Touching the Lives of Learners from Head to Soul: An Autoethnographic Reflections

Teaching has become one of the most complex professions globally due to the need for learners in the changing world. The current need of learners is focused on developing 21st-century skills rather than rote memorizing. However, in the case of Nepal, the pedagogical practice is still dominated by a teacher-centric approach focused on technical interests (For example, the Banking model, lecture method, and one-size-fits-all) in most schools. Thus, making learners passive and disengaged in the learning process. Hence, this paper aims to advocate for a shift in the pedagogical practices from technical to critical. Using autoethnography, I critically reflected on my 17 years of experience in education as a teacher, teacher educator, and school leader through the lens of Habermas’ theory of human interest and Mezirow’s transformative learning theory. My story is characterized by perseverance, self-realization, and transformation as I began to play the role of a change agent to advocate critical pedagogy. I have presented my stories in three sections with some art integration (Poem): 1. How I became a teacher, and what kept me going? 2. What poked me to change my despotic teaching self? 3. Why and how am I advocating critical pedagogy? This study recommends that all teachers and educators critically reflect on their practices to transform their pedagogical practices from teacher-centric to learner-centric and create a holistic learning environment.