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In a focus group before the pandemic, I heard some heart-wrenching stories from students.
One was from a young, Black woman who felt isolated and lonely. She mostly blamed herself, but the problems went far beyond her. At one point, she said: “There’s some small classes that I’m in and like, some of my teachers don’t know my name. I mean, they don’t know my name. And I just, I kind of feel uncomfortable, because it’s like, if there’s some kids gone but I’m in there, I just want them to know I’m here. I don’t know. It’s just the principle that counts me.”
Peter Felten issued a clear call to action at this year’s Teaching Summit: Connect with students and help them connect with one another.
Felten, executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning and assistant provost for Teaching and Learning at Elon University, delivered the keynote address at the Summit, which brought together over 300 University of Kansas faculty and instructional staff in Budig Hall on Aug. 17. The annual event was co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Provost’s Office, and the KU Medical Center.
This year’s event aimed to underscore the significance of building strong relationships within the educational community, and Felten drew on his research on the impact of relationships on students' educational experiences in making a case for building community.
Peter Felten’s keynote message about building relationships through teaching found a receptive audience at this year’s Teaching Summit.
Felten, a professor of history and assistant provost for teaching and learning at Elon University, shared the stories of students who had made important connections with instructors and fellow students while at college. He used those stories to talk about the importance of humanity in teaching and about the vital role that community and connection make in