Author(s)

Elizabeth Gorny-Wegrzyn^*, Beth Perry

Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada.

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.

Pedagogy of Kindness, Higher Education, Exemplary Teachers, Teaching Strategies, Reflective Writing

Gorny-Wegrzyn, E. and Perry, B. (2021) Inspiring Educators and a Pedagogy of Kindness: A Reflective Essay. Creative Education, 12, 220-230. doi: 10.4236/ce.2021.121017.