An egalitarian pedagogy is my attempt to move from traditional pedagogy to one that is more participative, open, and reflective. The word ‘Egalitarianism’ connotes some sort of equality, asserting, favoring, and promoting greater equality across all participants in the learning experiment. My version of egalitarian pedagogy includes the following core principle: Breaking down the separation of Teacher and Student roles. Unlike traditional pedagogy, which reflects a power distance between the teacher and student that is continually reinforced by, both the teachers and students. The teachers often summarize the material or point out important things that students should pay attention to. The students often ask for teacher-lead elements such as lectures, study materials, and example questions so that they can better prepare for exams and quizzes. Together, these behaviors perpetuate the separation of roles via the institution of “examinations.” Instead, an egalitarian perspective argues for an emphasis on intrinsic goals that drive student participation and learning and invites both teachers and students to break down these traditional roles.
- Purao, S. 2014. Towards an Egalitarian Pedagogy for the Millennial Generation: A Reflection. In J. Carroll (Ed.), Innovative Practices in Teaching Information Sciences and Technology, Springer, Pp. 43-52.