Feminist Pedagogy, the Ignatian Paradigm, and Service-Learning: Distinctive Roots, Common Objectives, and Intriguing Challenges

Abstract

Many alternative or “liberatory” pedagogies share common or related philosophical roots and have evolved through decades (and in some cases centuries) of debate about the role of education in society, the appropriate curriculum, the ideal nature of classroom interaction, effective relationships among teachers and students, and the desired outcomes of education in a multicultural democracy. Three such pedagogies are explored in three usually divergent literatures: feminist pedagogy, Ignatian pedagogy, and service-learning pedagogy. This chapter brings these literatures together in an exploration of the commonalities among the three pedagogical traditions, in which their historical and philosophical roots are discussed, some shared assumptions about teaching and learning are identified, and the objectives of each for the production of individual and social transformation are described. It also explores some of the divergences among them, using each perspective as a critical lens and analytical tool with which to examine and challenge the others. It provides specific teaching experiences that illustrate both the strengths and shortcomings of each approach-in-action in order to demonstrate how an inter-articulation of the three approaches to teaching—each with its own social history, philosophy, and set of practices—can inform institutions, teachers, and students they work together to create meaningful pedagogies that are truly transformative.