Allan Richards

Chrysalis: Teaching with Love (Panel)

Allan Richards – University of Kentucky, USA

Chair: Steve Willis – Missouri State University, Springfield, USA

Mousumi De – University of Redlands, USA

Rabeya Jalil – National College of Arts, University of Lahore, Pakistan

Angela Saldanha – APECV, Portugal

Allan Richards – University of Kentucky, USA

Teresa Torres de Eça – InSEA, Portugal

Abstract:

This presentation uses the publication Chrysalis: Teaching with Love (Willis, 2023) as the topic of this panel presentation. We will present our narratives about teaching with love and compassion by discussing how we teach with compassion and love, ultimately leading to more meaningful educational outcomes for students and teachers alike. We realized that instead of externalizing our faults we needed introspective awarenesses and responsibilities by first being compassionate and loving to ourselves. We want our hearts and heads to be balanced to lead the way in our compassionate and loving, teaching and learning environments. In this presentation, we will share suggestions about how we were able to change from a mind-centred habit to a heart-centred lifestyle understanding the significance of active support and care in creating deeper connections and more impactful learning experiences. Through this, we became positive, compassionate, and loving and this balanced our teaching and artmaking as heart-centred educators and artists. We advocate for a conceptual shift to teach with compassion and love. We hope to engage the audience conversationally to reflect on teaching practices by sharing practical examples to demonstrate how this can transform everyday teaching practices to foster a more supportive and inclusive learning environment. Through practical examples, we will illustrate how adopting a compassionate and loving approach will increase empathy, sympathy, harmony, unity, kindness, and love. We are hopeful that this presentation will act as a catalyst for introspection and realization. These loving, kind, and compassionate habits are the ones we want to reinforce so we can continually develop ourselves as heart-centred people, artists, and educators.

Willis, S. (2023). Chrysalis: Teaching with love. KDP Publishing. ISBN-13: 979-8397999243