Page 28 - Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century

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Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching and Learning 2021
Introduction
Teaching first-year students for more than 10 years has influenced my teaching philosophy and my teaching practices. My teaching philosophy
is founded on care, informed by an epistemology of compassion, socially just pedagogy, and is contextualised with the University of Johannesburg’s ‘Learning to be’ philosophy.
The higher education environment, and specifically the student profile at the University of Johannesburg, reflects various inequalities and highlights the importance of accommodating the specific needs of vulnerable groups (Leibowitz & Naidoo 2017). In my teaching philosophy, I embody a pedagogy of care and this necessitates a deep understanding of student profiles. Currently, according to the Law Trends 2007 to 2020 (as part of the Student Profile Questionnaire 2007–2021), 56.4% of our students are first-generation students; 69.1% have indicated that English is not their first language; and more than 71.8% are concerned about financial resources. To enable and drive student success, it is important to recognise the diverse social, cultural, economic and linguistic backgrounds of our students and the daily challenges that they face, and create a supportive environment.
A socially just pedagogy and a philosophy of care
It is essential to create a caring environment supported by an epistemology of compassion, as well as socially just pedagogies (Tronto 2010; Vandeyar & Swart 2016). An epistemology of compassion and socially just pedagogies is multifaceted, specifically when applied in the South African context, and achieving a combination of both requires continuous reflection and ongoing development by academic staff. An epistemology of compassion creates the context in which students can empower themselves to become well-rounded graduates, as well as active critical citizens who are able to appreciate diversity and show empathy towards each other. This epistemology of compassion requires that lecturers assume the role of ‘transformative intellectuals’ (Vandeyar & Swart 2016). In the context of law, pedagogies associated with this support the design of intellectually rigorous curricula for law
modules which respond to the workplace challenges of the 21st century. For example, the introduction of concepts such as therapeutic jurisprudence into the mainstream curriculum contributes to therapeutically orientated and committed lawyers. Therapeutic jurisprudence involves the explicit examination of the law’s impact on emotional life and psychological wellbeing and how this can be addressed in a socially just way. It is a perspective that regards the law (rules of law, legal procedures and roles of legal actors) itself as a social force that often produces therapeutic or anti-therapeutic consequences (Wexler 1999). This also
allows for students to recognise systemic inequalities and how to use the law to create opportunities for change.
Care giving, or the actual provision of care, arguably comprises some of the following aspects: coordinating and empowering students through tools and initiatives including developmental interventions, student success, and lecturers being accessible and approachable (Tronto 2010). A teaching philosophy of care includes the development of well-rounded graduates who can think creatively and critically. Law lecturers should prepare students for an active citizenship role in society and have them display the constitutional values of human dignity, equality, freedom and ‘ubuntu’ when they interact with their fellow students, lecturers, other citizens and with their clients, when they enter the