The ability to reflect is a precondition for professional growth. Pedagogical courses for academic staff provide opportunities to support the development of university teachers' reflective skills and habits of reflection. The present paper discusses the impact of using reflective activities for making meaning of one's teaching practice through an analysis of reflections written during pedagogical courses. The data were collected from 92 participants who participated in a pedagogical course offered to five cohorts from 2005 to 2007. Through analysis of academics' reflections on metaphors and teaching cases their personal teaching theories and teaching challenges are revealed.