The 'fear of being found out': crises of confidence among first year undergraduates and first time teachers

This case study analyses my experience as a rst-time Graduate Teaching Assistant leading seminar groups comprised of rst year undergraduates, and how the lack of condence from both me and them may have aected the pedagogical experience. The ‘fear of being found out’, ie, not having sucient experience in Higher Education and being considered an imposter in a new and challenging environment, negatively inuences both student and teacher, creating a ‘perception lter’ which distorts our ability to see our own progress. I discuss how my implementation of a teaching method that I found useful at undergraduate level did not necessarily translate into being appropriate for my own students, as per Brookeld’s hypothesis.