Authenticity in teaching and learning: How far do we need to go?

Meaningful engagement with students in teaching and learning requires the interpersonal skills to develop trust and rapport, and the emotional intelligence and courage to be reciprocal in our interactions. In teaching contexts which seek to facilitate students’ wellbeing and lifelong personal and professional development skills, these requirements become personal – demanding honesty and vulnerability from the educator. We propose the value of reciprocal authenticity in these spaces and present the challenges this poses for the educator and team teacher. The context for this reflection is the development and delivery of a credit-bearing, discipline-agnostic student wellbeing and personal development module in an Irish university, wherein we describe our experience of the reflective process and use of the third space in co-creating a learning environment with students. As efforts to embed wellbeing in the curriculum gain traction, we ask whether we as educators are prepared to display this authenticity and consider how we can be supported to cultivate authentic spaces.