Research & Teaching

This interactive workshop aims to enhance the teaching of developmental science by bridging the gap between complex theoretical concepts and lived experiences. Drawing on principles of transformative learning (Armitage, 2013), pedagogy of discomfort (Boler, 1999), and developmental science decolonization (Kapoor, 2023), participants will engage in reflective activities that encourage metacognitive exploration of their own learning experiences and use these insights as a foundation for decolonizing and diversifying how we teach developmental science. Additionally, this workshop centers around techniques that prompt our students to identify how theoretical concepts resonate with diverse embodied experiences and cultivate a holistic, humanizing perspective on developmental processes.

Participants left with a toolkit of practical strategies designed to position themselves as educators, use metacognition to enhance their teaching practices, and improve student engagement. By incorporating evidence-based techniques such as cognitive scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978) and collaborative learning (Bruner, 1996), educators will be empowered to create inclusive learning environments that honor diverse developmental pathways and perspectives.

The goals of this workshop are threefold. First, participants will engage in hands-on exercises that demonstrate the techniques for connecting abstract theories to personal narratives. Then, they will critically examine how these activities stretched their thinking and challenged their preconceptions about developmental science education. Finally, educators will apply their insights to develop strategies for implementing these strategies in their courses.

This workshop is suitable for educators at all levels and will provide firsthand experience with several techniques to promote critical self-reflection in students and illuminate the personal relevance of developmental science in everyday life.

This interactive workshop equips educators with practical tools for creating transformative learning environments. Drawing on principles of transformative learning, pedagogy of discomfort, and developmental science decolonization, participants will explore innovative approaches to bridge complex theoretical concepts with lived experiences. Through hands-on activities and collaborative exercises, educators will learn to create inclusive learning climates, implement structured activities connecting theory to personal narratives, and facilitate independent praxis. Participants will gain practical strategies for creating inclusive environments, implementing experiential learning activities, promoting critical reflection, and assessing transformative social empathy development.

Key Takeaways:

1. Participants will learn practical strategies for integrating critical self-reflection and positionality work into their teaching practice while maintaining psychological safety in the classroom.
2. Educators will gain concrete tools for bridging theoretical concepts with students’ lived experiences through structured activities that can be adapted across different course formats and sizes. 
3. Attendees will develop skills for facilitating transformative learning experiences that move beyond traditional pedagogical approaches to foster both individual growth and collective social change. 
4. Participants will learn assessment strategies that measure both cognitive understanding and the development of social empathy competencies.

This workshop is a bridge between knowing where to start and knowing how to keep going. During this session, participants review tools to recognize learning within its sociopolitical context and as a sociopolitical context, Drawing from Phillip & Sengupta’s work on disciplinary authenticity (2021), we take stock of and engage with the histories of power that run through the veins of our theories of learning” and “account for how “designs and theories of learning […] creates, reifies, alters, refines, and transforms” realities” (p. 334). Through these reflections, we discuss positionality as a real position within a space and exchange prejudice with understanding and acceptance to create space for students to show up authentically in the classroom, thereby developing a lens for inviting students to connect their lived experiences with the course content to deepen their relationship to it.

Caregivers’ socialization goals and strategies are informed by their cultural identities, experiences, values, and worldviews (Raj & Raval, 2013). Black caregivers raise their children within a cultural context unique to their social  and economic location. Through various parenting practices, they impart lessons to their children to help them navigate this context. This study presents a grounded theory exploring the nuances in Black parents’ socialization strategies by surfacing core themes in their messages, practices, and intentions.