The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Transformation and Transgression

Facult y Perspect ive, Chapt er 5: Valuing – and Evaluat ing – Teaching

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning:

Transformation and Transgression

Laura Bolf- Beliveau, PhD Associat e Professor, Depar t m ent of English

Universit y of Cent ral Oklahom a

Chapt er Five of The Scholar ship of Teaching and Lear ning Reconsidered ( 2011) suggest s t hat t radit ional research scholarship m et hodology can inform and reform

t he way s in w hich w e value and evaluat e t eaching. The aut hor s discuss applying resear ch m et hodology as way t o com plet e t his process. This ar t icle suggest s t hat

using t heoret ical fram es, oft en used in qualit at ive m et hodology, creat es anot her way t o t ransform percept ions of t he scholarship of t eaching and lear ning. Tw o t heor et ical fram es, t ransfor m at ive learning and crit ical consciousness, ar e explor ed

and applied t o t he aut hor’s ow n t eaching ex periences and discipline m andat es.

The aut hors of The Scholar ship of Teaching and Learning Reconsider ed

offer a pow erful st at em ent in t heir fift h chapt er : “ Cult ural change seldom m ov es easily or ev enly t hrough com plex sy st em s; it can t ake years of advocacy , act iv ism , and experience t o reach t hat Gladw ellian t ipping point ” ( Hut chings, Huber , & Ciccone, 2011, p. 105) . This is par t icular ly t rue as t hey discuss w ays in w hich t he scholarship of t eaching and learning ( SoTL) can “ w ork purposefully t o bring facult y roles and rew ards int o alignm ent w it h a v iew of t eaching as scholarly w ork” ( p. xx) . Hut chings, Huber , and Ciccone ( 2011) suggest w e craft guidelines for “ evaluat ion, docum ent at ion, and peer r eview t hat adequat ely recognize t he scholarship of t eaching and learning” ( p. xx ) .

There is lit t le dissension on m y par t . As a t eacher educat or w it h ov er t went y year s in t he field of English educat ion, I have engaged in t eaching t hat closely r elat es t o t he scholarship as described by t he aut hors t hat suggest t his t ype of work “ ex hibit s clear goals, adequat e pr eparat ion, appropr iat e m et hods, significant result s, effect ive pr esent at ion, and reflect ive cr it ique” ( Hut chings, Huber , & Ciccone, 2011, p. 91) . Bot h t eaching and research can use t hese cat egories t o bet t er underst and st udent learning. Absent from t hat list , however, was an elem ent of resear ch t hat I find highly useful as a qualit at ive researcher : t he t heor et ical fram e. Theoret ical fram es use a part icular t heory, st ance, or philosophy as a guide t o t he const r uct ion of resear ch quest ions, com plet ion of lit er at ur e r eview s, collect ion and analysis of dat a, and sum m ary of findings. That t heory also helps t o m ak e assum pt ions and form hypot heses for conclusions and im plicat ions. For exam ple, pr evious r esear ch of m ine ( Bolf- Beliv eau, 2007) st udied fir st - y ear fem ale m iddle and high school English t eachers. The st udy focused on t heir em ot ional responses t o differ ence or disrupt ing forces in t heir classroom s. To bet t er under st and t hese w om en’s lived exper iences, I r ead t he dat a from t he perspect iv e of fem inist post -st ruct urali-st t heory. My conclusions, t her efore, discuss subj ect posit ion, language, and discour se. A t heoret ical fram e can dir ect m uch of t his t ype of research.

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t heor et ical fram es discussed below will show how a philosophical st ance can inform ,/ r eform / deform t he t eacher - researcher . The first fram e describes t ransfor m at ive learning, an int egral par t of m y univer sit y ’s m ission, as a pow erful fram ew ork for underst anding SoTL. The second focuses on t ransgr ession, as defined by bell hook s, as anot her m et hod t o invest igat e t he possibilit ies and problem s of SoTL.

Transform at ive learning can be used as a t heoret ical fram e t o see t eaching as “ scholar ly w or k” ( Hut chings, Huber , & Ciccone, 2011, p. xx) . My inst it ut ion, t he Universit y of Cent r al Oklahom a ( UCO) , has a Cent er for Excellence in Transform at ive Teaching and Learning ( CETTL) t hat provides resources for facult y t o im plem ent t hese principles. I n t he docum ent “ What is Transform at iv e Learning? ( Pt . 1) ,” CETTL descr ibes t ransform at iv e learning from t he st udent ’s perspect iv e as a disor ient ing dilem m a, an ongoing self- exam inat ion, a crit ical assessm ent of assum pt ions, an explorat ion of opt ions, et c. Then a connect ion is m ade t o w hat is valued at our inst it ut ion:

At UCO, t his is exact ly w hat w e aspire t o accom plish in st udent s’ lives and in t heir lear ning. Through ex posure t o t he Cent ral Six t enet s, w e work t o provide t he learning env ironm ent t hat m akes it m ore likely st udent s will experience t ransform at ions in t heir t hinking t han if t hey went t o college at a place which did not —at least consciously and explicit ly —at t em pt t o creat e such oppor t unit ies ( CETTL, 2012, p. 1) .

The Cent ral Six t enet s are Discipline Know ledge, Leadership, Problem Solving ( Scholar ly and Cr eat ive Act iv it ies) , Ser v ice Lear ning/ Civ ic Engagem ent , Global and Cult ural Com pet encies, and Healt h and Wellness. I n course sy llabi, facult y m ust indicat e how each course incorporat es t hese t ransform at ive cat egories.

I n anot her publicat ion, CETTL explains t hat “ You can’t ‘m ake’ a Transform at ive Learning experience happen inside st udent s’ head, but you can int ent ionally cr eat e t he act ivit ies and environm ent s w it hin which it is far m ore likely t o occur, t hen assess how frequent ly st udent s r eport having such ex periences” ( 2013, p. 1) . Reflect ion is a “ big part ” of t r ansform at iv e learning, so using st udent j ournals, for m at iv e feedback , and st udent port folios can help professor s collect dat a and t rack st udent s over t im e ( CETTL, 2013, p. 2- 3) . Alt hough t he cur r ent m andat ed st udent evaluat ion process does not yet align wit h t ransform at ive learning and our Cent ral Six, t he univ ersit y is providing facult y wit h a lens t hrough which t o view and t hink about our scholarship of t eaching and learning. When applied t o Exhibit 5.1 in Hut chings, Huber, and Ciccone’s Chapt er Fiv e, we see t hat UCO’s t ransfor m at ive learning t heoret ical fram e and CETTL resour ces help facult y fram e t heir scholar ship of t eaching and learning in t he areas of Clear Goals, Adequat e Preparat ion, Appr opriat e Met hods, Significant Result s, and Reflect iv e Crit ique ( p. 92) . Any Effect ive Present at ion would follow as facult y publish t he result s of t heir success w it h t ransfor m at iv e lear ning wit hin t enure and prom ot ion docum ent s and wit hin or wit hout t radit ional m eans lik e present at ions, art icles, and t he like. The fram ew ork of t ransfor m at ive learning could provide a way in which t eaching and learning is valued and evaluat ed.

pow erful t ool t hat accent uat es t ransform at iv e lear ning. Unfort unat ely, t his t heory is m uch m ore polit ical in nat ure and suggest s t hat great car e be t aken when t eacher -resear cher s use a philosophy t hat will inv it e debat e.

I n Teaching t o Transgress ( 1994) , bell hook s st at es:

The academ y is not paradise. But learning is a place w here paradise can be creat ed. The classroom w it h all it s lim it at ions r em ains a locat ion of possibilit y. I n t hat field of possibilit y w e have t he opport unit y t o labour for freedom , t o dem and of ourselves and our com rades, an openness of m ind and heart t hat allows us t o face realit y even as w e collect ively im agine w ays t o m ove beyond boundaries, t o t ransgr ess. This is educat ion as t he pr act ice of fr eedom ( p. 207) .

Cert ainly hooks speaks t o Chapt er Five in The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Reconsider ed: valuing t eaching and evaluat ing t eaching have t he pot ent ial for and offer t he possibilit y of freedom for all classroom part icipant s. Boundaries w it hin classroom s shift in m ult iple ways, and blur ring t hose boundaries offer s t he great est pot ent ial of valuing and evaluat ing t eaching. The classroom space should be one of t ransfor m at ion and t ransgression.

How ever , as Hut chings, Huber , and Ciccone ( 2011) suggest , “ Classroom innovat ion is always risky” ( p. 88) . As I descr ibe below , m y use of t r ansgression paired w it h t ransform at iv e learning was not an easy one. I t each a cour se ent it led Young Adult Lit er at ur e since 1980, an English depar t m ent offer ing for undergraduat es and graduat e st udent s. Alt hough t his course is open t o any m aj or , t he m aj orit y of st udent s are English educat ion m aj ors, and t he course focuses on a plet hora of young adult t it les w rit t en for ages 10- 18. St udent s r ead four t een books during t he sem est er and t he course focuses on t hese essent ial quest ions:

1. How does y oung adult lit erat ur e affect ident it y form at ion in adolescent s?

2. I n w hat w ays does t his genr e infor m one’s crit ical lit eracy ?

3. How do individual subj ect posit ions affect r eading and underst anding? 4. Does young adult lit erat ur e provide opport unit ies for adolescent s t o

bet t er underst and social j ust ice?

My t heoret ical st ance is grounded in UCO’s t enet s of t ransform at ive learning, but is also enhanced by Paulo Fr iere’s crit ical consciousness, a m et hod of t r ansgression. This addit ional t heoret ical fram e is clear ly explored in t he first t wo w eeks of t he cour se. Shor ( 1993) specifies four qualit ies of crit ical consciousness: pow er awareness, cr it ical lit eracy, desocializat ion, and self- organizat ion/ self- educat ion ( p. 32- 33) . I ask st udent s t o t hink about t hese concept s fr om t heir ow n perspect ive and t hat of t he adolescent s t hat read t he book. While t his st ance does indeed m eet t he im perat iv e of UCO’s t ransform at ive learning and Cent ral Six, I also push m y st udent s t o t ransgress, t o m ove beyond t he boundaries of t heir ow n exper ience.

For t he purposes of t his art icle, I will focus on how t wo elem ent s of crit ical consciousness provide a t heoret ical fram e by which m y scholarship of t eaching and learning can be assessed. Fir st , I ask st udent s t o t hink about how societ y and hist or y infor m s hum an act ion, w hat Shor ( 1993) calls “ know ing w ho exercises dom inant pow er in societ y for w hat ends and how pow er is current ly or ganized and used in societ y” ( p. 32) . I also focus on desocializat ion, “ recognizing and challenging t he m yt hs, values, behavior s, and language learned in m ass cult ure; crit ically exam ining t he r egr essiv e values operat ing in societ y ...w hich ar e int er nalized int o consciousness” ( Shor , 1993, p. 32) . Bot h of t hese becom e cont ent ious when we discuss David Levit han’s Boy Meet s Boy.

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w it h alm ost everyone at his school. The novel is a lov e st ory t hat m irrors m any t radit ional t r opes of young adult rom ance novels: a love t riangle, a m isunderst anding t hat leads t o a break up, and t he ev ent ual happy ending. What is unique, of course, is t hat t hese t ropes are applied t o nonhet erosex ual r elat ionships. I n addit ion t o reading t he novel, st udent s explor e sev er al academ ic ar t icles t hat discuss t he im plicat ions of LGBTQ young adult lit erat ure for all adolescent reader s. We also read about gender perform at iv it y and Queer Theor y.

One sem est er I also provided st udent s w it h Chase and Ressler’s ( 2009) “ An LBGT/ Queer Glossary.” One ent ry proved quit e upset t ing t o a st udent .

Homophobia: The irrat ional fear of LGBT people and t hose per ceived t o be LGBT, t heir sexual relat ionships, and t heir gender expr essions ( p. 24) .

This st udent fixat ed on t he word “ irrat ional” and indicat ed t hat she t hought hom osexualit y w as m orally w rong, but t hat did not m ake her irrat ional. I prom pt ed her t o t hink about t he sit uat ion from t he posit ion of an LGBTQ st udent . She was not m oved by t hat suggest ion. I asked quest ions t hat suggest ed looking at t he definit ion from t he perspect ive of crit ical consciousness. How does t he definit ion challenge our percept ions? How m ight it disrupt het eronorm at ivit y? The class t hen rem inded m e t hat w e w ere in “ t he buckle of t he Bible Belt .” That proved t o be enough explanat ion for t he m aj orit y of t he st udent s w ho w ere ready t o m ove t o t he next subj ect . Many of t he st udent s w ere not int erest ed in int errogat ing power st ruct ures or challenging m y t hs.

I ronically, t he next novel had t he sam e goals of int errogat ing power st ruct ures and challenging m yt hs. The novel’s subj ect , however was m uch m or e appealing t o t he st udent s. The novel w as St or k’s ( 2011) Marcelo in t he Real World, a st ory about an adolescent boy w it h an Asperger’s- like syndrom e. Mar celo’s fat her dem ands t hat he work in a law firm one sum m er , and t here Marcelo discovers how different t he “ real w orld” is. Marcelo grapples w it h issues of sexual at t ract ion, bullying, inj ust ice r elat ed t o povert y, and prej udice. As w it h Boy Meet s Boy, st udent s are asked t o r ead supplem ent ary m at erial t o ext end t heir underst anding of t he novel and crit ical consciousness. One piece, Miller’s ( 2012) “ Myt hology of t he Norm : Disr upt ing t he Cult ur e of Bullying in Schools” st at es:

The m y t hology of t he “ norm ” has direct repercussions for schools, and it s ideological reinforcem ent is t he prim ary cause of bullying t oday. Though it is difficult t o pinpoint an origin for “ t he nor m ,” t he m edical m odel and it s syst em ic st ruct ural power is one powerful inst it ut ion t hat perpet uat es t his m yt hology ( p. 107) .

Like t he definit ion of hom ophobia, Miller’s piece w as used t o explore pow er relat ionships and accept ed m yt hs of our societ y. Unlik e t he definit ion of hom ophobia, st udent s im m ediat ely engaged wit h Miller’s st at em ent and used it t o evaluat e t he effect iveness of t he book and it s relat ionship t o adolescent ident it y form at ion. Marcelo in t he Real World w as list ed as a favorit e of t he sem est er, and st udent s used it t o discuss how t he m edical m odel and Disabilit y Theory helped t hem see t he inj ust ices in Marcelo’s wor ld. They oft en select ed t he book as one t hat could help adolescent s t hink about t he im port ance of social j ust ice.

t ransfor m at ion and t ransgression. While issues of LGBTQ caused dissonance in m y lit erat ure cour se, t he classroom was a vibr ant space for learning. But t he polit ical nat ur e of t ransgression m eans t hat t he t eacher - researcher m ust be willing t o t ak e risks t o m erge t w o t heoret ical fram es as I did, and t her e could be negat ive im plicat ions for t hose int erest ed in using polit ical t heor et ical fram ework s. While t he advant ages of using t ransform at ional lear ning by it self include a close alignm ent wit h inst it ut ional belief syst em s, t he disadv ant age of pairing t ransform at ive learning wit h t ransgression would be producing cont act zones t hat m ay disengage st udent s or com plicat e inst it ut ional dem ands like pr eparing prom ot ion and t enure m at erials. I f st udent evaluat ions show anger t owards t he st ance being used by a t eacher -resear cher , t hen t hat dat a could be used as a w ay t o punish t he individual. Transgression as a m eans of t ransfor m at ion is not a given out com e of j oining t hese t w o st ances.

However, a st r engt h of Hut chings, Huber , and Ciccone’s discussion of SoTL is t hat it offers broad recom m endat ions t hat “ m ust be t ailored and adapt ed t o each cam pus’s dist inct ive m ission, hist or y , and cult ur e” ( 2011, p. xix ) . Each discipline and college or univer sit y set t ing m ust est ablish t hese based on a v ar iet y of im perat ives. For exam ple, m y w ork w it h crit ical consciousness aligns wit h t hat m andat ed by accredit at ion st andards. The Nat ional Council of Teachers of English ( NCTE) and t he Nat ional Council of Accredit at ion for Teacher Educat ion ( NCATE) requir e t hat I provide dat a for t his st andard:

Pr ofe ssion a l Kn ow le dge a n d Sk ills

VI . Candidat es dem onst rat e know ledge of how t heor ies and research about social j ust ice, diversit y , equit y, st udent ident it ies, and schools as inst it ut ions can enhance st udent s’ oppor t unit ies t o learn in English Language Ar t s.

Elem ent 1: Candidat es plan and im plem ent English language ar t s and lit eracy inst ruct ion t hat prom ot es social j ust ice and crit ical engagem ent wit h com plex issues relat ed t o m aint aining a diverse, inclusive, equit able societ y .

Elem ent 2: Candidat es use k now ledge of t heor ies and r esear ch t o plan inst ruct ion responsive t o st udent s’ local, nat ional and int ernat ional hist or ies, indiv idual ident it ies ( e.g., race, et hnicit y, gender expression, age, appearance, abilit y , spir it ual belief, sexual orient at ion, socioeconom ic st at us, and com m unit y envir onm ent ) , and languages/ dialect s as t hey affect st udent s’ oppor t unit ies t o lear n in ELA ( 2012, p. 2) .

Therefore, bot h m y t eaching and m y st udent s’ lear ning m ust dem onst rat e know ledge and applicat ion of issues relat ed t o social j ust ice. My use of crit ical consciousness in t his young adult lit erat ure course helps achieve t hese goals. Ot her disciplines m ay have sim ilar requirem ent s for accr edit at ion or gov erning ent it ies t hat suggest best pract ices. The advant age of using m y inst it ut ion’s com m it m ent t o t ransfor m at ive learning and m y discipline’s com m it m ent t o t ransgr ession t hrough polit ical t heories lik e social j ust ice is t hat learning is const ruct ed wit hin larger fram ew orks, and st udent s can find t heir place am ong/ bet w een/ w it hin t hese syst em s.

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Bolf- Beliv eau, L. ( 2007) .

English/ language art s t eacher s’ em ot ional response t o differ ence: A fem inist post st ruct ural analysis. ( Unpublished dissert at ion) . Univer sit y of Oklahom a, Norm an, OK.

Cent er for Excellence in Transform at ive Teaching and Lear ning ( CETTL) . ( 2012) . “ What is Transform at ive Learning? ( Pt . 1) .” Ret rieved from :

ht t p: / / www .uco.edu/ academ ic-affairs/ cet t l/ TLGuideFiles/ 2012- 03-t l.pdf

Cent er for Excellence in Transform at ive Teaching and Lear ning ( CETTL) . ( 2013) . “ Assessing Transform at iv e Learning ( Pt . 2) : Doing and Measur ing TL.” Ret rieved from :

ht t p: / / www .uco.edu/ academ icaffairs/ cet t l/ cet t l files/ newslet t er -docs/ 2013- 02/ 2013-

02-new slet t er.pdf# Page= 1

Chase, B., & P. Ressler. ( 2009) . “ An LBGT/ queer glossary.” English Journal, 98( 4) , 23- 24.

hooks, b. ( 1994) . Teaching t o t ransgr ess. Educat ion as t he pract ice of freedom. London: Rout ledge.

Hut chings, P., Huber, M.T., & Ciccone, A. ( 2011) . The scholarship of t eaching and learning

reconsidered. St anford, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Levit han, D. ( 2003) . Boy m eet s boy. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Miller, S.J. ( 2012) . “ Myt hology of t he norm : Disrupt ing t he cult ure of bullying in schools.” English Journal,

101( 6) , 107- 109.

Nat ional Council of Teachers of English ( NCTE) . ( 2012) . “ NCTE/ NCATE st andards for init ial pr eparat ion of t eachers of secondary English language art s, gr ades 7- 12.” Ret rieved fr om : ht t p: / / w w w .nct e.or g/ libr ar y/ NCTEFile s/ Groups/ CEE/ NCATE/ Approv edSt and ar ds_111212.pdf

Pr at t , M.L. ( 1991) . “ Ar t s of t he cont act zone.” Profession, 33- 40.

Shor, I . ( 1993) . “ Educat ion is polit ics: Paulo Freire’s cr it ical pedagogy.” I n P. McLaren & P. Leonard ( Eds.) , Paulo Fr eire: A crit ical encount er. ( p. 25- 35) . London: Rout ledge.

St or k, F.X. ( 2011) . Marcelo in t he real w orld. New York, NY: Scholast ic.