Teaching in a wicked world

How can teachers prepare students to tackle large-scale “wicked” problems? This issue will be addressed during the next Community As Classroom, sponsored by the Office of Community Engagement.

“Community-based Teaching in a Wicked World: Preparing Students for Messy Inquiry” will take place March 20, from 10-11:30 a.m. in the University Club at the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.
 
A “wicked” or high-stakes issue can be defined as dynamically complex and interdependent with no simple or obvious definition or solution. Current top-down, siloed, and abstract pedagogical strategies do not provide students with the tools for managing such problems.

This colloquium will address the need for an experiential, collaborative learning model in the classroom: working across networks, disciplines and institutions in order to tackle social messes.
 
Speakers include Danielle Lake, assistant professor of liberal studies, who has conducted research on the need for democratic deliberation in a wicked world, and Anna Sluka, who works with a number of community organizations to combat poverty.