In the third instalment of our Constructive Failure series, we uncover a teacher’s journey to forge deep connections through relational pedagogies—a path marked by both unparalleled success and an unexpected twist. Explore the story to understand the nature of its ‘failure’.
Professor Toni Bruce instructs at the intersection of sport, society, and media. Driven to create a more dynamic and interconnected learning environment for her students, she trialled a new course design based on relational pedagogies in 2018, applying it to various courses across the disciplines. Her approach was designed to prioritise student voices, foster connections among students, with the teacher, with the subject matter, and with themselves, enabling Toni to respond more effectively to their immediate needs. She was eager to witness the impact of a genuinely relational pedagogy in her classroom—and the results, once implemented, were astounding.
Weekly feedback and feedforward loop
Toni piloted the new course design in several undergraduate courses across different disciplines, including a General Education class with around 80 students (EDUC 104G: Sport in Society), a mandatory core class in Sport, Health, and PE with about 40 students (SPORTHPE 101: Sociocultural Foundations), and a Media Communications course with over 100 students (COMMS 303/SPORT 203: Sports Media).
Her strategy hinged on two fundamental principles: valuing student voice and experience in the class and fostering active engagement with the course content. In practice, this involved incorporating two open-ended questions into her weekly multiple-choice quizzes. One question invited students to pinpoint any areas of confusion from the most recent lecture. She would then address challenging questions in the subsequent lecture and, if necessary, tailor the lecture content to better suit student needs.
Additionally, Toni integrated the quantitative quiz results into her lectures, so if multiple students struggled with the same question, she would clarify those concepts in the next class.
The other question in the weekly quiz encouraged students to share a real-life experience connected to a specific concept from their readings. With student permission, Toni incorporated their anonymised stories into the course material. These student experiences could also be linked to a final assignment—an oral presentation centred on their personal experiences and how class research helped them comprehend those experiences more deeply.
Summary of arguments (Arnold 1997) If sport is seen as a valued human practice, then the question of whether the ‘ideals of sport’ are being displayed is an important question Arnold (1997) argues that you must follow the rules of the sport. You can’t pick and choose the rules that suit you. This is both a ‘legal’ and a ‘moral’ issue because breaking the agreed rules is like breaking a promise Drawing on Arnold’s (1997) article: What is the main focus of a philosophical (practice) view of sport? Bar chart showing results: Empty response: 1 respondent 3% Playing to the ref: Taking no moral responsibility for your actions 4 respondents 11% Intrinsic goals: Playing sport for its own sake 13 respondents 36% Breaking the rules when you can get away with it 1 respondent 3% Extrinsic goals: Playing sport to win 17 respondents 47%
Figure 1 – An example showing student quiz responses incorporated into the content of the subsequent lecture.
Moral balancing. 1. Sport encourages assimilative balancing. Bullet point: Not expected to give equal consideration to opponent’s desires. 2. You want to be in moral balance with opponents. Bullet point: If feel moral balance has been upset, you seek to right the wrong. Bullet point: Forgiveness or restitution (getting them back! Equalising the imbalance). 3. Righting wrongs requires moral ‘dialogue’. Bullet point: Usually not through talking but use other communication modes. Bullet point: Physical or verbal intimidation, or physical retribution. 4. Adjust intensity or frequency of aggression in response to opponent’s actions. 5. Player’s interpretation of opponent’s intention is IMPORTANT in whether see a need to right a wrong or morally rebalance: Leading question: Is hurting people a necessary way of communicating in basketball/football? Quoting anonymous: “I’m saying it’s necessary. It’s a way of evening things out. It wouldn’t be right not to do it.” Highlighted paragraph: Once during a rugby game the ball had left the breakdown and an opposition player more or less had me in a headlock. As it was my intention to catch up with play and protect myself from injury I made the decision to elbow him in the head with enough force so that I was certain to get out of a headlock. Whilst it is completely unethical and in fact a red card offence I did it primarily as I wanted to continue playing and couldn’t care less about injuring an opponent in this situation given the circumstances.
Figure 2 – Toni regularly incorporates students’ personal anecdotes into the lecture slides. These narratives, which connect to theoretical concepts taught in class, serve to strengthen the material and enhance student comprehension by relating theory to real-life experiences.
What ‘brackets’ sport out from everyday life? Sport is separated spatially (placed in a specific place for sport) Sport is separated temporally (specific time set aside to play) •These emphasize the temporary nature and non-consequential nature of sport (e.g. if lose game, you should be restored to your “normal life status as equalized moral agents” once game is over) Decision-making power and moral responsibility is concentrated in coaches and officials •Players feel less accountable, are protected “against serious moral default” I think there is such a focus on winning that if I get away with a foul and the refs don’t pick it up I’m happy to do it again and again if it will give me and advantage even if it’s morally wrong and even when it hurts my opponents. I can’t imagine cheating or doing something else of that calibre outside of sports but in sports I do it almost every game even in cases where it is against my friends. I was once a sideline referee for my team because in the lower levels of school rugby…a student will have to step up and be the sideline referee … I called out on many plays that for the opposing team weren’t actually out just because I could. In real life I would not cheat as it doesn’t help anyone.
Figure 3 – Another example showing how Toni integrates student experiences in lectures.
The rewards of responsive teaching
Applying concepts to our own lives offers quite a different approach to lectures. A lot more of personal touch. Was good to see other people’s thinking and seeing if others had the same issues as me as sometimes you can feel like you might be the only one who doesn’t understand something. And it’s also really helpful if you’re too shy to speak up in class.
Very useful. When I didn’t understand something, or I needed it to be covered in more detail, Toni was able to see that and explain it further in the next lecture. It was also useful hearing what other people didn’t get, because when Toni explained it more in class, it allowed me to get a better grip of the topic.
Overall, Toni witnessed a significant shift in classroom dynamics. Students became more inclined to participate in discussions, pose questions, and appeared genuinely interested in the material. The feeling of being heard and having their experiences recognised cultivated a more positive and enthusiastic learning atmosphere.
Subsequently, Toni would express that she not only empowered her students but also felt empowered as an educator, capable of embodying truly responsive teaching and nurturing meaningful connections with her students.
You might wonder, how is this a story of failure in teaching?
The unsustainable burden of success
Simply put, it led to serious workload issues. Toni swiftly realised that her approach was unsustainable due to the immense dedication required to maintain such a level of responsiveness. The teaching success came at a significant cost—her own time.
The sheer volume of responses, especially in the larger courses, resulted in a heavy workload and time pressure. Furthermore, Toni aimed to boost responsiveness by incorporating the quantitative quiz results into her lectures. By analysing which questions students answered incorrectly, she could pinpoint areas needing further explanation and address these points directly in subsequent classes.
Responding effectively to student feedback, irrespective of class size, often necessitated additional research and modifications to lecture content. Toni confronted an overwhelming workload, racing against time to implement changes based on student feedback. With the quiz scheduled less than 24 hours before the next lecture, she grappled with both the workload and time pressures, tirelessly striving for efficiency to improve the course material.
On one occasion, student responses exposed a critical gap in understanding a particular concept. Determined to address this effectively, Toni found herself working until 4am, completely redesigning her entire lecture for the following day. Such dedicated effort wasn’t uncommon—late nights spent revising lectures based on student feedback became a regular occurrence.
Why success couldn’t last
Despite the workload, Toni found the rewards substantial. Witnessing students actively engage with the material, relate it to their own lives, and attain a deeper understanding was incredibly fulfilling. However, it had also become evident that her approach was unsustainable, and she eventually had to scale back.
Several factors contributed to the unsustainability of her otherwise notably successful approach:
Firstly, the sheer number of student responses, particularly in the larger class, made it challenging to provide a response within the timeframe between quizzes and lectures.
Secondly, student inquiries frequently extended beyond the prescribed readings, necessitating Toni to explore new areas to provide comprehensive answers.
Thirdly, the quizzes could not be marked automatically.
Lastly, being responsive in teaching was not a one-time effort but required weekly repetition, which became exhausting.
The workload of balancing responsive teaching with other faculty duties, like marking assignments and course preparation, proved unsustainable without extra support. At the time, Toni had no GTA support for some of the mentioned courses; indeed, she was the sole teacher, lecturer, tutor, and marker all in one.
Insights gained
The experience of receiving consistent formative feedback from students has transformed Toni’s practice, making her more adaptable in her lectures and open to delving deep into clarifying concepts upon student request.
Toni has learned the importance of striking the right balance between work and life, and among her various priorities as a teacher. It’s crucial to find a balance between innovative teaching practices and a manageable workload. While the initial design produced impressive outcomes, its long-term implementation necessitated significant adjustments.
Toni is still seeking ways to enhance relationality without increasing the workload, as she admits the results of the ‘scaled-back’ responsive teaching versions aren’t quite as effective.
Questions raised
Importantly, her story raises a crucial question: in an era when educators are expected to be ever-evolving experts not only in content but also in innovative pedagogy, assessment, and curriculum design, as well as the rapidly advancing EdTech, are institutions offering the necessary support to enable them to flourish in their roles? Can universities develop sustainable models that foster innovation while ensuring faculty well-being?
Toni’s dedication to her students is laudable, yet it came at the cost of her own time and well-being. The challenge for educational institutions lies in not only advocating for pedagogical innovation but, above all, fostering a culture that is sustainable and supportive of its faculty.
Interested?
Toni first presented her story in February 2024 at the dedicated ‘Epic Fails’ session of the Learning Futures Community of Interest. If you enjoyed this story, you’ll enjoy hearing more from our colleagues at our monthly online seminars. All staff at the University of Auckland are welcome to join.
Watch Toni tell her story.
Resources
Visit Toni’s staff profile page.