Nichelle Frank, Ph.D.
Around the time that I was in second grade, I started keeping a journal. What began as an exercise in emulating some of my favorite fictional and non-fictional heroes (those who kept diaries, at least) later became a practice of regular self-reflection. Although my personal journaling tended toward basic “documentary” writing, it created a moment for me to think carefully about how I spent my time, with whom, and why. I always felt like I could see life more clearly that way.
When I was a doctoral student, a professor recommended keeping a “research journal,” which resulted in some mental breakthroughs and served as a good way to stay self-motivated. As a professor, I’ve kept both a research and teaching journal. Why all of this journaling? My hope is that it makes me more self-aware and helps me identify the best choices moving forward. But is it actually working?
It is this theme of self-reflection that winds its way through this issue of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence. In the articles that follow, reflective work (granted, a more guided kind than the freeform journaling I describe above) emerges as a powerful tool for both teachers and students. In particular, the combination of evidence in these articles shows that self-reflection—on the part of instructors as well as students—improves student learning. Readers can walk away from this issue with valuable ideas for rethinking their roles and practices as educators as well as practical tools to implement in their classes. It is a dream combination of pedagogical thinking and practicality.
To kick off this analysis, “A Participatory Exercise in Developing Syllabi with Adult Learners” by Laneshia Conner (University of Kentucky), Nikki Jones (Spalding University), Jason P. Johnston (University of Kentucky) takes a critical approach to understanding pedagogy with adult learners by involving students in the creation of the syllabus for the course they will take. As such, the authors are questioning and challenging dominant ideologies related to the roles of instructor versus students while acknowledging student interpretations of intended course objectives and valuing those interpretations. For “A Participatory Exercise,” this included an analysis of the effects when educators shared the process of creating course syllabi with adult learners, specifically learners in a graduate social work course. As a result, students felt that their opinions mattered and learned a lesson crucial not just to social work but also to social relations—that is, what happens when power is less centralized.
In “On Becoming Online Educators,” Rachel Toncelli (Northeastern University) and Leila Rosa (EduCulture Consulting) analyze the experiences of adult learners and the educators who teach these adult learners, specifically the effects of online learning and teaching during COVID-19. The crux here is that the authors were educating teachers in how to be online educators at the time t