IN THE CLASSROOM

The role of the teacher, to me, is to share learning experiences with students that encourage thoughtful, critical interrogation of the things happening around them in a way that helps to produce positive change (Friere. 1970). I like to take that a step further by encouraging students to push others they interact with to also think deeply. By asking high-level questions that link conceptual information with their personal experiences, I encourage continual self-reflexivity. Facilitating dialogue and direct application of concepts promote the most meaningful learning opportunities in my opinion and are common methods I use in the teaching spaces I occupy. The educational experience should be one that guides students toward conceptual understanding of the material, encourages application of those concepts to their lives, and challenges them to positively involve others in their experiences. As a partner and guide, it is also important for me to call students to think about their measures of success for the course and their lives overall. Being thoughtful about where we want to go, or what our shared desired outcomes might be, and reflexive about if we’ve accomplished them is critical to a positive learning experience. Teaching and learning together is intentional labor of love.