by Mitch Lorenz, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center
The Reinter Center recently hosted the 2025 Ignatian Pedagogy Institute. The theme of the institute was how our courses can fulfill the Universal Apostolic Preference: “to accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.”
The quickly changing political landscape, and the recent disruptions to grant funding and other scholarly endeavors, make it difficult to imagine how educators who might be feeling discouraged themselves, might find ways to encourage students to embrace feelings of hope in our current context. This train of thought, however, focuses on a traditional definition of “hope,” which may include feelings of optimism and anticipation for the future, which are precisely the feeling that may be in short supply for educators right now. In proposing a “pedagogy of hope,” educational philosopher Paulo Freire’s offers a different definition of “hope” situated in the context within which we find ourselves teaching. Freire emphasized that every course, in every subject, is shaped by the sociocultural happenings of the time, stating:
“Let it not be said that, if I am a biology teacher, I must not ‘go off into other considerations’ – that I must only teach biology; as if the phenomenon of life could be understood apart from its historico-social, cultural, and political framework” (p. 78, Freire, 1994).
Situating teaching in the happenings of the time can help students better understand the relationship between their learning and the “real world.” It is through this understanding that “hope” can be instilled, as “hope,” in Freire’s model, represents the ability to enact change in the future.
During the Ignatian Pedagogy Institute, the pedagogy of hope was introduced as a framework to help students connect with one another, with recognition of connection as an important skill that can improve students’ feelings of belonging. In reflecting on the last 25 years of work related to pedagogies of hope, Bourn (2021) identified four primary components that must be present for practical hope to be embraced by learners:
- class climate that invites sharing
- listening with reassurance
- demonstrating understanding
- providing a means to act
If these seem “basic” upon first glance, that is because they are! I find the simplicity of a concept such as, “just create opportunities for sharing and demonstrate understanding” to be reassuring, especially when faced with the challenge of accompanying students in the creation of a hope-filled future. As you face the reality of teaching in an ever-changing educational landscape, remember that hope can mean “recognizing how to enact change” and who better to understand how your discipline can change the world than you?
References
Bourn, D. (2021). Pedagogy of hope: Global learning and the future of education. International
Journal of Development Education and Global Learning, 13(2), 65-78. https://doi.org/10.14324/IJDEGL.13.2.01
Freire, P. (1994). A pedagogy of hope. Continuum Publishing
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