Education, whether in a tiny study room or a large lecture hall, is fundamentally relational. As an educator shaped by my disciplinary values of equity, dialogue, and human flourishing, I see the purpose of education to be affirming the dignity of all human beings in their particularity. In other words, I see the purpose of instruction as providing a means by which students can develop skills and competencies while building on cultural and experiential background knowledge that is affirmed as a foundational part of who they are and what they bring to any educational environment. Human beings are, as Aristotle said, social animals, which is to say that humans are fundamentally relational. This relational core of humanity is the reason why all of my classes are centered around dialogue. I structure my classes so that students are exposed to each other’s ideas and interpretations as well as those of the traditions and disciplines they are studying. The goal in all of my courses is to empower all students to embrace and explore their cultural backgrounds as resources for their own learning. Rather than seeing race, ethnicity, gender, nationality and other identity markers as a deficit, I encourage students to use these markers as an asset for developing more complex cognitive frameworks for engaging in the world.
Good instructional design is essential for good courses. In my courses, I have attempted to engage in a process designed for maximizing equity when it comes to student access and learning of the materials and skills delivered. Designing for equity begins by making clear and understandable motivations for every class session, every unit, every reading, etc. A clear motivation also leads to giving students exposure to the subject matter in a manner that is accessible to them in their stage of life. Class time is used to unpack the subject, questions, and ideas they’ve been exposed to and to complicate the ideas. Complication usually occurs through an emphasis on peer-to-peer discussion and activities that intentionally connect students to the matter at hand and to each other. Having complicated matters, I often end class with a reflective moment where students are encouraged to connect the class topic to actionable steps they can take in their everyday lives.
One example of how I have employed this pedagogical model comes from my Global Philosophy course where we were examining the concept of identity. Students were given a philosophy article about identity in Latin America and the Caribbean to read before class. Students were also given a number of songs by Caribbean artists to listen to before class. When students arrived in class, we discussed the article’s main points and then used concepts from the article to unpack how identity was expressed and understood in the songs. Students were then tasked with drawing connections between the lived experiences of the artists expressed in song, with the article’s concepts, and with their own lives. We ended class with a short discussion about how identity functions as both a help and a hindrance in our pluralistic and interconnected world. Through engagement with theoretical texts, works of creative expression, and class discussion, students were able to connect disparate ideas to their own lived experience.
For the 21st century educator, it is not enough to see oneself as the distributor of particular discourses or bodies of knowledge--one must be actively engaged in the transformation of students into people of character. Thus, the goal of Higher Education is not mere facility with facts or the possession of certain market-approved skills but seeing students transformed into people who justly embrace their role as both lovers and explorers of the good, the true, and the beautiful in the world. Furthermore, it encourages them to view themselves as responsible for the world in which they live. Character development such as this is what I seek to encourage in every aspect of my pedagogical work, partnering with students, faculty, and staff in the education of the whole person.
Good instructional design is essential for good courses. In my courses, I have attempted to engage in a process designed for maximizing equity when it comes to student access and learning of the materials and skills delivered. Designing for equity begins by making clear and understandable motivations for every class session, every unit, every reading, etc. A clear motivation also leads to giving students exposure to the subject matter in a manner that is accessible to them in their stage of life. Class time is used to unpack the subject, questions, and ideas they’ve been exposed to and to complicate the ideas. Complication usually occurs through an emphasis on peer-to-peer discussion and activities that intentionally connect students to the matter at hand and to each other. Having complicated matters, I often end class with a reflective moment where students are encouraged to connect the class topic to actionable steps they can take in their everyday lives.
One example of how I have employed this pedagogical model comes from my Global Philosophy course where we were examining the concept of identity. Students were given a philosophy article about identity in Latin America and the Caribbean to read before class. Students were also given a number of songs by Caribbean artists to listen to before class. When students arrived in class, we discussed the article’s main points and then used concepts from the article to unpack how identity was expressed and understood in the songs. Students were then tasked with drawing connections between the lived experiences of the artists expressed in song, with the article’s concepts, and with their own lives. We ended class with a short discussion about how identity functions as both a help and a hindrance in our pluralistic and interconnected world. Through engagement with theoretical texts, works of creative expression, and class discussion, students were able to connect disparate ideas to their own lived experience.
For the 21st century educator, it is not enough to see oneself as the distributor of particular discourses or bodies of knowledge--one must be actively engaged in the transformation of students into people of character. Thus, the goal of Higher Education is not mere facility with facts or the possession of certain market-approved skills but seeing students transformed into people who justly embrace their role as both lovers and explorers of the good, the true, and the beautiful in the world. Furthermore, it encourages them to view themselves as responsible for the world in which they live. Character development such as this is what I seek to encourage in every aspect of my pedagogical work, partnering with students, faculty, and staff in the education of the whole person.