Teaching context and philosophy

Teaching Context

I am an Education Focussed (EF) Lecturer in Phase 1 Medicine at Port Macquarie Rural Clinical Campus in the UNSW School of Clinical Medicine. The UNSW School of Clinical Medicine (Faculty of Medicine and Health) includes 5 satellite campuses in rural and regional towns in NSW. Research suggests that the shortage of medical professionals in non-metropolitan areas can be addressed by selecting medical students of rural and regional origin, and that increased exposure of to rural medicine is associated with increased retention of regional and rural practitioners.

My student cohort consists of approximately 50 rural, local and indigenous entry students. Teaching in these diverse settings has deepened my understanding of the complexities of rural life, and the challenges that students may face. I see my role as crucial in consistently improving the medical education experience in rural centers. I represent the rural campuses on various school and faculty committees and curriculum development groups, where I can provide insight and alternative perspectives to my metropolitan counterparts to advocate for our diverse needs and opportunities.

Furthermore, I'm committed to providing holistic support for students to flourish in their life, studies, and future practice. I believe that strengthening these elements is essential for retaining them as prospective rural doctors, and for building resilience, self-efficacy and belonging as humans.

Teaching Philosophy

To me, learning and teaching is a journey, for me and for my students. I believe that I must continually connect with my students' experiences to understand their challenges and successes, all the while remembering that each student and cohort is unique. I undertake my role as an educator with the belief that I will always have something to learn from each of my students – and I place them at the centre of all my endeavours as an academic.

Connection with students is important on an academic level (I need to understand what they know and don't know so that I can effectively plan my teaching), but connection with them on a personal level is almost more important to me. I think that wellbeing is vital to the learning journey because students will continue to learn for the rest of their lives. Furthermore, I believe that self-efficacy as is central to a passion for, and dedication to learning (Houghton & Anderson, 2017). Every person who engages in learning is different, so I have increasingly focused on understanding those differences and acknowledge the diverse challenges that we face as learners and educators.

The positive changes I make to my teaching practice are sustainable because they become part of how I teach. This is supported by investment in reflective practice and continual professional development. I have made changes to my teaching practice that have been effective, and I have seen the impact on student learning and students’ satisfaction with my approach to teaching. Where changes have not been effective, self-reflection suggests that I have implemented changes too quickly without fully exploring my options or justifying the changes. Sometimes this is the result of a lack of time spent exploring the students’ challenges, and understanding the individual factors that may impact their learning and satisfaction with teaching. It's a journey, and I have learned to embrace the lessons, challenges and uncertainty that comes with teaching and learning. My scientific mind loves to hypothesise, test, and reflect; to continually experiment and gather data. But my students are more than just participants in learning, they are more than data and hypotheses. As I have developed my teaching practice, I make more time to listen to my students; more time to understand the individuals behind the academic persona. I have learned that student autonomy and self-efficacy are more important than my teaching profile and how I am perceived by other academics. I have been brave and taken opportunities to give students more autonomy in instances where I would previously have wanted more control over the learning situation. I recall Biggs (1999) - it is not what the teacher does that is important but what the students do - and I aspire to always place my students needs first, because they are humans and deserve to belong and thrive through engagement in education.

My teaching practice has been strengthened by the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, and through my personal challenges over the years since COVID. The challenges I have faced, and lessons I have learned from navigating teaching and learning in an uncertain environment have strengthened my focus on student mental health and wellbeing, understanding neurodiversity, equity, and inclusion. The focus of the next stage of development in my teaching journey is to engage more deeply with the principles of Universal Design for Learning and advocate for more inclusive and equitable teaching practices across my areas of influence at UNSW.