Expect a lifelong learning experience from this deeply committed leader.
Asked what his favorite part of teaching at Washington State University was, Michael Pavel, associate professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs in the College of Education, said, “Learning.”
“I, like other faculty at Washington State University, have a personal responsibility to stay on the leading edge of the subjects we specialize in. That’s what it means to be on the faculty of Washington State University, at a research institution.”
Classroom as community
His teaching is founded on the belief that a teacher is a facilitator who walks into the classroom and recognizes the talent and knowledge of all of his students. Together, students and teacher build a community of learning based on respect and listening to create an environment of dialogue.
Pavel says, “Even the shyest, laconic, most reserved students ultimately, by the end of a class, will have found their voice, and by finding that voice other students have been enriched. Sometimes it’s the silent students who have the most to say.”
At the end of a semester, students walk out with an enormous number of teaching techniques modeled by Pavel. He teaches by example, showing students the variety of techniques they can use to embrace and encourage students and others in any situation. For example, because songs and ancestral stories that convey a lesson are part of his culture as a member of the Skokomish tribe, he adds those to the mix.
Educational research that matters
One of his current research projects investigates why studies show that American Indians and Alaska natives don’t do well in math, science, technology, and engineering. “We find that it’s not because they are not capable; math and science are ancient concepts among Alaska natives. We hypothesize that it’s because schools fail to recognize what these cultures can contribute to these areas, and because of that, the students don’t have any interest in it.” At one of his research sites, Barrow, Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle, scientists are finding that it helps to tap into indigenous talent and enrich understanding with their knowledge.
He’s in it for life
One more thing: Michael Pavel believes in creating relationships with his students that are lifelong and lasting. He’s in touch with all of the WSU students he’s had personal contact with, and hardly a day goes by, he says, that he is not blessed with an email, a call, or a visit from one of his former students.
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