Sandoval, J. “Connection Over Correction: Engaging Students in Conversational Commitments for Effective Communication Across Difference and Difficulty.” Journal of Communication Pedagogy 5 (2021): 31-39. https://doi.org/10.31446/JCP.2021.2.06
This article highlights one instructor’s effort to think about how instructors are assessing their own pedagogical practices in handling difficult topics in their classrooms. The author discusses how she centers classroom engagement around what Hart (2007) describes as “a pedagogy of interiority.” Classroom engagement focuses on connection rather than correction as students develop their “authentic inner potentials.” (Sandoval, 2021) Students are invited to develop their authentic personal selves via contemplation and reflexivity. Doing this potentially moves from a teacher-centered focus to a student-centered one derived from a relational partnership with the students. By focusing on connection rather than correction, the instructor creates an environment of curiosity, compassion, and intensive reflection where students come to know themselves and their strengths in ways that extend beyond the classroom. This essay highlights how students co-create conversational commitments coupled with a rapid debrief process that moves students forward together toward shared mindfulness in thought and behavior.