a disadvantage.

Upon reflection, I’ve learned that I am a very eager and supportive teacher. While I believe
this to be true, I also recognize that my personal experience may limit my abilities to connect to
different students. While I referenced my struggles of learning in the classroom, I was a good
student with an excellent support system with very few roadblocks that stood in my way. That is
simply not true for all people, and thus this experience reminded me that I need to consider not
only how students are different learners, but that they may have other influences that affect their
class participation and success. One of the biggest improvements I’ve made as a teacher is
becoming more aware and more reflective. My teaching skills will continue to develop through self-
exploration, continued education, and experience. However, the fundamental understanding of
how to prioritize student diversity and inclusion is something I'm grateful to have learned through
the Certificate Program.

Creating the portfolio was incredible. It was exciting to create a final project that
represented a culmination of all the experiences I’ve had throughout the Certificate Program. It was
a great tribute to the growth I’ve experienced, but also a reminder that I still have room for
improvement, and always will. I've committed to being a lifelong learner, and intentionally
developing my teaching skills will be a part of this. My participation in the pelvic health seminar was
cut short last year due to a medical and family emergency. I am excited for a second chance this
upcoming fall to see the semester through, and finishing this portfolio was a good reminder of the
strategies I'd like to incorporate.