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Teaching Transformation: Book Review

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This blog post was originally posted on Gender Across Borders as part of the Feminism and Education series. It ran yesterday at http://tinyurl.com/45bozm8.  Today, I am posting it on my blog.

Teaching Transformation: Transcultural Classroom Dialogues (2007) by AnaLouise Keating is a much needed book for educators. The book casts a wide net, as those interested in feminism, transformative teaching, pedagogy, race, and sexuality will get something out of this book. The book continues in a long line of great books about pedagogy like Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks. Keating unpacks issues of dialogue, power, discussion, and pedagogy in her book.

The major strengths of the book lie in the fact that Keating willingly shares her successes and teachable moments with us. I hasten to say failures, since they were moments when she learned something new and this does not constitute a failure. She also reminds us that you cannot teach about race without also discussing Whiteness. By not including Whiteness, we place it in the place of dominance. Thus, unpacking Whiteness in the classroom is needed. She shares how difficult this can be in the classroom, as it requires serious introspection by students and the instructor. Keating reminds us to think about how the learning environment needs to provide students with a framework. And, this is not just the syllabus, but the way that the class will study the topics, treat one another, and go to the material.

In a similar fashion, Keating acknowledges that teaching gender requires an inclusive framework, too. While the term Intersectionality is only used three times in the book and is in the index, her method is clearly offering an Intersectional approach to her pedagogy. Although, from perusing the index, I see that interdependence, interconnectivity, transformational multiculturalism, and relational teaching strategies are used more. In my opinion, these are fruit from the same tree and make her book well-suited for the feminist instructor.

What this book does that most others have not, though, is include 7 separate appendices which the nascent to seasoned instructor will find useful. Appendix 1 “Dialogue: Some of My Presuppositions” provides a framework for the classroom discussions. What are the rules of engagement for the class? She spells this out with six presuppositions. They vary from social justice exists, our educations have been biased to people have a basic goodness (125-26). In Appendix II “Listening with Raw Openness,” she reminds us that listening is a crucial component of teaching and transformative dialogue. Appendices IV and V relate to Whiteness and the importance of also teaching Whiteness when having discussions about race. The Appendix 6 offers several sample syllabi from different courses she has taught.

The book made me think of my agency as an instructor, but also the students who sit in my classes. They have agency as well and I have to remember to nurture this and allow them to explore it both in class and in their assignments. Learning is not static and as educators we need to keep abreast of new teaching strategies. Feminist educators need a copy of Teaching Transformation on their bookshelf—nestled right beside books by bell hooks.

Each term I re-evaluate my courses and think of the hits and misses. Keating’s book caused me to think about how I will reflect about my courses this term. I have already followed some of her suggestions and will continue to do so as I begin intensive grading this next week. This book speaks to educators in the Humanities and Social Sciences at the high school through post-secondary levels.

Advising Undergradutes

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I am one of the department’s three Undergraduate Advisors and I have come to love this part of my job. I’ve previously posted about this, but today I want to speak to the little things that I take special care to do in my office. I am well aware that some students are intimidated by this advising thing. They want good news. They really want me to say, “Yes, you’re on the right track to graduate.”

I am an advocate for them and will do what I can with the university policies. But, ultimately they have to take the classes and pass them. I find that listening is the biggest part of advising. Advising takes time. And, I try to establish a rapport with the student. It’s during these moments that I am trying to demystify the hoops that the students have to jump through. Sure, the student could look at the website and check of classes, but some don’t. They want an instructor or advisor to help them with this–to triple check and I’m OK with that.

I have to admit that I do prefer the face to face advising. When I get a rather long-winded email about advising issues, my first response is sending my office hour schedule to the student. There is something about the face to face contact and then the other conversations that come out. Students are more apt to ask about the next term’s courses, work, and letters of reference in advising appointment. I do feel that I can do more face to face, but that’s just me.

Feminisms

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Hypothetically, let’s say I was I was interviewed by a local reporter a few weeks ago. And, since this is a hypothetical situation I’ll go ahead and leave the reporter nameless. Again, this is all just for kicks and giggles as I would have to make this sort of story up, right?

I was initially contacted for an article to run prior to March 8, which is International Women’s Day. Ultimately during the interview it became apparent that the interview was on background and that the reporter and I did not see eye to eye. Now, both these points are fine.

I knew that this interview was different than other interviews. I was told that I would have an opportunity to review my quotes. I’m sorry but I do not get that opportunity. I’m not George Clooney or Oprah! At that time I new that I was dealing with the junior varsity squad. Regardless, imagine my surprise when I was asked this question, “So, me and my girlfriend are 25 and like, well, thanks to feminism we are having a hard time finding a man to take care of us.” I started to cough.

“Can you please restate the question.”

She did and it was pretty much the same sentiment. I moved into a spiel about class, race, and education privilege. And the response was, “Oh, I never thought of it that way.” I changed the subject to how so many people don’t really know what feminism is about and how the Feminist Political Thought seminar did a “homework” exercise requiring them to speak to someone about feminism. She listened and our call ended and I realized that the article was going to be interesting.

The article that this reporter wrote essentially argued that feminism has gone too far. My first point of contention. We have feminisms. There are different variants and theories that it’s so easy to condense them into one. A previous post of mine discussed this notion of “Big Old Bad Feminism.” My next major issue with the article is that feminism is not partially blame for overtired, overworked, unhappy women. I do think that economic injustice might be more responsible or a society that does not value women’s paid and unpaid work.

Now I can get to the issue of racialized women. Racialized women in North America do not have equal access to education and are over-represented in the prison industrial complex. They are connected to the criminal justice system more so than their white, middle class cohort. Unfortunately racialized women are also more likely to be victims of domestic violence and not live as long. Then, if we look to all women, we see that they are doing the second or third shift. Women do more care work compared to men. So, has feminism gone too far? No, my friends it has not.

It’s short-sighted and false to make such ridiculous claims. As much as I love my dear, sweet partner–we take care of one another. I could win the Super Lotto tomorrow and I would keep my job. I love it. I’m making a difference in young people’s lives. But, then again, I have more depth to my personality and life experience. Then, I woke up. This was just a random nightmare thanks to my cold medicines. Right?!

Learning and Writing vs. Writing for the Instructor

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There are always a few students in a class who are more concerned with writing for the instructor, than with writing something that they are keenly interested in or perhaps even believe. I feel a slight sense of frustration when I hear that they “just want a good grade.” This is a common lament among educators, so what do we do? Since the majority of the courses that I teach focus on gender, the students know that I am a feminist and hold feminist issues near and dear to my heart. Due to this, some of them sense that this bias is somehow more insidious than my Marxist’s colleagues beliefs.

What do I do? I tend to play devil’s advocate lots during lecture and try to push the students. Sometimes, gasp, I’ll even say things that I don’t necessarily believe, but I might want to instigate some discussion among the students. I hope that they leave the class with a better understanding of the concepts, yes. But, more so, I want them to leave better critical thinkers. And, this means that they don’t have to agree with me. Hopefully, some of the students working on their papers will read this and augment their papers accordingly. Don’t write for me. Write the for the argument–write the paper.

Letting Go: Teaching Assistants

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This term I did something that I haven’t done before, I am trusting the Teaching Assistants as a group to run workshops and formulate possible mid-term questions. At first it gave me pause, but now it feels quite liberating to offer them this opportunity. I haven’t heard any negative feedback from the first workshop, so I assume that it went well.

And, the students barely had access to the working mid-term questions, so we’ll see what they think of the exam. My philosophy (still) with the TA’s is that they are an apprentice role. This letting go might really be based on the fact that four of my 6 TAs have worked with me before and that I feel comfortable with their work ethic and their knowledge of the material. I’m not sure. But, I do realize that part of our working relationship is to mentor them. What better way, than offering them some more autonomy.

Sure, I’ll still provide grading keys and answer any questions as needed in the hallway, my office, via email as this is part of the deal. But, I will also look to more chances for them to take a leadership role with the students’ learning. I want these TAs to share my excitement with working with students. It’s such an important part of our work and we cannot privilege research–here is their chance to decide if this entire academic “thing” is for them.

I just hope that the next batch of TAs are as good as this current one. Fingers crossed.

Power

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I was lucky enough to give two off campus lectures this week. One was at a local middle school in town and focused on “Teen Lit and Politics.” Talking to teens is an exercise in patience. Some are interested, bored, phoning it in or really focused on making googly eyes with the person sitting behind or beside them! So, you just have to wing it and be prepared for interruptions, giggling, and some good energy!

The second talk I gave was at UBC in Vancouver and this talk was given to a Public Policy class. I was invited by my friend and colleague, Dr. Raul Pacheco-Vega. The entire experience was fabulous. The students were engaged and asked all sorts of questions, and offered provocative points. On the ferry ride home, I was thinking about the trip and had to remind myself about the power that professors have when they walk into the classroom. Some students will be very careful about what they say, since they don’t want to be judged by the professor.

It’s amazing to me that students asking me what I thought about “Lipstick” feminists and other topics germane or tangentially related to my talk made me have this epiphany. I’ve had this moment before, but I must say it’s great to be reminded. I think it’s humbling and makes me as a professor walk back into the classroom with more compassion and patience. It’s good for my feminist politics.

I do think that those of us teaching material connected to social justice issues face this more. Students want to appear like a good social justice activist. I assume that students who self-select to take a class with gender or feminist in the title are probably already progressive leaning. But, this reminder this week was instructive. I walked back into my classroom and we chatted about this.

I explained that there is a big tent for feminists and we had a good conversation about feminists and people (women and men) who advocate feminism. I am hopeful that my students got that feminism is more than button wearing, but can also include having so-called guilty pleasure watching TV. Feminists and feminist advocates are human, too!

I know that my feminist politics are fluid and have evolved over the last twenty years and I’m glad to interact with students who are hard-core feminists, dabbling in feminism, or social justice activists. I hope that the class materials and discussions informs their politics and offers them some ground for more critical thinking. I joked with my students and noted that I don’t judge their feminism or their politics, but instead evaluate their critical thinking skills and their writing with the assignments. I hope that they understand this. I would prefer that they be honest in class and not worry about what I think or if I’m judging them. In the meantime, though, I will try to keep the learning environment safe for them to want to talk, to want to interject their assessment of readings or respond to me or another’s comment. Bring it on.

Students and Attendance

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I have been chatting with colleagues about students and attendance in courses. What do we do to get students in the classroom? Better yet–wanting to come to class and ready to participate might actually offer the correct comment or want by faculty. I have incorporated attendance and participation into the way that I evaluate the students, but I have also not assessed their attendance and participation.

What have I found? It’s a pain to take roll, yes, but I find that I learn the students’ names faster, when I take roll. Students can come to class and not really be there-not want to be there and might be doing their math homework for all I know. I find that for early morning courses, I really have to peppy and be prepared to perform more. I have to wake them up and I have to make the class “worth” it for them to wake up early and come to campus. I also find that when participation is used to evaluate them, they are more apt to come to class.

There is no easy way to answer this question. Why? Some terms this is not a point of concern, as the stars will align and you don’t even have to worry about it. I find that attendance also varies between the type of class–large lecture, small lecture, seminar and the year of the student. Then, add to this the type of student: keener, good, enthusiastic, year of the student, major, minor, etc. There are so many factors outside of an instructor’s control.

Thinking of my undergraduate career, I know that I attended class all the time. I was a keener and would always make sure that my work schedule never conflicted with my school schedule. I also looked at my attendance at university as a privilege (first generation college student). I would look around the room at all these “new” people during the mid-term and wondered why they never came to class. Before anyone comments that students today are working–been there, done that. I was often working two jobs and volunteering at the radio station, paper, or student club(s).

When I am wearing my professorial hat, I also know that there is a correlation between good attendance and good marks. But, I can talk about this until I am red in the face and only some students will listen to this point or “get” it. I do feel bad for the students who are phoning it in and really don’t seem like they want to be in class or at university. But, that is probably another blog post!

Gender and Service

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I’ve been thinking about my face time with students. I know that I am a pretty good undergraduate advisor. The long line out my door attests to this, as well as the comments. But, when data was recently published about the gendered differences and increased service burden that women faculty face, I was not surprised, angry or frustrated. The reality is that students and departments do have different gendered expectations for the faculty and staff on campus. Frankly, they have them off campus when they are in store, business office, government offices, etc.

While I think it’s unfair that women carry more than a fair burden to advise and conduct service, I will continue to be the best undergraduate advisor that I can be. But, I will continue to try to offer a polite “no thanks” when other service heavy opportunities come my way. I try to be strategic with my yes and no responses. And, I will confer with my trusted “posse” of mentors and peers when these opportunities arise.

My advice to new instructors is to be savvy. Say yes when the service position is one that will open doors for you and where you can learn lots. Saying yes to high profile events can also serve a purpose–being seen is a positive. Remember that you represent your faculty or department, so do so with pride and integrity. But, by all means stay focused on keeping your job. If you do not get rewarded for service, then be more careful.

Some Career Advice~ From the Undergrad Advisor

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You’re in your last year of university and getting nervous as the school year starts, hits the half way point or is ending. But, for the sake of ease, let’s pretend it’s mid-way through your last year of university. I’m going to make some suggestions for you. And, these are my opinions alone and not endorsed by my employer. This advice comes from my own university experience, 14 years of teaching, and years of advising unofficially and officially.
1. Get yourself to the Career Center or the Career offices. Your campus should have an office with extremely competent staff who are there to help you. But, understand that they aren’t there to help you get a job, rather they are there to give you the skills so that you get yourself that job. They will empower you, but it’s all about your own skills and your own file.

2. Speak with your departments Undergraduate Advisor. Believe it or not, s/he might have some good advice to give you. The advisor might know of additional job boards in your area of interest.

3. Speak to trusted peers who are in your situation or who have recently graduated. Your peers are a useful resource, too.

4. Confer with other faculty or mentors that you have in the campus community or community at large. Now is not the time to feel shy. You have to reach out and make some effort.

5. If it works for your field (and which fields does it not work for?) get on social media. Yes, join Linked in and establish your profile there and meet others on the platform. Ask people questions—especially those in the industry that you’re interested in.

6. Are you blogging or on Twitter? Will these platforms be useful for you? If so, then do it. But, always be very careful with your digital footprint. Google yourself and see what is out there. That photo of you in residence engaging in naked beer sliding—might need to be deleted! OK, you really don’t have compromising photos, but do take a look and see what photos and status updates you’ve had so that you won’t have a future employer “creep” and find something that they don’t like.

Particular to Victoria, I suggest to students that they not only look at the local job boards (BC Public Service, municipality job boards, and UVIC’s U-Hire, but also VIATEC’s. You never know what you might find in many of these. I also explain to students that they most likely won’t get hired right out of their undergrad as a senior policy analyst. The truth is that you’re going to have to work your way up and this might mean that you’re working in a position that requires data entry, filing, and “gofer” work. You have to cut your teeth in a job and be prepared for this.

If you’re interested in working in Victoria, I suggest that you keep abreast of when there are Chamber of Commerce events (Victoria or Westshore) and attend some of the events to network and meet local members. Note that members of this organization aren’t only local business owners, but government types, elected officials, and just regular people who are interested in the community. Also, attend other local events and get to know the community. This might mean registering with Meet Up and looking for events that will allow you to meet other like minded people. The thought of doing this might make you feel uncomfortable, but you need to get out and meet more people and realize that the limited discomfort can pay off with a mentor, community building, contacts, and possibly a job connection.

I have seen students take 4-8 months to find work after they graduate and this is pretty common. The students who are willing to take risks or start at the entry level position are the ones who have been the most successful. What are you doing to do?

Response to Pushing Back on Mediocre College Professors: Revisit

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After chatting with some other academics, I felt it was worth revisiting this post from 2010. Seth Godin posted a blog post http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/10/pushing-back-on-professors.html about how students need to push back-perhaps expect more from their mediocre college professors. I didn’t really take offense at the blog post. I don’t think Godin is speaking to me. My favorite part of my job, as a college professor, is the classroom–lecturing and engaging with students. I’m good with people–well, most people. Don’t believe the lies on RMP. The haters are gonna hate and motivate, and potatoes are going to potate. (OK, inside joke and perhaps a bad one).

I get what Godin is saying, but he’s making a big assumption about students. We get lots of unmotivated and perhaps barely mediocre students in our classroom. But, I do want to respond to parts of his blog. I really want to push back on the mediocre or barely mediocre students who come to class unprepared or only wanting to offer knee jerk commentary and not real engagement with the course materials. I wish that all of the students in my class came to class prepared and ready to discuss the readings, but this is not the case. It might be the time of day or the time of the term and the students just cannot give 70% to the class.

I have countless students who don’t bother to even come to class, pick up their work or attend their tutorials. Students need to remember that they are also responsible for engaging in their education. Professors are only part of the equation. A good class really includes good students or students who are there to learn. Students are responsible to and for a good class. If they give very little, they are going to get very little out of the class. I don’t have a wand to dispense information.  Continue reading →