Task 1
Small Group Discussion: Based on our Reading
Notes:
Breakout Group #2
- Patience article so relevant to now. Particularly teaching online – talking into a blank space, holding on to chat notes, feeling very distanced; JW feels disengaged with this.
- Affective pedagogy not being valued connected to larger power dynamics – considered part of ‘female domain’ traditionally
- Inclusivity and Diversity issue
- Plural ways of knowing
- Yes to messiness!
- Larger job market
- Passive learners – passive citizens
- What would Dickens say?! ‘Facts, facts, facts!’
- Anna Julia Cooper: Love & Belonging, education creating a sense of belonging, finding peace in an environment
- Amazing woman!
- Bell Hooks: education equals freedom
- Cooper and Hooks: a long tradition of knowing what we are discovering again now
- After the war: university as accessible after the war, leading to great creativity and progress
- How do you counter the technical/commercial approach?
- Teaching is the act of loving rather than feeling loved: remote learning is the acid test
- Affective pedagogy: a recognition!
Enjoyed the energy and thoughtfulness of this discussion with Leslie and Judith. Will definitely be watching and responding to the Anna Julia Cooper material as a result.
See blog post Belonging for more.
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Task 2
Pair Discussion: Developing plans for embedding care into pedagogy
What I learnt from Keren:
The way in which timing can affect experience – Keren talked about short sessions which meant that people did not have time to dwell and feel self-conscious.
The value of addressing emotion through an activity – Keren talked about students dealing with their feelings whilst doing something being positive.
The importance of mental health and well-being sessions being embedded in discipline – Keren was proposing sessions dealing with aesthetics and identity, highly relevant to and addressing her subject discipline.
My care plan:
Macro action – Creating a workshop series focused on care, community, mental health and wellbeing.
Meso action – Within the structure of learning activities, create more space for contemplation, reflection and conversation.
Micro action – In terms of my behaviour, offer up my own emotions and experiences more. Ensure I am not expecting students to be vulnerable without being vulnerable myself. I’d begun to ask myself if I did this enough after reading this section in Teaching to Transgress by Bell Hooks:
‘Professors who expect students to share confessional narratives but who are themselves unwilling to share are exercising power in a manner that could be coercive. In my classrooms, I do not expect students to take any risks that I would not take, to share in any way that I would not share. When professors bring narratives of their experiences into classroom discussions it eliminates the possibility that we can function as all-knowing, silent interrogators.
(Page 21)
I hadn’t thought about things from this angle before. I’d thought that to talk about my own experiences was self-centred and not student-centred.
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Task 3
Small Group Discussion: Presenting our plans to each other
What I learnt from:
J
The part that organisation can play in care – James talked about sending materials in advance of sessions and the structure of sessions themselves.
R
The way that extracurricular and informal time spent in building community could inform all learning environments and cultures – Roshni talked about holding a coffee morning for students to attend.
S
The role of care in our language and approach – Serena talked about sessions with students regarding online platforms and ‘sharing’ her positive experience rather than trying to ‘convince’ anyone of a position.