Your Discomfort Is Valid: Big Feelings and Open Pedagogy

Authors

Liz Pearce, Linn-Benton Community CollegeFollow
Silvia L. Lin Hanick, CUNY La Guardia Community CollegeFollow
Amy R. Hofer, Linn-Benton Community CollegeFollow
Lori Townsend, University of New MexicoFollow
Michaela Willi Hooper, OER ConsultantFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2022

Abstract

This article explores the affective reactions of 13 community college students engaged in an open pedagogy textbook creation project. The instructor and first author, a human development and family services faculty member and department chair at a community college in Oregon, received feedback from her students that the project impacted them differently than past learning experiences. Student engagement with research and the diverse personal experiences of their classmates fostered both personal challenges and growth. This article groups these experiences into themes and explores different theoretical lenses, including scaffolding (constructivism), transformative learning, threshold concepts and safe spaces/brave spaces. We discuss the support that students and faculty can use in similar learning situations, such as metacognition and cultural humility. Finally, we offer a visual model that open educators can use and adapt to consider how to raise or lower the stakes of an open pedagogy assignment.

Comments

This work was originally published in Knowledge Cultures 10(2), 2022, pp. 24-51. https://doi.org/10.22381/kc10220222