Critical hybrid pedagogies: A self-study inquiry into faculty practices in a blended Educational Leadership EdD program

Abstract

In an educational context that includes an overarching neoliberal agenda and rapidly expanding inequalities that cross social, racial, class, linguistic, and gender lines, preparing educational leaders to promote social justice in educational systems is more urgent than ever. Framed by critical posthumanism, this self-study inquiry investigates the construction of hybrid teaching practices that foster the kind of authentic interaction needed to develop transformative leaders who are capable of challenging unjust social relationships in educational institutions. In our findings, we explore the ways the introduction of technology changed the nature of teaching, how we strengthened the connections between online and in-person coursework, describe the creative possibilities afforded by technology, and outline issues of social justice that surfaced during our analysis. The study highlights the professional learning of two Educational Leadership faculty in the area of online pedagogy and speaks to the promise of self-study as a rich way for faculty to engage in collaborative, transformative learning. The study holds the potential to help faculty improve their teaching practice as well as assist them to think deeply about how their subjectivities are mediated via various technologies.