Graduate Teaching Award Winner: Clarisse Paron

Vulnerable Learning, Authentic Teaching

I am honoured to receive one of the Dalhousie President's Graduate Student Teaching Awards, and grateful to share some of my teaching experiences and reflections. I’m Clarisse, a PhD Student in the Department of Philosophy, and I was recognized for my dedication to “embedding EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) in teaching practice, teaching philosophy, and education.” 

In my doctoral program, I have instructed four different courses, in which I was responsible for designing course syllabi; creating assessments; lecturing on the course material; designing and coordinating in-class learning activities; and leading and managing TAs. I worked as a teaching assistant for six different courses, and co-supervised an undergraduate honor’s thesis. Having taught in various capacities before teaching at the university level was instrumental to my success teaching in higher education (for example, I’ve taught group fitness classes, like “Aqua-size,” for over eight years). For one, my other teaching roles gave me confidence to address a large group of people. While I encountered some nerves teaching my first university course, they faded quickly once I realized it wasn’t much different than my other teaching roles. Moreover, these other positions helped me develop time management skills, necessary for lecture planning and knowing how to pivot if discussions went longer, or shorter, than planned. I did not have these skills before teaching in these other roles—they took years of practice to master.

This early exposure to teaching also gave me the foundation to integrate evidence-based, higher education pedagogies into my course design and delivery. When I started teaching my own courses, I was already comfortable in the classroom, which helped me focus on integrating EDI, one of my core teaching and research values. However, this task would have been daunting if I hadn’t participated in Dalhousie’s Certificate in Teaching and Learning Program. I would recommend a new educator take this certificate (or the course, CNTL 5000) right before, or during, teaching for the first time. The certificate helped me critically reflect on my teaching values while giving me insight into designing a course that aligns with my values. Each semester, I reflect on how I can improve my course activities, content, and policies to be more accessible and inclusive. Then, I keep what works and experiment with new ideas for the next course.

My most significant takeaway from the Graduate Teaching Certificate was my realization that the traditional lecture-style format of higher education is not inclusive or accessible; and, if I only lectured to my students, my teaching would not align with my values. Moreover, the discipline of philosophy has been heavily criticized in recent years for its lack of diversity in curricula, community, and theoretical approaches. Unexpectedly, these insights led to my discovery of a new interest in transformative pedagogy and motivated me to seek out professional development workshops on inclusive education, as well as apply for pedagogy- and EDI-focused research assistantships.

I attribute my growth as an educator to the close mentorship I received from those I worked with in my research assistantships. I used these assistantships as an opportunity to ask my mentors (all who care deeply about effective and transformative pedagogy) about their justifications for certain pedagogical decisions and to find inspiration for innovative learning activities. Echoing the certificate program, my research supervisors emphasized designing a course with the learning outcomes at the fore. Whenever I feel uncertain about course design decisions, I always come back to the simple but foundational question: Does this [activity, assessment, course policy, etc.] fit my learning outcomes? As I tend to teach applied philosophy to students who do not have much experience taking philosophy courses, I find that this question always gives me clarity. I want my students to learn to reason and think critically about their (and society’s) beliefs, values, and assumptions (and of course, this is an important step in teaching my students about EDI), which means that memorization and learning the intricate details of a philosophical argument is not the best use of my teaching time. I’ve found it easier to create learning activities and assessments when I start with inclusivity, accessibility, and critical thinking as the outcome, rather than trying to teach my students how I was taught in my undergraduate degree and figure out how EDI fits into this precedent.

Lastly, I have always found my students (whether in fitness or university) to be more receptive when I teach authentically. Not only do I feel more comfortable teaching, but my students perceive me to be approachable. I am transparent with my students about my pedagogical justifications for course activities and policies, and, more importantly, I admit when I don’t know something or make a mistake. I teach with epistemic humility because I want to model how my students can respectfully engage with interlocutors and be open to opportunities for feedback and learning. Again, my reasoning comes down to my primary learning outcomes for my courses: teaching critical thinking and understanding oppressive systems. I want to encourage my students to ask questions and be critical of the information they encounter. While teaching authentically with epistemic humility doesn’t win over every student, I’m satisfied knowing that my students make a start learning the skills I intend them to develop—skills that will help them beyond their undergraduate journey.