To Learning That Moves Us

The Classroom CARE Model

Higher education is at a crossroads.

Students arrive carrying a lot. Faculty are navigating crowded courses, shifting expectations, and constant change. Many classrooms still work but feel thinner than they should.

This is what led me to write Educative Encounters.

It’s also why I’m choosing to spend this year walking through the book, slowly, with anyone who wants to join me. (If you prefer to listen, the short video below that accompanies this post introduces the same invitation.)

Why CARE

The Classroom CARE model grew out of years of teaching, leading, and paying attention to moments when learning felt alive. CARE is a way of thinking about the conditions that allow learning to take root:

• Community - relationships matter

• Action - learners engage, not just receive

• Reflection - meaning doesn’t always happen automatically

• Environment - space shapes experience

These elements work together. When they’re in conversation, classrooms often feel more connected to why we teach in the first place.

Each week, I’ll share a small piece of the book - sometimes a story, sometimes a question, sometimes a practice worth pausing over. There’s no expectation to keep up and no right way to engage. You’re welcome to read, watch, reflect, or simply notice what resonates - through AdvenEd’s socials or website.

Who this is for

If you teach in higher education, this is for you.

If you support teaching - through leadership, design, or administration - this is also for you.

If you care about what learning feels like for students and educators, you’re in the right place.

Where we’re starting

We’ll begin with the opening pages of the book - why this work matters now, and what feels at stake in higher education.

The infographic sketches the CARE model we’ll return to throughout the year.

If you’d like to walk through this year with the book in hand, Educative Encounters: The Classroom CARE Model in Higher Education is available:

• directly from me or through AdvenEd.com

• through local bookstores

• or online through Amazon

You’re welcome to join at any point - and to move through it at your own pace.

Let’s begin.