Unteachable moments and pedagogical relationships

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses how Julia Kristeva's theory can inform our understanding of unteachable moments. It proposes a pedagogical relationship that can contain breakdowns of meanings and work toward breakthroughs to new awareness, particularly related to social justice pedagogy in teacher education. First, one example from the author's own teaching is used to define an unteachable moment: Compared to a teachable moment, an unteachable moment refers to the breaking down of pedagogical relationships, although the two moments are not dualistic opposites. Second, Julia Kristeva's theory of intimate revolt is discussed to understand in depth the significance of unteachable moments and the process of mourning the loss to generate the capacity for questioning and meaning-making. Along with this analysis, a lens of nonviolence is adopted to examine how to transform these moments into meaningful pedagogical relationships. Informed by the unteachable moment, the author's shift of pedagogical approaches in social justice education is further discussed. Third, informed by intimate revolt and nonviolence, creating a transformative pedagogical relationship is a generative process of ongoing renewal, enabled by the following essential aspects: (1) staying with difficulty and working from within; (2) shifting relational dynamics between and among teacher, student, text, and context to bring intimacy to students’ critical questioning through nonviolent engagement and (3) playful engagement beyond categorical thinking to open up new possibilities.