“Dialogue cannot exist in the absence of a profound love for the world and for people.”

(Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed)

I believe education should encourage individuals to think critically and become active agents in the world. This core assumption guides my teaching. First, I use dialogue as the primary teaching method for transforming classrooms in communities of learners. Second, I connect theory and practice to make knowledge meaningful for my students. Third, my research interest in digital cultures allows me to think along with learners about the challenges and opportunities of our era.

My classes unfold as a dialogue that encourages students to express their opinions and challenge others, including myself. I pose the kind of questions that make them analyze diverse aspects of a given topic; I also pay close attention to their points of view. Every person brings a unique set of skills, experiences, and prior knowledge that are as important as the lessons that I am conveying. As Freire stresses, love and humility constitute fundamental dispositions for listening to others. Thus, acknowledging their stories and intellectual diversity opens the possibility to transform a classroom into a community of learners. My expertise provides knowledge, support, and guidance to students in this process and their peers become sources of learning and meaningful engagement.

Helping students to become competent in their fields also requires the melding of conceptual and practical knowledge. Freire explains that theory should inform practice and vice-versa. In this spirit, I complement class discussions with hands-on activities involving digital tools. To provide an example, in my Internet and Society course (CST 460), I ask students to write an opinion piece and publish it on the HASTAC website after receiving peer and instructor feedback. This platform brings together researchers and practitioners interested in issues broad social issues related to the digital age. Students need to analyze the content we cover in the course, connect it with their interests, and communicate their ideas to a real audience.

Critical thinking, dialogue, and problem-posing activities nurture dispositions for approaching challenges and opportunities in networked societies. Thus, I always bring examples of current case studies when discussing theoretical readings on topics such as privacy, civic engagement, and digital divide with students. In these opportunities, they can reflect on multiple approaches and solutions to 21st-century exigencies. To this end, my research interest in digital cultures complements my teaching practice and motivates me to bring current scenarios into the classroom.

These strategies not only create an intellectually stimulating environment but also allow me to give feedback to my students. It is fundamental to balance formal and informal types of assessments in a course. On the one hand, assignments such as in-class group activities, face-to-face discussions, blog posts, and practical engagement with digital media help students to try different ideas in a low-stakes way. On the other hand, research papers and exams require them to explore course concepts more profoundly. Thus, these forms of assessment create a balance between experimentation and rigor, personal curiosity and curricular requirements.

In summary, teaching and learning are interrelated enterprises. In a classroom, I teach students and also learn from them. Dialogue plays a fundamental role in this process because it builds trust and fosters critical thinking. Also, problem-posing activities provoke students to reflect and apply new ideas. As a result, these strategies enable them to become not only competent in their fields but also engaged agents in the world.