Professor Peter Felton (Elon University, US) delivered the first symposium event of the year with a focus on the theme of ‘The Compassionate Curriculum’. The event recording is now available here.
In this interactive talk Professor Felton discussed his respected international work in relationship-rich education in a wide-ranging exposition of relational approaches to pedagogic practice and learning design in higher education.
Decades of research demonstrates that the quality of student-staff and student-student interactions are foundational to engaging, inclusive, and purposeful learning. Educational relationships influence motivation, learning, belonging, and achievement for all students, and particularly for students with identities that have been (and too often, still are) excluded from or marginalized in higher education. These relationships are not only good for students; significant conversations among trusted colleagues have been shown to be crucial for faculty and staff learning, growth, inclusion, and well-being.
Building on his review of this shifting landscape for student learning, Professor Felton posed several key questions:
- What do you do to cultivate educational relationships with/among your students?
- What are significant barriers to developing these relationships?
- What do you do to develop relationships that support your professional thriving?
Working with compassionate pedagogies for students – and for us: continuing the conversation
We are delighted to have Professor Felton returning to facilitate a second (virtual) interactive event on Wednesday 18th January 2023 (13:00 – 15:00hrs) – to be held on Microsoft Teams – that will garner a collective response to these questions with focus on practical steps we can take on our own and with our colleagues to create a more relational, compassionate university.
Taken together, this two-part interactive series offers a timely exploration of how we can make our work – and our institutions – more relational and compassionate.
We invite colleagues to review the recording of Professor Felton’s talk and consider the three questions posed (see above) ahead of attending the second interactive event on 18th January 2023.
Please contact LTE@tees.ac.uk to register you place on the event.