Teaching Narratives & Narrative Teaching
American Association of Philosophy Teachers Teaching Hub, Eastern APA, Montreal, 2023 (Full Teaching Hub Program)
Friday, January 6, 9:00-10:50 (Room TBD)
Organized by Rebeccah Leiby (U. Baltimore) & Jordan Kokot (Boston University)
rleiby@bu.edu / jdkokot@bu.edu
AAPT Survey Link: https://forms.gle/qBMjTyeHctSkePws8
This session considers the various roles narratives play in philosophy classrooms, particularly in terms of (1) the philosophical narratives deployed in syllabus creation and class presentation, and (2) in terms of how students form narratives about themselves as thinkers and learners in a broader world. Storytelling is among the most basic and central modes of human learning and communication. As Fraser Hannam writes, “curriculum can be understood as a certain way of telling a story about the world. By contextualizing units of work within a narrative, lessons become more meaningful, dynamic, and engaging for the learner” (2015).
Whether in selecting readings, connecting topics, directing class conversations, or designing assignments, teachers of philosophy are consummate storytellers, and are always engaged in teaching through rich and detailed narratives. Teachers must also situate the class itself within the broader cultural narrative arc of both the academic world and the educational lives of students. Similarly, students find themselves in the midst of a variety of unfolding narratives of their own, perhaps most critically about who they are, the world they find themselves in, and in their capacities to direct their own futures. You can access a the full CFP here.
Narrative & Autobiographical Thinking in Responsible Computing
Omowumi Ogunyemi (Pan Atlantic) / oogunyemi@pau.edu.ng
Stacy Doore (Colby College) sadoore@colby.edu
Presentation Documents: https://sites.google.com/colby.edu/apa-east-div-teach-hub/home
This paper proposes narrativity and autobiographical thinking as means of integrating the elements of ethics into students’ curriculum, by building up stories in line with selected issues in the humanities. The curriculum has two pedagogical aims, firstly to introduce the students to ethical issues in their areas of specialization and secondly to help them envision themselves as agents of change. This paper presents a curriculum for a course built for engaging students actively in seeking ways of responsible computing, thus preparing them to be future leaders in the world of science. It is hoped that each student who uses this curriculum will identify areas in which they can use their knowledge of computing and information sciences to make changes that promote human flourishing for themselves and for others in the society.
You can access the Computing Narratives project here.
Show & Tell Pedagogies: A Story Assignment
Jennifer Epp (Huron at Western) / jepp6@uwo.ca
In this workshop, I will tell participants a story about rehabilitating a failed assignment in the context of a third-year university philosophy course before offering two interactive exercises. Telling this story enables two things. First, it suggests the importance of pedagogies based on showing rather than telling, even in a language-based discipline like philosophy. Second, it introduces workshop participants to a potential assignment that they may wish to adapt for their own courses.
Rehabilitating the Narrative Character of Classrooms
Michael Starling (University of Georgia) / michael.starling25@uga.edu
Presentation Documents: Sample Syllabus / Mentimeter Presentation (access code 7986 7863)
In Chapter 2 of his Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968), Paulo Freire roundly criticizes what he refers to as the “narration sickness” of education. This sickness reveals itself through the relationship of teacher and student in which the teacher’s control of the content and presentation of the material presumes and promotes the objectification of students as patients in the educational process, perpetuating a “banking model” of education. He suggests that a liberatory pedagogy must do away with narrativity and instead embrace a problem-posing framework. And yet, narratives remain a powerful tool in the philosophy instructor’s toolbox, especially for producing coherent course design and thematically consistent reading lists that introduce students to and provide avenues for well-grounded engagement with increasingly dense bodies of literature. Is it always the case that class narratives diminish student agency? Can course narratives be used productively to encourage student exploration and the development of a student’s “critical consciousness”? How so?
In this presentation, I offer my introduction to philosophy course as a case study for examining these questions. The survey course examines the history of philosophy through the lens of philosophy of education.
The Teaching Hub at the 2023 Eastern Division meeting will be held on Thursday, January 5–Friday, January 6. The Teaching Hub is a series of interactive workshops and open conversations designed specifically for philosophers and created to celebrate teaching within the context of the APA divisional meetings. Jointly organized by the APA Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy (CTP) and the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT), the Teaching Hub aims to offer a range of high-quality and inclusive development opportunities that address the teaching of philosophy at all levels, pre-college through graduate school.
These events, which are free to all meeting registrants, aim to bring the collegial and supportive culture of the AAPT to the APA; to stretch beyond the traditional APA format with sessions that model active learning; and to attract a broader range of philosophers to our divisional meetings. There is something for every philosopher at the Teaching Hub. Please explore our programming, locate a session that interests you, help yourself to a refreshment, and develop your craft in the company of like-minded colleagues who believe in the transformative power of philosophy.
Jerry Green, Co-Chair, 2023 Eastern Teaching Hub
Kiran Bhardwaj, Co-Chair, 2023 Eastern Teaching Hub
Jennifer Wilson Mulnix, AAPT President