Engaging Pedagogical Approaches for Student Well-Being
A Pedagogy of
Unknowing
By Leeann Hunter, PhD
Scholarly Associate Professor
Department of English
Washington State University
A Pedagogy of
Unknowing
Navigating Expertise and Unknowing
MY EXPERTISE
Scholar in Victorian literature,
namely in questions of gender,
class, work, and economics
Experience as a Child of Deaf
Adults (C.O.D.A.), with interests in
questions of voice, expression,
language, and listening
MY EXPLORATIONS IN UNKNOWING
Indigenous Studies
Writers of Color
Literature and Ecology
Decolonization
A Pedagogy of Unknowing
(1)
Dismantling the educational complex
by imaginatively re-inventing the
experiences of teaching and learning
(2)
Dismantling the assumptions we have about expertise
by fostering a
culture of growth mindsets.
(3)
Sustaining living classrooms where knowledge can grow
by creating
systems of institutional support.
Dismantling the
Educational Complex:
Supporting Student
Well-Being
What if there were a space where students
could unlearn faulty assumptions about
themselves?
Where they were not afraid to
speak up, to take risks, to create and imagine
new knowledge?
What if there were a space without exams and
rubrics and grades? Where everyone was
committed to supporting mutual wellness and
to unearthing every individual’s greatest gifts?
What might be built in such a space?
What
would you build?
What would you build
with a course release and
the resources and the
freedom to experiment?
I used my administrative course
releases to build an experimental
program to promote student
resilience, wellness, and purpose.
The program evolved into a regular
3-credit class: “Quests and Callings.”
STUDENT COMMENTS
“This class made me cry, it was intimate, it was personal,
and I felt like some of my best work came out of it.”
“The discussions we had in class were some of the most
significant in making me feel as though I was growing
and developing as an individual and in my own life.”
“I will never forget what I learned here. It goes beyond
just English, beyond literature, beyond my degree—I
learned something about myself. I learned something
about how I want to live my life, the experiences I want
to have, and the moving parts that will guide me along
the way.”
Dismantling the
Assumptions We Have
About Expertise:
Supporting Student
Belonging
We cannot address inclusive pedagogy and
belonging unless we also address questions
of representation, colonial ways of thinking,
and challenges to power.
We cannot decolonize the classroom when
our expertise is rooted in colonial structures.
We must embrace a culture of unknowing to
create space for new ways of seeing, thinking,
and learning.
Sustaining Living
Classrooms Where
Knowledge Can Grow:
Institutional Support
Sustaining a living classroom with continually
updated course materials that reflect the lives
and experiences of our diverse population
costs time and energy.
There is a direct link between faculty wellness
and student wellness.
To support student wellness and retention,
institutions need to commit to supporting
faculty and graduate students with sustainable
wages, grant programs that support course
releases, and sabbaticals for career-track
faculty.
Everyday Containers
to Hold Space for
Unknowing
Circles
Whiteboards
Voices
”Even though I share strategies, these
works do not offer blueprints for ways to
make the classroom an exciting place for
learning. To do so would undermine the
insistence that engaged pedagogy
recognize each classroom as different,
that
strategies must constantly
be changed, invented,
reconceptualized
to address each
new teaching experience.”
—
bell hooks,
Teaching to
Transgress
Circles
Every Student
Speaks Every Day
“Any radical pedagogy must
insist that everyone’s
presence is acknowledged.”
—bell hooks,
Teaching to Transgress:
Education as the Practice of Freedom
Whiteboards
A Living Classroom
“Isn’t this the lesson of
grass? Through reciprocity
the gift is replenished. All
of our flourishing is
mutual.”
—Robin Wall Kimmerer,
Braiding
Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,
Scientific Knowledge, and the
Teachings of Plants
Voices
Centering Knowledge
by BIPOC Voices
“I was so proud that she [my
professor] was a black woman
like me.…The true gift was
that I didn’t have to create
my own sense of belonging
in her class.”
—
Austin Channing Brown,
I’m Still
Here: Black Dignity in a World Made
for Whiteness
Questions for
Reflection and
Discussion
What are some of the ways that you engage
with a pedagogy of unknowing?
What would you build in a 1-credit class with
20 students and $5000?
What would you do with a teaching
sabbatical?
A Pedagogy of
Unknowing
By Leeann Hunter, PhD
Scholarly Associate Professor
Department of English
Washington State University
Acknowledgements
I express gratitude for all those who have
played a role in educating me to become a
more inclusive teacher willing to question
authority and expertise in the classroom.
Primarily, I thank the
countless undergraduate
students
who have challenged me and who
have shown me the importance of
representation in class materials. I thank the
graduate students—namely,
Nazua Idris
,
Ras
Tanvir
, and
Heather Ramos
, who have likewise
pushed me in more critical ways to become
more inclusive. I’m grateful for my colleagues
Anna Plemons
,
Ashley Boyd
,
Desiree
Hellegers
, and
Pavithra Narayanan
, who serve
as role models to me. I appreciate the guidance
I received from visiting scholar
Reginald
Wilburn
, who launched me on my journey, and
the mindfulness-based anti-racism training of
Trymaine Gaither
, who has shown me the value
of bringing others on this journey with me.
Navigating expertise, embracing the unknown, and supporting student resilience are key themes in the innovative pedagogical practices highlighted. The exploration dives into promoting student purpose, dismantling assumptions about expertise, and cultivating living classrooms. The emphasis on creating engaging spaces for learning without a fixed blueprint encourages flexibility and adaptation. Strategies like quoting and circle discussions enrich student participation and engagement in the learning process.
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Presentation Transcript
A Pedagogy of Unknowing
When you hear this title, what are some ideas that come to mind? A Pedagogy of Unknowing Please take a moment to write one or two ideas on your notepad. We will share these ideas in the breakout room within the context of the material I present.
Dismantling the Educational Complex: Supporting Student Well-Being
What would you build with a course release and the resources and the freedom to experiment? I used my administrative course releases to build an experimental program to promote student resilience, wellness, and purpose. The program evolved into a regular 3-credit class: Quests and Callings.
Dismantling the Assumptions We Have About Expertise: Supporting Student Belonging
Sustaining Living Classrooms Where Knowledge Can Grow: Institutional Support
Everyday Containers to Hold Space for Unknowing Even though I share strategies, these works do not offer blueprints for ways to make the classroom an exciting place for learning. To do so would undermine the insistence that engaged pedagogy recognize each classroom as different, that strategies must constantly be changed, invented, reconceptualizedto address each new teaching experience. bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress
Ask students to copy a quote from the assigned homework or reading that resonates with them or challenges them. Circles Every Student Speaks Every Day Any radical pedagogy must insist that everyone s presence is acknowledged. Students form circles of 4-6 members and take turns sharing. bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom Representatives from each circle amplify the voices in their groups to launch class discussion.
When students share ideas aloud, capture their voices on the whiteboard. Whiteboards A Living Classroom Isn t this the lesson of grass? Through reciprocity the gift is replenished. All of our flourishing is mutual. Curate their ideas into a meaningful process of inquiry. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Draw connections, ask questions, and allow student voices to become a live text for all to study. We learn from each other.
Step 1.Acknowledge the importance of representation--of students seeing themselves and their experiences reflected in educational materials and that all students learn from non- white and non-Western perspectives. Voices Centering Knowledge by BIPOC Voices I was so proud that she [my professor] was a black woman like me. The true gift was that I didn t have to create my own sense of belonging in her class. Step 2.Introduce at least one new voice per semester, and likely, you are capable of more, if you re willing to step into unknowing. Austin Channing Brown, I m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness Step 3. Let go of control.Let go of the need to be the master of every aspect of knowledge in your classroom. Accept that you don t have every answer. Lecture less and inquire more.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
A Pedagogy of Unknowing Acknowledgements I express gratitude for all those who have played a role in educating me to become a more inclusive teacher willing to question authority and expertise in the classroom. Primarily, I thank the countless undergraduate students who have challenged me and who have shown me the importance of representation in class materials. I thank the graduate students namely, Nazua Idris, Ras Tanvir, and Heather Ramos, who have likewise pushed me in more critical ways to become more inclusive. I m grateful for my colleagues Anna Plemons, Ashley Boyd, Desiree Hellegers, and Pavithra Narayanan, who serve as role models to me. I appreciate the guidance I received from visiting scholar Reginald Wilburn, who launched me on my journey, and the mindfulness-based anti-racism training of Trymaine Gaither, who has shown me the value of bringing others on this journey with me.
