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Subaltern Pedagogy: A Critical Theorizing of Pedagogical Practices for Marginalized Border-Crossers
Get PDFGiven the ever-increasing migration in today’s globalizing world and thepervasive xenophobic behaviors and attitudes of some U.S. schoolstakeholders toward vulnerable groups such as refugees, migrants and asylumseekers, I argue for a paradigm shift in the theorizing of educationalpedagogy. Based on my qualitative study conducted in Lebanon that examinesthe lived experiences of African women as border-crossers who migrated toBeirut for economic reasons, I forward a subaltern pedagogy. Three criticaltheoretical frameworks inform this pedagogical shift: critical pedagogy,post/decolonial thought, and a critical spatial analysis. The latter idea inparticular situates marginalized, subaltern groups in their liminal contextand takes into account how the space one inhabits impacts their social,cultural and economic worlds, thereby affecting their life and learningtrajectory
Transformative Design Pedagogy: A Place-based and Studio-based Exploration of Culture
Get PDFThe discipline of interior design education is committed to providing diverse learning opportunities for examining the topic of culture while implementing design practices that respond to the “needs of all humans” (Hadjiyanni, 2013, p.v). According to Conner et al. (2013), the number of people living in a country in which they were not born has increased by 51 percent worldwide since 1990. Therefore, the significance of cultural context in our daily lives demands effectively applicable design, and supporting design pedagogy that enhances cultural competency and global perspective. Cultural competency is gained from a transformation of knowledge about individuals and groups of people and their respective values and beliefs. This raises the question: How can design pedagogy disclose students’ presuppositions to generate profound perspective changes on culture? And secondly, what are the contexts within which this can occur? It is the goal of this paper to demonstrate the use of a transformative learning model (Mezirow, 2000) and its effectiveness in the achievement of cultural competency among design students, implemented from both remote and in-place cultural investigations.“Transformative learning refers to dramatic change, where the learner achieves a shift in perspective. This shift results from a critical examination of one’s own assumptions, values, and beliefs, and of the foundations and expectations of the system in which one operates” (Nemec, 2012, p. 478). To implement this process, one instructor utilized methods of cultural investigation and documentation with interior design students in an education abroad experience, while in another course, first-year interior design students were tasked with the design of a conceptual design piece that reflected a cultural context assigned to them. Both courses began by asking students to critically analyze cultural assumptions and to engage in an accompanying discourse regarding the varied perspectives. As such, critical reflection and discourse were identified as key components of both courses.It was found that several pedagogical methodologies were deemed more appropriate to the examination of culture when considering the various contexts of the courses. Thus, the transformative learning model was adapted to consider cultural context. For those students studying abroad, documentation strongly correlated to the attainment of cultural competence and was achieved through inter-cultural experiences including observations, personal reflection, and comparative analyses. By contrast, those students in the design studio expanded their cultural knowledge through remote research as a means of cultural investigation, and application of this through the design process, implementing collaborative thinking and imaginative problem solving. Student learning outcomes revealed a transformation of cultural perspective, which was achieved through documented personal reflections of an experience and design applications with integrated collaborative discourse. In both courses, critical reflection and the accompanying dialog were identified as essential to gaining a shift in cultural understanding.
Student Perceptions of a 21st Century Learning Space
Get PDFHigher education institutions are increasingly building or remodeling classrooms to become flexible spaces that support learner-centered instruction. However, little is known about the actual impact of these spaces on student outcomes. Using a mixed method design, this study examined student perceptions of a flexible learning space on student learning and engagement compared to traditional classrooms. Students reported that the flexible space enhanced their learning experience by supporting classroom engagement. This study demonstrates the importance of incorporating student perceptions when planning learning spaces and suggests a need for further studies on the complex relationships among space, student learning and motivation.
Leveraging a Guest Speaker Event to Advance Transformative Change for At-Risk Student Success
Get PDFGuest speakers can be leveraged as effective pedagogical tools to support classroom and program goals, raise cultural sensitivity, connect academia and community, and provide role models for students (Sniezek, 2005). This article serves to discuss the application of Appreciative Education to the planning and execution of a guest speaker event, “Breaking Chains: Gang to Graduation”, at Western Michigan University (WMU), to help readers gain an understanding of how to orchestrate a successful event at their institution. Event coordinator, Christine Robinson, shares information on the experience and offers her perspectives on how a guest speaker event can be an effective tool around transformative, systemic change in higher education
“A Truly Inspiring Notion:” A Case-Study of Project-Based Graduate Service-Learning
Get PDFDue to the changing nature of the academic landscape, there is an increasing need to prepare graduate students for careers not only within, but also outside of academia. Despite evidence focused on the positive impact of undergraduate service-learning, little is known about comparable experiences of graduate students with professional aspirations within the academy or beyond. This study aims to answer the question, “What are the experiences of graduate students and community partners as they work together on a service-learning project?” In answering this question, we attempt to show a justification and need for project-based service-learning in graduate education
Developing Compassionate and Socially Responsible Global Citizens through Interdisciplinary, International Service-Learning
Get PDFInterdisciplinary, international service-learning experiences provide transformative experiences that develop students’ capacities as socially responsible global citizens. In this article the authors, a team of two professors and three students, share the results of a self-study in which we explored the narrative inquiry question: How does an interdisciplinary service-learning experience influence student understanding of common human dignity, social responsibility, and citizenship in a global context? The findings and reflections from this partnership between faculty and students provide insights and recommendations for faculty seeking to develop sustainable, interdisciplinary, international service-learning experiences.
Book Review: HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations
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Accommodating students with autism spectrum disorder in communication centers: The development of video modeling techniques
Get PDFEvery year, more students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are applying and being accepted into universities (Hansen, 2011). Communication centers serve a diverse range of students whose particular needs vary. While current tutor methodology is an effective way of approaching traditional students’ needs, students with ASD, and the tutors who work with them, require additional tools to provide necessary support services. To accommodate the needs of students with ASD, communication centers must develop the tools and training methods essential to students’ success (Glennon, 2016). Video modeling has shown to be an effective tool, especially regarding students with ASD, for developing social and communicative skills through observational learning (Bellini & Akullian, 2007; Cihak, D., Fahrenkrog, C., Ayres, K. M., & Smith, C., 2010; Hayes et al., 2015; Mason, R., Rispoli, M., Ganz, J. B., Boles, M. B., & Orr, K., 2012). Limited research exists regarding how tutoring services at universities can support students with ASD. The services that communication centers offer provide a unique forum for the development and implementation of inclusive consulting techniques. This research proposal explores the current literature on the use of video modeling for skill based learning and discusses its application as an instrument for training communication center consultants and increasing public speaking proficiency for higher education students with ASD
The De-centered Center: Embracing a Space that is Nowhere and Everywhere
Get PDFThis article argues that ongoing discussions about the ideal space for Communication Centers may be obsolete in the face of technology, like iPads, which allows universities to take the Center to students rather than asking students to come to a designated space. Not only is the desing fo the space not as important as it once was, it’s possible to have no space and still be successful and effective. Even more important, this technology allows the Centers to go to where the students are, engaging them in their own spaces.