My teaching philosophy
Freire (2000) called us to have the courage to love and see education as a liberatory act of love. This love is not a passive emotion but an active practice (hooks, 2000)... We see acts of love and a pedagogy of love as interchangeable with solidarity... In other words, to be in solidarity with someone is to engage in actions that seek to redress issues of oppression in the classroom and across the world. Solidarity is an act of love and calls us to embrace a pedagogy of love.
Flores & Román Alfaro (2022)
Flores & Román Alfaro (2022)
My philosophy as an educator is rooted in the premise that higher education is responsible for forming socially responsible citizens who respond and are accountable to their communities. Socially responsible citizens are autonomous, reflexive, creative, collaborative, and committed to equity. My approach to teaching reflects this intellectual premise.
Autonomy and reflexivity. As an educator, I aim to provide students with the tools, strategies, and space to develop their capacity for self-directed and reflexive learning so they can adapt and thrive in different environments beyond the classroom.
Creativity and collaboration. Higher education is not an individual venture; universities and students belong to communities with needs. Thus, my courses make the education process a collective and creative endeavour in which students work together to achieve common goals that impact their community.
Commitment to equity. As a woman of colour from a low-income background, who comes to the Global North from the world’s geopolitical margins, I recognize the importance of making our classrooms spaces where students learn from and engage with the work of people who have been historically erased from university spaces.
My teaching practices are defined by who my students and I are. I see my role in the classroom as a guide who supports students learning, challenging them to question what they think they know. I continue to seek teaching development spaces where we can mutually learn to be better citizens. It is not an easy path, but it is rewarding.
Autonomy and reflexivity. As an educator, I aim to provide students with the tools, strategies, and space to develop their capacity for self-directed and reflexive learning so they can adapt and thrive in different environments beyond the classroom.
Creativity and collaboration. Higher education is not an individual venture; universities and students belong to communities with needs. Thus, my courses make the education process a collective and creative endeavour in which students work together to achieve common goals that impact their community.
Commitment to equity. As a woman of colour from a low-income background, who comes to the Global North from the world’s geopolitical margins, I recognize the importance of making our classrooms spaces where students learn from and engage with the work of people who have been historically erased from university spaces.
My teaching practices are defined by who my students and I are. I see my role in the classroom as a guide who supports students learning, challenging them to question what they think they know. I continue to seek teaching development spaces where we can mutually learn to be better citizens. It is not an easy path, but it is rewarding.