Today’s post was written by library outreach student assistant, Ashley Freeman. Ashley is a first-year student majoring in environmental science.
On February 17, the William H. Hannon Library hosted its monthly Faculty Pub Night, highlighting the published works of Loyola Marymount University faculty. The speakers at this event were Andrea Odinov and Stacey Cabaj, both professors of theatre srts in the College of Communication and Fine Arts, and co-authors of their new book, “Lessons from Our Students: Meditations on Performance Pedagogy“.
While introducing the two authors, Neno Pervan described them both as embodying the principle of educating the whole person in their teaching. Their commitment to never leaving any student behind and the constant evolution of themselves into better educators ultimately motivated them to transcribe their methods and lessons learned into a constructive guide for other performance educators.
During the presentation, Odinov and Cabaj alternated reading selected chapters of the book and telling the stories that inspired the lessons within the chapter. The topics varied greatly, from the authors’ thoughts on several grading systems to raw emotional lessons learned through the grief of a student’s passing. Both speakers emphasized that students are the most powerful teachers that educators can learn from, hence the countless pieces of wisdom gleaned from interactions with students and classroom experiences. Thoughtful questions emerged from various experiences with systemic education issues, as well as interpersonal and emotional experiences with students.
The presentation had a balanced ratio of meta-questions for encouraging mindful pedagogical theories and grounded, practical thoughts on teaching methods and strategies. Odinov and Cabaj read meditations from the book aloud, encouraging the faculty in the audience to reflect on the lessons the authors conveyed and contemplate their own educational methods. The meditations varied in degrees of introspection, from observations such as “what works in your grading rubric, and what might be improved?” to deeper, self-analysis questions like “in what ways have your own educational experiences helped you define the atmosphere that you would like to create for others?” As a student attendee, I appreciated the opportunity to reflect on my learning experiences, remember the teachers who positively influenced my education, and consider the lessons I can implement in my own learning from the book’s anecdotes and meditations.
Cabaj and Odinov skillfully navigated sharing difficult emotions, teaching advice, periods of reflection, thoughtful musings on the education system, and mindfulness of individual values, both through the presentation and in their writing. They illustrated their lessons without condescension and depicted their anecdotes with intense emotions. Each story was relatable in some way, even as a student, and I found a lot of humor in the stories about both teacher and student mishaps. Overall, it was exceedingly apparent how much both professors care about their students and work towards improving their craft as educators to create a learning environment to nurture and guide their students’ skills.