Inspiring Educators and a Pedagogy of Kindness: A Reflective Essay

Abstract

The purpose of this reflective essay was to explore the literature on educators that employ kindness as an approach to pedagogy in higher education. Through a series of reflections, we then considered how educators using a teaching philosophy guided by a pedagogy of kindness influenced learners ’ lives, enhanced their social consciousness, and facilitated meaningful learning. To begin, we summarized research reports from peer-reviewed journals and articles from grey literature. Questions that guided the literature search were, how does the use of a teaching philosophy based on a pedagogy of kindness affect the learning environment for students and does it modify their attitudes towards social injustice, does this teaching philosophy improve academic outcomes for learners, and is there a possible link between a pedagogy of kindness and teaching success? In sum, the literature revealed that a teaching philosophy based on a pedagogy of kindness is a common approach used by inspiring educators. Further, this teaching philosophy positively influences students, their learning environments, their educational achievements, and engages them to reflect on issues of social justice. A pedagogy of kindness also results in increased career fulfillment for teachers. Our reflections provide examples of these conclusions.