Higher Education and Social Justice: The Transformative Potential of University Teaching and the Power of Educational Paradox

Description

This book demonstrates how the pedagogical decision making of university academics can be shaped by engagement with an educational philosophy known as “relationship-centred education”. Beginning with critical analysis of concepts such as student engagement, student satisfaction, and student-centred learning, the author goes on to investigate how literature relating to social justice challenges educators to consider these terms in particular ways. From this basis, the book explores the factors featuring in inclusive, respectful, diverse and student-centred environments. In analysing these factors, the author illuminates the perspectives of university teachers who struggle with the unique challenges of working in the academy; including an increasingly broad set of employment demands and narrower criteria for determining ‘impact’, all while retaining focus on the transformative potential of higher education. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of transformative learning, as well as social justice within higher education. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii The Transformative Potential of Higher Education: Engaging with Educational Philosophy to Labour for Justice and Freedom (Leonie Rowan)....Pages 1-26 Influences on Academic Decision-Making in University Teaching: Perspectives from Policy, Literature, and Student-Centred Research (Leonie Rowan)....Pages 27-66 Purposeful Decision Making for Relationship-Centred Education: Productive Paradox in University Teaching (Leonie Rowan)....Pages 67-95 Purposeful Decision Making for Relationship-Centred Education: Speech and Silence in University Classrooms (Leonie Rowan)....Pages 97-124 University Teaching as Situated Work: Imagining, Experimenting, and Working for Change (Leonie Rowan)....Pages 125-137 Back Matter ....Pages 139-141