On the way back from a conference this week, I had the pleasure of catching up on listening to the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast by Bonni Stachowiak. I always enjoy both the blog posts and podcast. One of the shows I listened to was an interview with Ken Bain, the author of What the Best College Teachers Do. As per usual, the conversation was very insightful. In addition to discussing what has and hasn’t changed in college teaching since the original publication of the book in 2004, they had a brief exchange about being vulnerable and authentic in the classroom (it begins at about 15 minutes into the show).
It’s easy to assume the mantle of authority in the classroom (one of my undergraduate history professors used to say that professors are those to profess to know). In some cases, that may be exactly what many students want. In the interview, Dr. Bain says, “We often teach as if we are God.” How refreshing and revealing, though, when we acknowledge the tentative and limited nature of our knowledge. Particularly as we work with advanced students, I think it’s critical to “pull back the curtain,” and provide students with a sense of the real work of academia – the tentative nature of knowledge, the struggle with ideas, and the challenge of articulating them with integrity.
If you have a little more than half an hour, do yourself a favor and enjoy the podcast.
What does being authentic mean to you?
Please post your comments below.
It’s easy to assume the mantle of authority in the classroom (one of my undergraduate history professors used to say that professors are those to profess to know). In some cases, that may be exactly what many students want. In the interview, Dr. Bain says, “We often teach as if we are God.” How refreshing and revealing, though, when we acknowledge the tentative and limited nature of our knowledge. Particularly as we work with advanced students, I think it’s critical to “pull back the curtain,” and provide students with a sense of the real work of academia – the tentative nature of knowledge, the struggle with ideas, and the challenge of articulating them with integrity.
If you have a little more than half an hour, do yourself a favor and enjoy the podcast.
What does being authentic mean to you?
Please post your comments below.
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