Exemplary Educators Who Embrace a Teaching Philosophy Guided by a Pedagogy of Kindness

The purpose of this literature review was to explore scholarly and grey literature on teaching approaches to pedagogy in higher education, with a focus on the pedagogy of kindness. For the analysis, we reviewed six research reports from peer-reviewed journals on the pedagogy of kindness, three books written by acclaimed theorists on critical pedagogy and the pedagogy of hope, and seven articles from grey literature. The questions addressed were, what does the literature reveal are the effects of a pedagogy of kindness on the learning environment, and what are the outcomes for learners when educators embrace this teaching philosophy? Does the employ of kindness in teaching influence learners’ attitudes about issues surrounding social justice? Further, are there links between being an exemplary educator, teaching success, and the enactment of a pedagogy of kindness? In this paper, we examine emerging themes related to how this teaching philosophy impacts learners and the learning environment and the connection between a pedagogy of kindness and traits of exemplary educators. Finally, these themes guided a discussion on the implications for practice. In sum, the literature revealed that a teaching model based on a pedagogy of kindness enhances the performance of outstanding educators and increases their success in teaching. Moreover, this philosophy positively influences students, their learning environments, their educational achievements, and heightens their social consciousness.

Sailing Across the Divide: Challenges to the Transfer of Teacher Leadership

Responding to questions on how to develop and support teacher leaders, this article draws on sensemaking theory to discuss teacher leaders’ transfer of ideas from Developing Exemplary Educators (DEE), an intermediary organization. We share findings grounded in qualitative interview data from teachers and administrators in two urban schools. After describing the elements of teacher leadership that teacher leaders reported transferring into practice, we present the structures, norms, and factors enabling and constraining teacher leadership.

Exemplar Rehabilitation Educators’ Defining Moments and Career Reflections

Objective: To discover senior and retired exemplary rehabilitation educators’ defining career moments and to provide doctoral students and early career rehabilitation educators with insights from widely recognized and successful rehabilitation educators in the field.Method: Twenty-seven xemplary rehabilitation educators answered qualitative questions related to their career choices and accomplishments. Additionally, satisfaction with career and the perception of contributions to the field were quantitatively assessed using Likert-type questions.Findings: Five themes emerged from the qualitative data which described exemplary educators’ defining career moments. Four additional themes emerged which revealed changes educators would make if they could start their careers over. Quantitative results indicated overall moderate to high satisfaction with career and contributions.Conclusions: The experiences, advice,and wisdom of exemplary educators can provideearly guidance and insights about career decisions and life lessons for doctoral students and academics.