Book Review: Dissonant Methods: Undoing Discipline in the Humanities Classroom

Madison W. Moore
2022 Canadian Journal of Education  
Dissonant Methods: Undoing Discipline in the Humanities Classroom is a collection of essays edited by Ada S. Jaarsma, a Professor of Philosophy, and Kit Dobson, a Professor of Literature, both at Mount Royal University. The text examines how postsecondary education should divert from neoliberal-based practices into methods that are more conducive to critical thinking and engagement. The term "learnification" is often used to address neoliberal policies that view instructors as solely a resource
more » ... of information whose ultimate goal should be to guide students to be self-sufficient learners, rendering the teacher useless (Jaarsma, 2020 , Kinashuck, 2020). A neoliberalist approach to education also focuses heavily on memorization and standardization, which does not encourage students to think critically or creatively (Pettinen, 2020) . Within the book, dissonant teaching and learning methods are explored to challenge neoliberal pedagogy by envisioning a postsecondary experience that upholds inclusive and holistic ways of learning. Many of the authors lean on the metaphor of the "tomato," found in the novel On Beauty (Smith, 2006), to symbolize the varying teaching forms and methods that can take place in a classroom. As students learn from various instructors, they often must adapt to each unique "tomato" or methodology, and by analyzing different forms of educating, we will come to understand the experience of postsecondary students more clearly (Jaarsma, 2020). The work for this book took place over several years, where the authors read shared texts, participated in a workshop, and completed chapters while staying connected. Although there are many contributing authors, the unique approach to the construction of the book allows unique perspectives to be explored while a cohesive and intertwined
doi:10.53967/cje-rce.v45i1.5539 fatcat:2oehxj3t5nekxl74m3ozvvj2ne