Dialogue: In conversation with Elizabeth Minnich

Authors

  • Huang Hoon Chng National University of Singapore
  • Elizabeth Minnich Association of American Colleges and Universities
  • John Draeger University of Buffalo
  • Johan Geertsema National University of Singapore
  • Torgny Roxå Lund University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.7.2.4

Abstract

At the conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) in Bergen, Norway (October 2018), we were privileged to have heard a lecture by Elizabeth Minnich, “People who are not thinking are capable of anything: What are students learning, how are students learning it, and does it make them better people?”

In November 2018, as a follow-up to the lecture, Chng Huang Hoon (then ISSOTL vice president, Asia Pacific) invited the ISSOTL community to pose the questions to Professor Minnich. Questions from four members—John Draeger, Torgny Roxå, Johan Geertsema, and Chng Huang Hoon—were received. Professor Minnich emailed her responses to each question, and over the next six months there ensued several email exchanges between each contributor and Professor Minnich, which resulted in the first draft of this conversation. With the help of the above contributors, Huang Hoon wove the separate pairs of exchanges into this conversation, which not only addresses points in her keynote in Bergen but also discusses issues in her works.

Teaching & Learning Inquiry has generously provided this platform for sharing the conversation. We hope TLI readers will benefit from this effort and we welcome readers to continue the discussion.

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Author Biographies

Huang Hoon Chng, National University of Singapore

Chng Huang Hoon is Associate Professor of English Language and Literature, Associate Provost of Undergraduate Education, and Director of the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre at the National University of Singapore (SGP). She serves as co-president elect of the ISSOTL Board of Directors.

Elizabeth Minnich, Association of American Colleges and Universities

Elizabeth Minnich, philosopher, author, teacher, is a Distinguished Fellow at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (USA).

John Draeger, University of Buffalo

John Draeger is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Teaching and Learning Center at University at Buffalo (USA).

Johan Geertsema, National University of Singapore

Johan Geertsema is Associate Professor in the University Scholars Programme and Director of the Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning, National University of Singapore (SGP).

Torgny Roxå, Lund University

Torgny Roxå is Associate Professor and Academic Developer, Excellent Teaching Practitioner, Centre for Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering at Lund University (SWE).

References

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Dewey, J. (1944). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education, New York, NY: Free Press.

Dunne, J. (1993). Back to the rough ground: Practical judgment and the lure of technique. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/book/48232

James, W. (1992). Talks to teachers on psychology and to students on some of life’s ideals. In G. E. Myers (Ed.), William James: Writings, 1878–1899 (pp. 715-721). New York, NY: Library of America.

Jaspers, K. (1947). The question of German guilt (E. B. Ashton, Trans.). New York, NY: Dial Press.

May, S. & Sleeter, C. E. (Eds.) (2010). Critical multiculturalism: Theory and praxis. New York, NY: Routledge.

Minnich, E. (2005). Transforming knowledge (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press

Minnich, E. K. (2010). Teaching thinking: Moral and political considerations. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 35(5), 18-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091380309604115

Minnich, E. (2017). The evil of banality: On the life and death importance of thinking. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Minnich, E. K. (2018, October). People who are not thinking are capable of anything: What are students learning, how are students learning it, and does it make them better people? Keynote presentation at the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Bergen, Norway.

Minnich, E. K. (2019, April). Educating for a world of work. Presentation at the National University of Singapore.

Minnich, E. K., Gardner, L. & Sorkin, B. (2016). In the presence of teaching: Reflections from a project. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 48(3), 60-66. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2016.1170554

Minnich, E. K., Sorkin, B., & Gardner, L. (2016). Present teaching: We are creating the future now and reflections from a project on thinking what we are doing. In M. Ford and S. Rowe (Eds.), Educating for an ecological civilization: Interdisciplinary, experiential, and relational learning (pp. 105-126). Anoka, MN: Process Century Press.

Minnich, E., & Patton, M. Q. (Eds.) (in press). Thought work: Thinking, action, and the fate of the world. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Moorehead, C. (2015). Village of secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

Patton, M. Q. (2008). The paradigms debate. In Utilization-focused evaluation (4th ed.)(pp. 419-470). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage).

Patton, M. Q. (2014). Week 47: Fools’ gold: The widely touted methodological “gold standard” is neither golden nor a standard. [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.betterevaluation.org/en/blog/fools_gold_widely_touted_methodological_gold_standard

Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (4th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Roxå, T. (2018, October). A learning culture: More about how than about what. Keynote presentation at the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Bergen, Norway.

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Published

2019-09-16

How to Cite

Chng, Huang Hoon, Elizabeth Minnich, John Draeger, Johan Geertsema, and Torgny Roxå. 2019. “Dialogue: In Conversation With Elizabeth Minnich”. Teaching and Learning Inquiry 7 (2):51-72. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.7.2.4.