Jonathan Beverley, M.S.

“The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.”

– Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on “The Purpose of Education”

When I think about the purpose of education, I return to my formative years. Several of my family members, community leaders, and church leaders were educators. They taught me to question, reflect, and test my assumptions about life while remaining grounded in moral responsibility and respect for others. As I moved beyond secondary school, I encountered learning environments that challenged me to examine those assumptions more deeply, engage with perspectives different from my own, and develop a stronger capacity for analysis. That experience continues to shape my teaching. I believe students should be free to think independently, wrestle with difficult questions, and form their own conclusions while treating differing viewpoints with respect and considering the ethical consequences of their decisions.

I believe critical pedagogy can help students see themselves not only as learners, but also as people capable of contributing to their organizations and communities. Education should involve more than delivering content or preparing students to complete tasks. It should help students ask better questions about how knowledge, technology, and decisions affect people. My professional experience has made me especially attentive to issues of inequality, access, and unintended consequences. In my work, I regularly ask, “How will this work affect the business and the people we serve?” I bring that same question into the classroom. Although ethical and social implications may not always appear as a separate rubric criterion, I want students to consider them in their assignments, discussions, and decisions. I encourage students to draw on their own experiences, engage with research and their classmates’ perspectives, and reconsider their assumptions as their understanding develops.

Students do not all learn, participate, or demonstrate understanding in the same way. For that reason, I draw on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by providing multiple ways for students to engage with course material, access information, and demonstrate what they have learned. I value whiteboarding and visual explanation, shaped in part by my experience as a pre-sales engineer, where I regularly used physical and digital whiteboards to make complex ideas more accessible. I also incorporate written materials, audio resources, discussion, and other multimodal activities.

This approach is especially important for English language learners and students with language-related disabilities, who may communicate their understanding more effectively through formats that build on their strengths. My goal is not to lower expectations, but to create a learning environment that is flexible, accessible, and appropriately challenging. By giving students meaningful options for engaging with content and demonstrating their growth, I aim to ensure that differences in communication or learning preferences do not become unnecessary barriers to success.

I am a practitioner by trade, and I want students to see the connection between theory and the realities they will encounter in organizations. I create opportunities for them to bring their prior knowledge and experiences into the classroom through small-group work, problem-based learning, reflection, and discussion. My background in management and information systems provides a range of real-world examples that can make abstract concepts more concrete. Case studies, simulations, role-playing, and storytelling help students move beyond memorizing material and begin applying what they learn.

My interest in constructivist learning grew during my first master’s program, where my cohort often found that concepts became more meaningful and durable when we could connect them to past or current experiences. Students who have not yet encountered a particular situation professionally can still learn through realistic scenarios, case studies, and stories from practice. I still remember an undergraduate management professor who connected course concepts to his experiences at AT&T. Those stories made the subject matter more vivid and memorable. I strive to offer students a similar experience—one in which they are active participants in learning rather than passive recipients of information.

My teaching is grounded in the belief that education can be transformative. I aim to build classrooms where critical thinking, ethical reasoning, practical application, and respect for diverse perspectives are part of everyday learning. By drawing on critical pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, constructivist learning, and real-world storytelling, I seek to help students become capable professionals, thoughtful citizens, and responsible decision-makers. I also recognize that teaching requires ongoing reflection. I remain committed to examining and refining my practices so that my courses are accessible, relevant, and responsive to the learners I serve.