PEDAGOGY
BIOGRAPHIES
Secondly, it is essential to create a nurturing space in which students feel respected, supported and heard. Institutions can establish peer-mentoring programmes, provide accessible psychological counselling services and organise personal development workshops. These initiatives help build an academic environment where students feel valued and safe, which is crucial for their academic and personal success. Furthermore, institutions should encourage self-compassion among students to promote their emotional wellbeing. Self‑compassion, defined as the ability to treat oneself with kindness and understanding in the face of failures and difficulties, is a crucial skill for stress management and emotional resilience. Institutions can offer mindfulness programmes and stress management sessions alongside psychological support resources to help students develop this skill. Lastly, assessment methods need to be adapted to value students’ interpersonal and emotional skills. Traditional assessments, mainly focused on academic results, are not sufficient to measure crucial skills such as empathy, collaboration and conflict management. Institutions can integrate formative assessments, collaborative projects and personal reflections into their traditional assessment processes. Business schools might like to consider implementing the following methods, which can offer a more holistic assessment of student development and that also recognise how vital interpersonal and emotional skills are for success beyond the classroom: • Formative assessments: This involves setting up regular feedback sessions where students reflect on their learning process and emotional reactions to challenges. Faculty can ask their cohorts to keep a diary in which they document their thoughts and feelings about the group work, noting moments of empathy or frustration and how they have dealt with them. • Collaborative projects: In this scenario, students would be assessed not only on the final product, but also on their ability to communicate effectively, empathise with the ideas of other team members and resolve conflicts. • Personal reflections: Faculty asks students to write essays or give presentations in which they analyse their interpersonal interactions and emotional growth. Compassionate pedagogy offers a promising approach to fostering emotional wellbeing, developing interpersonal skills and creating an environment conducive to deep and meaningful learning. By integrating these practices into their curriculum and institutional culture, higher education institutions
Stéphane Justeau has a PhD in economics and has been teaching since 2000. He was trained at the University of Lausanne and at the Open University, where he was awarded a postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice. Justeau is in charge of Essca’s Institute of Advanced Pedagogy where he trains faculty members of Essca School of Management, as well as lecturers from other universities and schools both in France and abroad. Previously dean of faculty, he is now associate dean for pedagogy Stéphane Faure trains individuals who aspire to teach meditation as part of the MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) and OPALE (ouverture positive sur les apprentissages et les émotions) programmes, as well as leading silent retreats. With 15 years’ experience in contemplative studies and closed retreats, he has been working as a meditation teacher and MBSR and MBCL (mindfulness- based cognitive behavioural therapy) instructor since 2010. His main area of practice is in the field of medicine, where he works with both patients and healthcare professionals, notably at the Bordeaux University Hospital. Trained in ‘presencing’ methods (ie the blending of sensing and presence), he also runs a range of programmes for organisations undergoing major changes
can help to produce students who are better prepared emotionally, socially and academically for their future lives. While such a holistic approach has its limitations and can impose certain constraints, it is undoubtedly a path worth exploring in order to meet the challenges facing education in the 21st century.
Ambition | NOVEMBER 2024 | 29
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