Reflections on Teaching and Learning at the 'Educator Scholar Summit'

Hey friends. Last September, I shared my views on ‘Teaching & Learning’ as an Education and Philosophy Student, at Notre Dame’s Educator Scholar Summit, facilitated by our Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Selma Alliex. In particular, I reflected on how partnerships, namely, authentic relationships with students, contributes to academic success and student flourishing. Highlights of our panel discussion can be viewed on https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/es/2022/tuesday/1/.

My views on ‘Teaching & Learning’ are largely shaped by the Church’s proposition that we, educators, should practice “a pedagogy which gives special emphasis to direct and personal contact with the students.” I have written a short reflection below summarising my views. Additionally, towards the end of the panel discussion, I also reflected on how education should prepare students for flourishing, not by merely focussing on achieving educational outcomes alone, but also by forming good habits in a young person, because as Aristotle said, “good habits formed at youth make all the difference.”

Approachability

Our panel discussion opened with the question of what makes an academic, or a teacher, approachable. I think that approachability in an educator is important because it opens up the way for authentic dialogue with their pupils. Therefore, my response to this question can be summed up as the authentic expression of an educator’s personality. In other words, authentically expressing oneself in the classroom builds approachability. By drawing on the example of my own mathematics lecturer, whose passion and personality no doubt animated his fantastic teaching style, I shared that by ‘being yourself,’ an educator can communicate to their students that they are real and genuine, and therefore, an approachable person.

Engagement

The next question dealt with student engagement, namely, teaching strategies that help students to remain engaged. My view is that when students feel recognised, heard and valued as a person, then they will be more inclined to invest in their learning. Thus, my response to this question centred on building authentic relationships with students. By drawing on the example of my own learning experience, I recognised that there were academics at Notre Dame who tailored Assessment Tasks to suit my personal situation, and this helped me to learn with interest. For example, in a Philosophy unit, a lecturer made reasonable adjustments to an Assessment Task (which considered my interests) to make the learning more useful and relevant to my circumstances. From this point of view, I shared that educators should personally know their pupils, including their strengths and weaknesses, because through an authentic relationship with their pupils, they can guide each student towards their individual and personal flourishing.

Learning Environment

The final question explored how teachers, and academics alike, can help students who may need additional support. If human beings are social creatures, which I believe we are, then this implies that each person thrives through a community. Therefore, a sense of belonging to a community is essential for student success and flourishing, because by belonging to a community, a student feels welcomed, heard and seen. In fact, it is in a supportive learning environment that genuine support can be offered to students depending on their situation and learning needs. From this point of view, I shared that educators should aim to create a supportive learning community, so that teaching strategies which benefit individual students can be implemented and naturally adapted to their learning needs.