My approach to teaching demands honesty — presenting myself genuinely to a class, being fully present and engaged, and being open to the needs of the participants. Only through open dialogue with students can we learn how they think, what they need, or where their interests or aspirations lie.
By listening with intention and care, I give students the respect they deserve as humans engaging in a collaborative educational experience. People tend to return the respect they are given, which in teaching creates mutually beneficial, cooperative learning environments. I work to create situations where students hold more knowledge or expertise in the subject matter and I share my experience with writing, teaching, and learning to help them examine their perceptions and develop their perspectives.
Within mutually beneficial, cooperative environments, teaching and learning can flourish—particularly teaching that incorporates careful listening, attentive flexibility, and a dash of trust. Combining these elements creates classes that respond to students and emphasize not the content but the people involved. And as teachers, the people we work with constitute our top priority.
“I did not expect such a transformative opportunity. What a joy to be able to witness your critical pedagogical practice, your patience and rigor and large-heartedness in holding the space for a student-centered experience. I learned so much–not only about the precise questions I brought to the class, but also about how this kind of education works more generally and about new aspects of teaching and instructional design, and so much more.”
“I will be forever indebted to Chris for the caring, compassionate, rigorous, and career-changing instruction he offered me during one of the most intellectually memorable experiences in my career.”
“This course…allowed for the excess pressure of writing to be done away with while opening my mind to thinking more before I did ANYTHING! The professor taught in a way that made me believe that the concepts were my own and not theories that were ratified years before.”
“Professor Friend is excellent to work with. He communicates well and is extremely fair in assessing assignments.”