Abstract
The academic, cultural, and social disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic affected all aspects of teaching and learning. Instructors and students alike were forced to make a rapid digital pivot into a world of online learning and disrupted human interaction and connection. Recent literature aptly describes the resulting suffering, grief, burnout and languishing that continues in this post-pandemic era. At the same time, sources propose that it is time for a “hard re-set” in order to regain a semblance of the familiar and predictable once evident in classrooms around the world. This 45-minute workshop will present a pedagogical model designed to build and strengthen authentic teaching and learning while finding our way back to each other in the classroom, be it place-based, online, or a hybrid of both. This model is informed by the principles and concepts of Relational Cultural Theory (RCT). Specific to education, RCT prioritizes the teacher/student relationship and aims to reduce the power differential therein, assists students in finding meaning through growth-fostering relationships, and supports the modeling of vulnerability, humanity, and professionalism in the higher education classroom. Presenters will offer relational-cultural strategies that foster authentic connection within the teacher-learner dynamic, addressing common issues surrounding power, trust, and meaning making. Participants will also be offered a toolkit of resources informed by RCT and designed to promote empathy, compassion, and healthy feedback exchanges. This session is suited to engage students with various professional interests, although special emphasis will be placed on helping professionals in higher education.
Presenters
Sarah SpringerAssociate Professor, Department of Professional Counseling, Monmouth University, New Jersey, United States Virginia Rondero Hernandez
Owner, LifeShift Coaching and Consultation, Texas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Relational-Cultural Theory, Connection, Authenticity
