Abstract

Successful learning is based on a reciprocal relationship between instructor and student that, in turn, requires the instructor to have a deep understanding of the student’s background, interests, fears and resistances. In fact, many beginning philosophy instructors have a rather limited understanding of what their students bring to the educational interaction. The conclusion is that training in pedagogy must be more than teaching techniques but should also include more exposure to an understanding of the experience of contemporary college students. An experimental graduate student teacher preparation at Villanova University is presented as a model to stimulate further thought.