Josh Luckens interviews Dr. Kevin Gannon, who shares how he finds spaces of possibility to question the status quo in higher education, working alongside his students to build a more just and sustainable future.

He discusses ways to stop inequities from reproducing themselves in the classroom, how he has moved from focusing on the product to the process of learning, and why he leads with compassion as an educator, helping students discover their own unique pathways to meaningful and authentic learning.

Dr. Gannon posits that the better we can answer the following questions, the better the teaching and learning experiences that we design will be:

• How do I give students permission to take risks and fall short, knowing that a “failure” isn’t the end of the process, but a necessary step towards learning and mastery?
• How will I get students connected with one another and myself in relationships built on mutual trust and shared purpose?
• How can I not take things personally, but instead lead with curiosity and meet my students where they actually are?
• How is everyone in this teaching and learning space acknowledging and meeting everyone else as fully and authentically human?
• How do I remain committed to a better future and act every day from that place?

Dr. Kevin Gannon is the Director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence and Professor of History at Queens University. He is a regular contributor to The Chronicle of Higher Education and is the author of the book Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto.

Additional resources:

• Kevin Gannon's Book: Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto
• Kevin Gannon's Blog: The Tattooed Professor: History, Teaching, and Technology With A Custom Paint Job

Editor: Sarah Walkowiak (August, 2023)