Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Connection Over Correction: Engaging Students In Conversational Commitments For Effective Communication Across Difference And Difficulty, Jennifer Sandoval

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

In light of a national reckoning with racism in the U.S., many instructors are assessing their own pedagogical practices with regard to handling these topics in their classrooms. In developing my authentic teaching philosophy over the course of 18 years, I have adapted many practices I used in my prior career in dispute resolution. To clarify, I center classroom engagement around what Hart (2007) describes as “a pedagogy of interiority.” Classroom engagement focuses on connection rather than correction as we help students develop their “authentic inner potentials” (p. 2). I regularly challenge myself to invite students to develop their authentic …