Pacific Oaks College’s inclusive teaching philosophy inspires its instructors to model in the classroom the principles they wish to instill in their students. The result is that those new to the college can benefit from feedback from their more experienced colleagues. In addition, graduates of the college who wish to return as teachers can learn how to apply their pedagogical understanding to the next generation of students. Two faculty members, Dionne Clabaugh, Ed.D., and Yolanda Carlos, M.Ed., have co-created an expanded mentorship program that prepares adjunct faculty for success as college classroom instructors.
“It was clear that people were intrinsically motivated to participate and that they were getting so much out of it,” Dr. Clabaugh explains.
“The mentor program for autonomy-supportive instruction was a very powerful tool for our adjuncts to further instill our democratic classroom and to bring in our core values, including being intentionally compassionate as we work with our students,” Professor Carlos says.
The concept of intentionality is central to autonomy-supportive instruction (ASI), a student-centered pedagogical approach in which teachers base their teaching on a dialogue between instructor and learner, and in which the teacher gets to know each student’s interests and strengths. ASI is a facet of Self-determination Theory, which is the heart of Dr. Clabaugh’s approach and has informed her mentoring, research, and practice since 2009.
The objective is a democratic classroom in which the teacher doesn’t dictate what is learned through a prearranged lesson plan; rather, instruction flows according to in-class discussion and dialogue.
Professor Carlos finds the personal focus of this mentorship program particularly valuable for the School of Education, which requires the students to meet many competencies and standards. An experienced peer who provides their mentees with individualized feedback can reduce anxiety and frustration. “I heard enough feedback from two adjuncts that went through the mentor-mentee training to get me thinking, ‘Aha, this is the gold. This is what we need to continue doing,’” she says.
When asked why they continue to participate, one participant who has mentored for five years replied, “I look forward to being a mentor because I learn so much. I look forward to working with a mentee because it’s humbling, enlivening, and it humanizes what we do.”
Dr. Clabaugh’s goal is to expand the facilitation, application, and learning of ASI more broadly, including beyond the education field. She left Pacific Oaks in the spring of 2022 and plans to continue to spread her philosophy through consultancy, publishing academic articles, and workshop facilitation. Professor Carlos is appreciative of Dr. Clabaugh for introducing her mentoring system to the college. “Dionne’s work is going to live on at Pacific Oaks,” she says, “to light the lanterns of our adjuncts so that our pedagogy continues to burn with passion.”
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