Reflective Summary
Caption F
The purpose of this reflective summary is to explore my growth throughout the portfolio journey. In Just Keep Swimming, I reflect on the emotional highs and lows as I developed the portfolio. Impact on My Understanding of the Discipline captures how I now see Business Education as more than content, but as a tool for transformation. Continued Development shares my intention to grow through technology and flexible learning. Finally, Strengthening the Bridge shows how my progressivist philosophy deepened through hands-on reflection in the Pedagogy as Process course.
Just Keep Swimming: My Emotional Journey Through the Portfolio
At times, the portfolio process felt like I was being pulled under turbulent waters. It felt I could not breathe, overwhelmed by deadlines, struggling to balance teaching, parenting, and supporting aging family members. I was unsure how to even begin moving. Research felt like diving and drowning into murky depths. There were moments I felt pushed to the point of breaking. I seriously considered dropping out. I was constantly questioning whether I was neglecting my kids or falling behind on everything else that mattered.
But I kept swimming.
Glimmers of clarity came during peer collaboration or tutor guidance. It was like learning how to swim again. Slowly, I found something resembling a rhythm. I stopped flailing and started moving intentionally. When I completed a section, it felt like breaking the surface for air. Eventually, I found moments of calm. My confidence grew, and I could see the shoreline, Section F.
This portfolio transformed me into a more resilient educator. I learned to navigate the deep, to ask for help, and to emerge more reflective, more persistent, and more ready to teach with purpose even in unchartered waters.
Continued Development: Evolving as an Educator
Moving forward, I plan to continue growing in ways that feel pragmatic and meaningful. I intend to finally pursue a free Google for Education course. I am also interested in exploring how artificial intelligence can be introduced to students as a learning tool that encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and deeper understanding. I will continue learning at my own pace, selecting technology tools that suit my teaching style and support student engagement. I am even considering pursuing my master’s degree when my children are older. My focus remains on improving the learning experience for my students, and on engaging in professional development that reflects who I am as an educator: curious, open to change, and committed to growth. I want to continue developing the skills and mindset that will allow me to meet my students where they are.
Impact on My Understanding of the Discipline
This course had a profound impact on how I understand and approach Business Education. Initially, I saw my role mainly as delivering syllabus content and examination preparation, however, the course helped me realize that Business Education is not just about teaching concepts, but also nurturing ethical thinkers, decision-makers, and future entrepreneurs. I understood that the discipline is dynamic and deeply connected to real-world challenges, not just textbook knowledge. Learning about instructional strategies such as performance assessment, inclusive planning, and differentiated instruction, directly changed how I now plan lessons. I no longer begin with “What must I cover?” but instead ask, “What should my students experience and become?” This change in perspective is the most significant impact of the course on my understanding of the discipline. It has equipped me to teach Business in a more reflective, student-centered, and purposeful way.
Strengthening the Bridge: Evolving My Philosophy of Education Through the Pedagogy as Process Course
My initial philosophy of education, grounded in progressivism and represented by the metaphor of a bridge, deepened during the Pedagogy as Process course. The course helped me to move beyond simply making content relevant to understanding how to make it purposeful. It was not a theoretical shift, but a hands-on and reflective one. I now think more critically about how Business Education functions within the wider Social Sciences and how it can equip students to interpret and respond to real-world challenges. Emotionally, I became more attuned to the affective side of teaching: how students feel, how they connect, and what they need to feel safe and motivated in the classroom. I see more clearly now that being a bridge also means recognising those emotional needs while still delivering rigorous, student-centered learning. My participation in the Pedagogy as Process course truly showed me the actual meaning of what it means to teach with purpose, intention, and humanity.
