I believe teaching is…a process where one shares knowledge to another, with no presumption that the person who is giving knowledge is assumed to be the expert. In fact, teaching can include the idea that the “teacher” can become the “learner”. In a way, it is impossible that someone who assumes the teaching role can know EVERYTHING about their area of expertise. Teaching is also relational. I firmly believe that teaching has to include an element of getting to know the learner.
You cannot share knowledge without first understanding what leaners bring to the process. I do my best to focus on the dynamics that can be apparent in the learning space or classroom. Teaching also should be appreciative of what all students bring to the learning space. We should validate the lived experiences of our learners and use it to our best abilities to enhance your delivery of knowledge. Teaching is always evolving, personally and in theory. There is never an end point in how one can best teach.
(The above statement was written during a 5-minute writing exercise at the Digital Pedagogy Institute, August 11, 2017 at the University of Mary Washington)