TheTeacherasInterlocutorofKnowledge:ThreeBasicPedagogicalComponents APhilosophyofEducation AndrewT.

Arroyo

AsanInterdisciplinaryStudies(INT)professor,thegoalofmyteachingistofacilitatethe emergenceofnewinterdisciplinarians,andmyphilosophyofeducationsetforthinthisdocument undergirdsthisendeavor.KleinandNewell(1996)defineinterdisciplinarityasaprocessofansweringa question,solvingaproblem,oraddressingatopicthatistoobroadorcomplextobedealtwith adequatelybyasingledisciplineorprofession(3).Isucceedasaprofessorwhenmystudentscome intotheirownasinterdisciplinarians,whichmeansaddressingrealworldproblemstheyhaveidentified basedontheirownfieldsofinterestwithnewformsofknowledgetheyhaveconstructedthroughunique combinationsofdisciplinarytheories. ThustheprospectofteachingINTisbothexcitinganddaunting.Thepossibilitiesforexploration andcreationareboundless,andthejoyofseeingstudentscrossoverfromnarrowmindsetsto expansivethinkingrefreshesmeeachsemester.But,giventhenearinfinitudeofdisciplinaryknowledge andthewaysinwhichitcanbecombinedcreatively,Ilackthetimeandexpertisetointroducemy studentstoallofthedisciplines,letalonetoallofthepossiblelinkagesbetweenthem.Myown disciplinaryspecialtiesoftheology,philosophy,organizationaltheory,andhighereducationrepresent onlyasliverofthevastspecialtiesinexistence.Iamunabletobeanexpertinchemistry,psychology, mathematics,engineering,medicine,history,oranynumberofthehundredsofdisciplinesandsub disciplinesfromwhichstudentsmaydraw. Consequently,mytask,bynecessity,ismoremodest:(1)toexposestudentstoabroadrangeof worldviewsthroughwhichpeopleinterpretreality,and(2)totrainstudentsinsomebasictransferrable skillsthatinterdisciplinariansuseintheiractivityofcreatingnewknowledgeinthecontextofthose worldviews.Someoftheskillsconsistof,butarenotlimitedto,criticalthinking,ideageneration, research,theorybuilding,andwrittenandoralcommunication.WorldviewsIcoverincludemodernism, postmodernism,feminism,Afrocentrism,andwesternversusnonwesternontologiesrangingfrom religiousviewpoints,tosocietaldifferences,toalternatenotionsoftheself. Myphilosophyofeducationisvitalhere.Aneffectualdischargeoftheabovetwotaskscanonly takeplaceifanappropriatephilosophyofeducationundergirdsit.Tothatend,Ihaveconcludedthat threebasicpedagogicalcomponentsareessentialtomytaskasateacher.Thesecomponentsdescribe bothwhatImustdoasaninstructor,aswellaswhatstudentsmustdoasparticipants.Eachisintegralto theothers.HowIoperatetheclassroomonapracticallevelwithrespecttoassignments,exercises,and assessmentsdependsonthesmoothfunctioningofthesecomponents.Thefollowingisabriefoverview ofthecomponents.

 TheThreeBasicPedagogicalComponents

New Knowledge

Spacesof Freedom

CoCreators

I. CoCreators

Ibeginwiththebasicontologicalassumptionthatmystudentspossessjustasmuchpotentialto generatenewknowledgeasdoI.Thischallengesthelongstandingmodeloflearnerpassivityandofthe allknowingprofessor.Thelearnersareagentsinthemselves,givingthemasubstantialamountofrights andresponsibilitiesintheintellectualgrowthprocess.Theideaofstudentsascocreatorshasrootsin severalphilosophicalideas,includingexistentialism,MahayanaBuddhism,andJudeoChristianity. Asitrelatestoexistentialism,JeanPaulSartresphraseexistenceprecedesessenceisapplicable. Thismeansthathumannatureisfluidratherthanfixed.Apersonsformation(i.e.,whatheorshewill become)isdeterminedbywhatheorshedoes,ratherthantheotherwayaround.Iencouragemy studentstoputforthfulleffortduringthesemesterintakingthestepsnecessarytobecomethe intellectualstheywishtobe.Icannotenactthisprocessofbecomingforthem.Existentialismhingeson actionsgeneratedbyindividualselves. Next,thereistheideaofInterdependentCoArising,borrowedfromMahayanaBuddhism.As importantastheindividualselfis,theselfaloneisimpotent.InterdependentCoArisingstandsagainst ruggedindividualismandindependence,teachinginsteadthateveryoneandeverythingaretheresultof innumerablecauses.Withrespecttoeducation,thismeansnooneteachesorlearnsalone.Aconstant learningcycletakesplaceinwhichallparticipantsdoinfactparticipate.Evenasmystudentslearnfrom me,Iamconstantlylearningfromthem,andwegrowtogether.ItisnotunliketheAfricannotionof ubuntu,whichstates,Iambecauseyouare. Finally,thereistheJudeoChristiannotionofstewardsandoverseers.Inthebiblicalbookof Genesis,Godendowedhumanswiththepowertobefruitfulandtomultiply.Additionally,hegavethem thepowerofnaming.Thepowerofnamingisacreativeability,whichextendsintoallaspectsoflife,

includingeducation.Allpersons,includingthoseinthestudentrole,arefreetobearchitectsofideas andtoassignnamesandvaluesthereto.Iendeavortohelpstudentsseetheirinherentpowertogive birthtoideas,theories,andthelike,andtorealizehowprivilegedtheyaretobeabletonametheir creations.Itisimportanttoemphasizethatthisisnotanexclusivelyreligiousidea.Nonreligiouspersons canappreciatefullythebasichumanabilitytonametheirworldasIhavedescribed. Thesethreenotionsempowerlearnersinmyclassestobeginfromapointofstrengthratherthan frailty.Itendtoassumethatyearsoftraditionaleducationhavebuiltinthemamindsetthatis unfamiliarwiththeseconcepts.Someofthestudentsarefartheralongthanothers,butmanyare severelystalled.Itryatthebeginningofeachsemesterandcontinuallythroughouttoassistthemin unlockingwhatcocreatorsmeansforthemonapersonallevel. II. SpacesofFreedom

Thesecondconstruct,spacesoffreedom,referstoamandateupontheme,theteacher,tomake theclassroomaplacefreeofundueconstraints,reprisals,orotherbarrierstococreativity.Arguably onesmindisinoneoftwostatesatanygiventimeactiveorpassiveandIwouldsuggestalsoitis underoneoftwoconditionsaswellfreedom/liberationorconfinement/captivity.Spacesoffreedom promotesfreedomandliberation.Thismeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.Forsome,itmightbe nothingmorethanchangingabasicmindsetthatleadstorealizingtheyarefreetothinkforthemselves ratherthanjustsitandlistentoanotherlecture.Forothers,particularlythosewhogrewupunder oppressivegovernmentsorenduredtruepsychologicalimprisonment,spacesoffreedommeansthe world. However,itisimportanttonotethatspacesoffreedomisnotsynonymouswithabsolutefreedom. Ostensiblyeachcoursehasatitle,topic,learningoutcomes,institutionalstandardstomeet,andso forth.Studentsbenefitfromrulesoftheroad,sotospeak,muchlikehighwaydriversbenefitfrom paintedlanes.However,withinthebroadestpossibleboundaries,Icanandshouldopenwidepathways forexploration,recognizingthatsomeorderisnecessarytomaintainsmoothnessandcontinuityinthe process. III. NewKnowledge

Whentheproperspacesoffreedomareopen,andwhenthosespacesarepopulatedwith committedcocreators,theproductisnewknowledge.InthecaseofclassesIteach,itisnew interdisciplinaryknowledgeintheformoftheoreticalmodelstoexplainphenomena,empirical discoveriesaboutthenaturalorderofthings,andpersonal/spiritualrevelationsaboutoneself(i.e.,self discovery)orothers.Thedevelopmentofnewknowledgeiscontinuousboththroughoutmycourse(s) andbeyond.Ideally,studentsemergeasinterdisciplinarianswhoceaselesslydevelopnewknowledge, and,asrolemodels,createadditionalspacesoffreedomforfuturecocreatorstodothesame.