GBSEALD dean conducts Ignatian Pedagogy workshop for Confucius Institute faculty

Fr Johnny Go SJ conducted a workshop on the Learning by Refraction approach to Ignatian Pedagogy to the faculty of the Confucius Institute at the Ateneo de Manila University on 1 July 2023. The workshop by the Dean of the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD) opened the Institute’s first face-to-face faculty meeting in four years. It was attended by 20 teachers, including Ateneo Confucius Institute Director Dr Ellen Palanca and Chinese Director Dr Cynthia Liang.

The workshop aimed to strengthen the Institute’s Atenean educational identity and develop a more holistic learning experience for its students as it moves forward in the post-pandemic world.

Fr Go emphasized the role of teacher as designers of learning experiences that use “Learning by Refraction”, a 21^st century application of Ignatian Pedagogy which encourages students to learn through reflection and action.

In today’s world where information can be had at a click of a mouse, skills like recall and memorization that are commonly required in traditional classes, including Chinese, are becoming more and more irrelevant. Now, there is more value in deepening learning through grappling with concepts, connecting them to past learning, and exhibiting knowledge through creative real-life applications.

Fr Go also facilitated group discussions among the Confucius Institute’s teachers on how to effectively incorporate reflection in classes. The teachers also came up with possible reflection questions that would allow students to be more conscious of their motivations, concerns, learning strengths, and difficulties. From these discussions, they were able to draw out valuable insights that could guide them in redesigning their respective learning experiences and address the above in a more targeted way.

In adopting the Ignatian Pedagogy, the Ateneo Confucius Institute teachers hope to not only deliver high-quality Chinese language classes, but also work with students in deepening their knowledge and use this to encourage meaningful life-long learning.