Unlearning: Compassionate Strategies for Human-Centered Learning
Start Date
November 2025
End Date
November 2025
Keywords
Unlearning, Promoting critical reflection, Transformative Teaching Practices
Abstract
Unlearning involves more than simply discarding obsolete beliefs, knowledge, or behaviors—it requires the oft-difficult process of critical reflection, confronting old beliefs, and willingly transforming one’s practices and belief systems (Coombs et al., 2013; Will, 2019). To “reimagine” higher education practices as increased technology challenges us, we must “unlearn” previous pedagogical methods and embrace the unknown. This session offers a dual focus: how educators can compassionately guide students through the process of unlearning to practice critical reflective thinking, and how educators themselves can unlearn automatic teaching habits and embrace novel approaches to student engagement. Our goal is for participants to leave the presentation with practical, student-centered actionable strategies. Join us as we explore together the process of unlearning and aim to create a caring and compassionate learning environment for our students in the digital age of technological advancements.
Learning Outcomes
Participants will:
1) Explore the concept of unlearning as it applies to higher educational practices.
2) Design pedagogical methods that facilitate the process of unlearning in the classroom and in professional development.
3) Create caring and compassionate learning environments for our students through the unlearning process.
Track
Evidence-Based Practice
Session Type
50-Minute Session
Unlearning: Compassionate Strategies for Human-Centered Learning
Unlearning involves more than simply discarding obsolete beliefs, knowledge, or behaviors—it requires the oft-difficult process of critical reflection, confronting old beliefs, and willingly transforming one’s practices and belief systems (Coombs et al., 2013; Will, 2019). To “reimagine” higher education practices as increased technology challenges us, we must “unlearn” previous pedagogical methods and embrace the unknown. This session offers a dual focus: how educators can compassionately guide students through the process of unlearning to practice critical reflective thinking, and how educators themselves can unlearn automatic teaching habits and embrace novel approaches to student engagement. Our goal is for participants to leave the presentation with practical, student-centered actionable strategies. Join us as we explore together the process of unlearning and aim to create a caring and compassionate learning environment for our students in the digital age of technological advancements.