The transformative nature of Pedro A. Noguera's teaching is what sets it apart for many students. They frequently comment that he "opened our minds" and "changed our perceptions." Noguera says that "the classroom can be exciting and challenging. Professors and students can grow intellectually, often in some unpredictable and truly remarkable ways."
Noguera, whose courses address issues of race, ethnicity, and poverty as they impact schooling, teaching, and learning, says that one of his goals is to encourage students to "raise difficult issues without feeling intimidated. By seeking out their thoughts and responses to my ideas, and by holding out my own explanations and formulations to scrutiny and debate, I have been able to encourage a critical stance toward the material and toward learning generally."
Colleagues and students praise Noguera for practicing what he preaches. "No one on the Berkeley Faculty has contributed more to the resolution of the problems facing urban education in the East Bay than Pedro Noguera," says a colleague. And a student says, "He is a dynamic lecturer, provides excellent analysis, and is interested in students. In addition, his involvement goes beyond the classroom. He is actively fighting for change." Norguera an elected member of the Berkeley School Board from 1990-1994 and is a member of the Centers for Disease Control National Taskforce on Youth Violence.
An Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education, Noguera joined the faculty in 1990. He received his BA from Brown University in 1981 and his PhD in sociology from Berkeley in 1989.
Statement Of Teaching Philosophy
The most enjoyable aspect of my work as a member of the faculty in the Graduate School of Education has been teaching and advising students. Beyond the pleasure I derive from interacting with students, my teaching has served as a medium for developing and refining ideas and theories that have guided my research.
In both seminars and large lectures I have employed an interactive style of teaching which allows me to learn from my students even as I teach. By consciously incorporating questions into my lectures which focus on how and why things are, I have sought to create an atmosphere in which students are able to raise difficult issues without feeling intimidated.
The approach I take to teaching issues in urban education combines a theoretical study of conditions in urban areas with a practical analysis of the problems experienced by urban schools. Working individually or in groups, students complete the major project for the course in phases, turning in parts of the assignment for feedback at various stages throughout the semester. Though my own expectations for the projects are limited due to the time available, several students have written their M.A. thesis through the course, and more than a few have published their papers in academic journals. In other courses, I have incorporated numerous service learning opportunities for students. This has added an important experiential dimension which many students have told me has deepened their understanding of the issues covered in the class.
I also try to use my teaching as a medium for testing out ideas and new approaches to complex social issues. This forces me to figure out how to present my ideas in a clear and coherent manner. Moreover, by seeking out students' thoughts and responses to my ideas, and by holding out my own explanations and formulations to scrutiny and debate, I attempt to encourage a critical stance toward the material and toward learning generally.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I seek to establish a relationship based upon mutual respect with my students. This includes respect and tolerance for even far-out ideas and off-the-wall questions. It also includes sensitivity to the needs and aspirations of my students. When such an atmosphere is created I believe that the classroom can be an exciting and challenging arena in which professors and students can grow intellectually, often in some unpredictable and truly remarkable ways.