Center for Teaching and Learning

Beneficence: Promotion of Well-Being in the Classroom
Overview Report of the Online CTL Group, Fall 2005

Participants:

Robyn Cruz (core faculty, Expressive Therapies)
Louise Pascale (core faculty, Creative Arts in Learning)
Rana Nashashbi (PhD student & adjunct faculty, Israel Extension)
Irle Goldman (adjunct faculty, Counseling and Psychology)
Donna Newman-Bluestein (adjunct faculty, Expressive Therapies)
Ariella Shapiro (adjunct faculty, Israel Extension)
Lily Fessenden (core faculty and Division Director, Audubon Expedition Institute)
Varda Serok (adjunct faculty, Israel Extension)
Julia Byers (facilitator, core faculty and Division Director, Expressive Therapies)

Themes & Topics Discussed

This scholarship for teaching experience began with defining "Beneficence" in the Promotion of Well-Being in Teaching. Perhaps the most comprehensive definition arose from Fessenden’s articulation, "The act of pleasure & unconditional goodwill & compassion for all those within reach of our influence... feeling pleasure as we interact with students. [This was a definition I found on the web at www.pbs.org/faithandreason/theogloss/benef-body.html.

As Bluestein added, "Beneficence is vital as a way of role modeling in addition to the fact that we learn best when we feel safe and engaged." From Pascale’s perspective, simply stated, "It's when learning connects to real lives!!" Overall, as Byers first stated, "the beneficence concept is about what transpires in the classroom despite whatever the subject matter is – that fundamentally makes us all feel more human!" Perhaps as Cruz and Pascale dialogued, "The cornerstone of beneficence is hope itself... the instillation of hope..." Other members also added their comments through providing hands-on examples of their teaching experiences. 

It became evident that focusing on specific ideas or topics would be most beneficent in responding to each other. Our on-going frustration with not being able to get everyone online at the same time (8 sessions over 3 months) didn't derail a committed group of people to continue exploring ideas. We continued to discuss vulnerabilities, frustrations, doubts and growth of a professor through honest and real stories.

It became evident that the role of establishing the learning climate of the class was very important. As a demonstration of this holding environment, the range of professors’ experiences with beginning and ending class rituals showed that the use of class time was significant to the outcome of scheduled activities in promoting well-being. Subsequent learning or teachable moments were also explored.

Another theme that surfaced focused on the environmental implications of the class space on and off campus. This raised the issue of what gets in the way of promoting well-being. Faculty 'confessed' to personal and external obstacles for successful teaching. These included the reality of passing through check points in occupied territory that made the framework of teaching challenging from a philosophical and practical point of view. This alternative experience differed significantly from the western experience of teachers and students late for classes because of traffic or weather conditions. The inclusion of professors teaching off campus helped to humanize the discussions of our collective assumption and biases.

The overall experience of making time to reflect on our promotion of well-being for both the faculty and the students was a meaningful tension in exploring the roles and expectations of higher education. Being honest with students about personality style, work obligations and other sidebar activities were seen in the service of being authentic.

Perhaps the main frustration of the experience was the unsophisticated capacity of the online format to support a lively dialogue. We often found ourselves replying to one comment at the same time that someone else had moved off in a different direction and started a new though. Generally speaking, as an aging faculty, we were less apt in this technological environment. As the facilitator, with limited technology skills, real time dialogue was challenging for both the people who were able to connect, and others who felt disconnected through the alternative route of sharing e-mails. The core need, as expressed by most of the faculty, was the desire to have accessible forums for discussing on-going teachable moments.

The umbrella of the theme of beneficence permitted a broad band of related topics including... Continued research and articulation of these ideas definitely recommended.

All members of the group expressed their appreciation to GSASS for the opportunity to begin discussions. We are in the process of gathering addendum materials to analysis some of the data for further reflection.

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