Looking back . . . looking forward

This fall marks my 11th year mentoring TAs at the University of North Texas. I took the time to look back over my syllabus from my first year teaching my pedagogy and communication graduate seminar. I'm struck at how invested I was in a social science approach to pedagogy. The readings and assignments were centered in Instructional Communication with a dash of Communication Education . . .article after article on immediacy, clarity, and student misbehaviors. Looking back I see what was missing-- heart.

The heart of my pedagogy-- the element that helps me share my love of teaching with my TAs isn't the classroom management and practical recommendations for how to develop lectures or process experiential learning.  Instead the heart of my pedagogy is the answers to the why questions-- the big picture so what questions of teaching. What is the role of the teacher? What is my identity as an instructor? Why do I teach? Why do I love to learn? What epistemological commitments guide my teaching choices?

As I added more theoretical content to the course, my own pedagogy began to change. I found myself sharing more of my authentic self. My life experiences and my students' life experiences are suddenly the most important part of class discussions because these moments demonstrate praxis-- these conversations are truly theory in practices in our everyday communication encounters. As I continue on my journey of reflexivity I'm honored each fall to ask a new set of teacher/scholars to engage in their own development of their identies as teachers. I will challenge them to develop their own epistemological commitments-- to begin a journey of reflexivity and praxis. They will be sharing their journey with you this semester on our blog. Welcome and feel free to join our conversation.

-- Karen Anderson-Lain, Ph.D.