Show Notes
This month’s podcast, "Prioritizing Human Connection Over Rigid Rules," explores the profound intersection between the philosophical foundations of proximity ethics and the practical framework of Process Education. Based on the article, "Between You and Me: A Comparison of Proximity Ethics and Process Education" by Hintze, Romann-Aas, and Aas, this exploration reveals that the educator-student relationship is not merely transactional but a face-to-face ethical encounter that carries an "irrecusable obligation" to care and a fundamental responsibility to facilitate student success. By comparing the works of thinkers like Buber and Løgstrup with Process Education methodologies, we see how moving to a learner-centered model requires educators to risk giving up control to foster authentic dialogue and mutual respect. This approach replaces traditional, objective "I-It" interactions with an "I-You" perspective that intentionally avoids prejudgment, using assessment-based feedback to meet the unique needs of the "Other". Ultimately, both proximity ethics and Process Education align in their mission to empower students toward full autonomy, helping them transition into independent "self-growers" capable of lifelong success.
More from Active Listening
This episode focuses on the article, "Evolution of Six Functions in the History of the Process Education Framework," by Cy Leise, Dan Apple, Wade Ellis, and Steve Beyerlein. It appeared in the International Journal of Process Education, Vol. 13, Issue 1 (2023).
This episode focuses on a classic International Journal of Process Education article (2020) by King-Berry, Ellis, and Apple. The article focuses on defining the qualities of a strong first-year student, including rubrics to assess student progress. International Journal of Process Education (July 2020, Volume 11 Issue 1): Closing the College Readiness Gap: Tools for Preparing Students for College Success.
This episode provides insight into the article about Learning to Learn experiences and how they model principles of student learning. This article, by Apple, Leasure, Nelson, Ulbrich, and Woodbridge, focuses on the student success and learning gains that happen in Learning to Learn experiences over time. https://www.ijpe.online/2020/universal.pdf
This episode recaps the 2026 Process Education Conference, the 20th annual event, which was held in conjunction with West Coast University's annual Academic Conference. Hear about some key session themes, and learn about how you can become more engaged with the International Academy of Process Educators and the 2027 conference.
This episode features ideas from the 2025 article by Leise, Apple, and Ellis, entitled The Self-Growth Journey: Transforming Mindset, Consciousness, and Motivation. This article outlines the relationship between growth and self-growth. By focusing on how mindset, consciousness, and motivation play specifi c roles for each anchor, the model resolves some of the concerns of practitioners about the complexity of the PE self-growth model while also making more transparent how a self-growth mindset, higher-order consciousness, and motives can be harmonized on an individual level to attain life aspirations possible only through self-growth. https://www.ijpe.online/2025/self-growth-journey.pdf