Now that the 2017-2018 academic year has begun, it is time to return to some tasks and projects that we’ve set aside for a while. Students must be taught, assignments must be graded, and mentees must be advised. As we return to these tasks, it is worth reminding ourselves of the values and tactics that work best to enlighten students. There are, of course, many ways to educate, and no single way is right. I use a variety of approaches, from focused activities and lectures to multimedia and open discussion, but I always make a point of connecting the day’s material to contemporary or everyday issues. The one thing we must not do is expect that impressive results will come without putting in thought and effort, for if there’s one thing I’ve learned from teaching, it is that you must consider the specific needs of the people you’re educating. Whoever you are, wherever you’re teaching, and whatever comes your way, enjoy the challenge of the coming year!
Here are some papers that can help us to think differently about pedagogy:
- Shane Moran, “Kant’s conception of pedagogy,” South African Journal of Philosophy, March 2015.
- Chi-Ming Lam, “A Popperian Approach to Education for Open Society,” Educational Philosophy & Theory, August 2013.
- Anthony Hooper, “The Philosopher’s Stories: The Role of Myth in Plato’s Pedagogy,” European Legacy, December 2010.
- Gert Biesta, “Becoming public: public pedagogy, citizenship and the public sphere,” Social & Cultural Geography, November 2012.
- Wayne Veck, “Inclusive pedagogy: ideas from the ethical philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas,” Cambridge Journal of Education, December 2014.
See more titles on this topic from Routledge, Taylor, and Francis.
Note: With this post, the “What Are You Reading?” column returns to its weekly publishing schedule.
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