I have always been deeply concerned about the quality of teaching and learning we provide for our students.
For years, I preached the power and potential of technologies and techniques to transform a classroom.
But technologies and techniques do not always work.
I slipped into a funk.
I felt disconnected from my students.
I didn’t know who they were anymore.
So I decided to get to know them.
Every day after class I would announce to my large lecture, “I’m going to lunch. Anybody who would like to join is welcome!”
And so, every day, day after day, I had lunch with a different student.
There is just one rule of lunch: No small talk.
And as each student opened up to me I started to see them differently.
And my teaching changed.
Instead of starting with technology and technique, I started with them – getting to know them and their needs.
But what really brought back the joy of teaching was rediscovering the joy of learning.
Watching my own kids reminded me that
I started learning things that were hard and scary for me, like drawing (animation), swimming, and handstands:
And as people helped me learn these things, I remembered that on the journey of learning
This website is a humble exploration of the joy of teaching and learning and how to spread that joy to others.
5 comments: On My Journey to the Joy of Learning
I cannot wait to see where you go with this. There’s not enough of this sense of fun and adventure and permission to fail left in college pedagogy.
Totally agree!
I applaud your concern and interest in the ‘other side’ of the classroom, i.e., the students. I do we think we can learn so much from them is we just bother to communicate. Our world is changing so rapidly that we need to continually touch base with the new generation.
I have been following your work and your students work for almost a decade now. I always learn and really enjoy it. I did the “what do these classroom walls say” activity in four of my classes at the University of Houston Clear Lake this past week. Students really got into it. I had them make a list on the board. Here’s the list from one of the classes: http://andrewpegoda.com/2015/09/05/the-joys-of-teaching/
LOVE the new blog! Shared the video in class the other day and my students were SO inspired. Most mentioned that too many professors seem uninterested in the personal side of learning. Thanks for your lead and can’t wait to see your improved handstands! I love taking on risks in front of my students, too. But showing them it’s a natural part of growth and development by using Baby George was genius!
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About Me
University Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University.
contact mike.wesch@gmail.com
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