Reflection of Pedagogical Practices
Introduction
As a social worker, I remember learning about safe spaces very early on in my education and I liked the idea of being “safe.” However, as I continued throughout my professional career, I began to question, can safety really be guaranteed? If not, what kind of space is created in the classroom? This was an important question in developing my teaching style and adapting a teaching philosophy through a social justice lens. Arao & Clemens (2013), proposed a shift in the paradigm for social justice classrooms; rather than create a safe space, create a brave space. This allows students to better understand, engage, and rise to the challenges generated by authentic dialogue about diversity, inclusion, and social justice issues. I think it is important to highlight the definition of bravery includes being vulnerable and that may present differently for each person in the classroom. In addition to embracing the idea of brave spaces, my pedagogical practice is inspired by Becky Thompson’s Pedagogy of Tenderness (2017).
Pedagogy of Tenderness
Pedagogy of Tenderness marries two major pedagogies: practices from bell hooks’ Teaching to Transgress and Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed into an embodied teaching style. These practices come together to challenge the status quo when teaching race, gender, class, and other aspects of intersectionality. Tenderness invites a grounding force in the body to be witnessed— through meditation, self-reflection, and mindfulness. As Thompson describes, teaching with tenderness gives permission for emotion, silence, and movement for students to confront notions of power and privilege emotionally, mentally, and theoretically.
Three essential elements that inform teaching with tenderness includes: multiracial feminist theory, contemplative practices and trauma studies. Multiracial Feminist Pedagogy recognizes the classroom as a place of power as inequalities and injustices of society are present in the classroom. A simple example of the structure of power in the classroom is the inherent recognition of Thanksgiving and Christmas as holidays on the school calendar with an utter disregard for Yom Kippur, Ramadan, Holi, and many more. This translates to some bodies in the classroom being inevitably privileged over other bodies in the classroom. Contemplative practices inform teaching with tenderness as a method to engage open minds and hearts in the classroom; specifically, being open to each other as a learning community. Taking time to practice mindfulness and movement in the classroom encourages a connection of learning between the mind and body. Such a connection fosters awareness of self and others in the classroom and aides in the process of active listening and open discussion in teaching through a social justice lens. Thompson emphasizes the importance as recognizing trauma in the classroom because teachers are responsible to identify barriers to practicing gentleness and compassion in the classroom. By assuming this responsibility, teachers create a space for healing and growth in the classroom. I believe that establishing the practices of teaching with tenderness by engaging with literature, art, and scholarship creates a brave classroom.
In considering the foundational elements of teaching with tenderness, it is incumbent to recognize the body. As Thompson puts it, “the body is the starting place for intellectual, spiritual and political growth. The traditional approach to academics privileges the mind and dismisses the body (Shahjahan, 2015); however, teaching with tenderness aims to dismantle the hegemonic structure of mind over body to mind and body. I think this is a defining aspect of the pedagogy of tenderness that unifies the foundation as it aims to recognize that which has been overlooked in the traditional classrooms. Recognizing the mind and body recognizes the whole human; it encourages learning about the marginalized bodies and the unlearning of privileged bodies.
Teaching with Tenderness
I grew up under the premise that teachers know everything and that is an inherent reason to respect my teacher. While I abided by the rules, I learned that no one could know everything. It sounds so simple, but I think it is essential to approach teaching and learning with a sense of humility. Understanding, “I don’t know everything” opens the mind and heart to endless possibilities of learning for teachers and students alike. In my classroom, the teacher is learning along with the student. This does not mean the teacher is learning the content, but rather open to learning from the student in a sustained, purposeful dialogue to promote social justice in the classroom community and the community beyond. Thompson highlights the importance of rituals in a class, such as a routine meditation or mindfulness practice. I intend to incorporate such a practice in my classroom in order to promote the mind and body connection. Additionally, in an effort to illustrate the notion of teacher and student learning, Thompson describes a naming ritual in which the students state their name and it’s meaning on the first day of class and their classmates repeat their names back to them. While she notes this exercise takes time, it embodies teaching with tenderness as it witnesses all bodies in the classroom. Additionally, shifts the traditional teacher student dynamic and allows for students to teach the class about one aspect of their identity.
References
Arao, B. and Clemens, K. (2013). From safe spaces to brave spaces: A new way to
frame dialogue around diversity and social justice, In The art of effective facilitation: Reflections from social justice educators (First ed., An acpa publication). Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, LLC. Pgs. 135 - 150.
Riyad A. Shahjahan (2015) Being ‘Lazy’ and Slowing Down: Toward decolonizing time, our body, and pedagogy, Educational Philosophy and Theory, 47:5, 488-501, DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2014.880645
Thompson, B. (2017). Teaching with Tenderness: Toward an Embodied Practice. Urbana; Chicago; Springfield: University of Illinois Press. doi:10.5406/j.ctt1t89khp