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“Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.”
“Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.”
― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
"The classroom is a space where paradigms can shift, inaugurating new worlds. "
"The classroom is a space where paradigms can shift, inaugurating new worlds. "
― Lwando Scott
― Lwando Scott
My Teaching Philosophy
My Teaching Philosophy
My desire and motivation to teach stem from the understanding that as a teacher I remain a lifelong learner. The classroom is a space where knowledge is not unidirectional, as many would believe; the classroom is a space that facilitates the co-creation of knowledge, perhaps with the guidance of the teacher. The classroom is a space where paradigms can shift, inaugurating new worlds. This magic about teaching was captured by the writer/teacher Matt Bell when he tweeted, “today one of my undergrads unpacked a linguistic puzzle from the novel we’re reading in real-time, solving something I’d never gotten in my five reads and that I’ve never seen in criticism of the text. I was in awe. The class was in awe. The student was awed with herself. Amazing”. This is the power of the classroom, this is the power of teaching; to not only enable a multiverse of seeing and reading, but to also animate the imagination of those in the classroom to a point where “the student was awed with herself”. This moment in the classroom is paradigm shifting; not only for the student, but also for the teacher, and crucially for all the other students in the classroom, who, in that awe-inducing moment, learn about the possibilities contained in reading.
My desire and motivation to teach stem from the understanding that as a teacher I remain a lifelong learner. The classroom is a space where knowledge is not unidirectional, as many would believe; the classroom is a space that facilitates the co-creation of knowledge, perhaps with the guidance of the teacher. The classroom is a space where paradigms can shift, inaugurating new worlds. This magic about teaching was captured by the writer/teacher Matt Bell when he tweeted, “today one of my undergrads unpacked a linguistic puzzle from the novel we’re reading in real-time, solving something I’d never gotten in my five reads and that I’ve never seen in criticism of the text. I was in awe. The class was in awe. The student was awed with herself. Amazing”. This is the power of the classroom, this is the power of teaching; to not only enable a multiverse of seeing and reading, but to also animate the imagination of those in the classroom to a point where “the student was awed with herself”. This moment in the classroom is paradigm shifting; not only for the student, but also for the teacher, and crucially for all the other students in the classroom, who, in that awe-inducing moment, learn about the possibilities contained in reading.
Teaching is very important to me. My teaching philosophy is heavily shaped by Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks, where she argues that “the classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy”. The example above is a great illustration of this possibility. hook’s ideas on the radical potential of teaching can be paired with the transformative ethos of education contained in Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Freire rejected the idea of conformity of students in the education system, but rather championed education as a practice of freedom. As a South African born at the end of apartheid, my dedication to teaching is heavily shaped by my understanding of the history of colonialism and the oppressive systems left in the colonial aftermath. Colonialism, and the systems borne of it, decimated indigenous pathways to knowledge, and then created unequal access to formal education for many groups of people. This has left us with a postcolonial legacy of variant inequalities in education systems that teachers continue to struggle against in the 21st century. Considering all of this, then, education is not only an important tool for self-improvement, but an instrument that can be used for social justice ends that will ultimately transform the world we live in.
Teaching is very important to me. My teaching philosophy is heavily shaped by Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks, where she argues that “the classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy”. The example above is a great illustration of this possibility. hook’s ideas on the radical potential of teaching can be paired with the transformative ethos of education contained in Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Freire rejected the idea of conformity of students in the education system, but rather championed education as a practice of freedom. As a South African born at the end of apartheid, my dedication to teaching is heavily shaped by my understanding of the history of colonialism and the oppressive systems left in the colonial aftermath. Colonialism, and the systems borne of it, decimated indigenous pathways to knowledge, and then created unequal access to formal education for many groups of people. This has left us with a postcolonial legacy of variant inequalities in education systems that teachers continue to struggle against in the 21st century. Considering all of this, then, education is not only an important tool for self-improvement, but an instrument that can be used for social justice ends that will ultimately transform the world we live in.
In my academic career, I have taught various courses with different learning outcomes. In 2026, I was module convener and lecturer of the Feminist Theory course for postgraduate students. In this course, we read the history of feminist thought from the Suffragettes through to postfeminism criticisms all the while located in South African feminist thought. Also, I have been a guest lecturer in Feminist Research Methodologies postgraduate seminar since 2020, where I have been focusing on ethnographic interview styles and focus group methodologies. I have also taught Contemporary Issues in Women’s and Gender Studies, where I was involved in the redesign of the course with new text selection and some major curriculum changes. All of these courses are located within the Women’s and Gender Studies department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). In 2021, I was invited to teach part of the Windows into Humanities course, a first-year course designed to showcase the diversity of humanistic studies at UWC. My section focused on Gender in African Societies. Prior to teaching at UWC, I was an Assistant Lecturer teaching an undergraduate Diversity Studies course in the Sociology Department, and a People Management course in Organisational Psychology at the University of Cape Town (UCT). In the Diversity Studies course, I was responsible for outlining the learning outcomes, curriculum design, selection of readings, assessments design, and creating grading rubrics. In the People Management course, I was part of a team of lecturers from different disciplines; I taught part of the course, and as lecturers we had to work closely as a team to create a pedagogically sound and coherent course. Between 2015 and 2019, during the winter break in June/July, I spent my time teaching with a winter school programme, where I taught Critical Sociology of Volunteer Work at UCT. The winter school constituted of university undergraduate students from the United States and students from Hong Kong.
In my academic career, I have taught various courses with different learning outcomes. In 2026, I was module convener and lecturer of the Feminist Theory course for postgraduate students. In this course, we read the history of feminist thought from the Suffragettes through to postfeminism criticisms all the while located in South African feminist thought. Also, I have been a guest lecturer in Feminist Research Methodologies postgraduate seminar since 2020, where I have been focusing on ethnographic interview styles and focus group methodologies. I have also taught Contemporary Issues in Women’s and Gender Studies, where I was involved in the redesign of the course with new text selection and some major curriculum changes. All of these courses are located within the Women’s and Gender Studies department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). In 2021, I was invited to teach part of the Windows into Humanities course, a first-year course designed to showcase the diversity of humanistic studies at UWC. My section focused on Gender in African Societies. Prior to teaching at UWC, I was an Assistant Lecturer teaching an undergraduate Diversity Studies course in the Sociology Department, and a People Management course in Organisational Psychology at the University of Cape Town (UCT). In the Diversity Studies course, I was responsible for outlining the learning outcomes, curriculum design, selection of readings, assessments design, and creating grading rubrics. In the People Management course, I was part of a team of lecturers from different disciplines; I taught part of the course, and as lecturers we had to work closely as a team to create a pedagogically sound and coherent course. Between 2015 and 2019, during the winter break in June/July, I spent my time teaching with a winter school programme, where I taught Critical Sociology of Volunteer Work at UCT. The winter school constituted of university undergraduate students from the United States and students from Hong Kong.
My teaching experience has taught me that the classroom becomes a generating environment when it is approached with generosity. In my teaching I aim to equip my students with reading and analytical skills, where they not only see through their own identities and experiences but must try to grapple with what life might mean for others. The greatest gift I can give as a teacher is to cultivate a desire for knowledge in students, whereby my students are independent learners who may one day also see themselves as lifelong learners.
My teaching experience has taught me that the classroom becomes a generating environment when it is approached with generosity. In my teaching I aim to equip my students with reading and analytical skills, where they not only see through their own identities and experiences but must try to grapple with what life might mean for others. The greatest gift I can give as a teacher is to cultivate a desire for knowledge in students, whereby my students are independent learners who may one day also see themselves as lifelong learners.
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