Section 4

Reflective Writing

For this section, you will write two short (2-page) essays that expand on some aspect of the program agenda, whether directly or indirectly. For each essay, focus on the most valuable things you learned after completing two or more requirements for any section of the TPT Dossier. The essays will allow you to examine topics of interest and explore them in the context of your own teaching or professional development. In them, you might describe, analyze and evaluate a teaching practice, expand on a workshop summary, describe a teaching technique you learned or a new understanding you gained, or discuss future changes you'd like to make after examining past or present teaching practices. Other questions you might examine in these essays include, but aren't limited to, the following:

• What were the most interesting things you learned from this event/activity?
  
• What steps have this event/activity motivated you to take to enhance your career, teaching, or understanding of universities?
  
• How could this event/activity have been more useful for you?
  
• Based on the interviews you conducted or the workshops you attended, what aspects of your graduate education do and do not adequately prepare you for the job market and the duties you are expected to fulfill as a professor?
  
• What actions might you take to fill in the gaps in your graduate education in order to prepare yourself for the job market?