Abstract
Feminist pedagogy calls for more than presence and voice—it asks us to listen deeply and express courageously. This article introduces the Full-Circle Model of Listening and Expressing, a framework that extends the concept of deep listening by pairing it with intentional expression. Building on previous work on deep listening (Nicastro & Valdez, 2022), we articulate six essential components of feminist communication: openness, attunement, integration (for listening), and self-reflection, courage, and intentional dialogue (for expressing). These interconnected practices foster genuine connection, challenge hierarchies, and make visible the often-unseen emotional labor of communication. Using the metaphor of a circle, we explore how the “feminist ear” listens not only to what is said, but to what is felt and sensed—those emotional truths that shape learning and community. However, deep listening alone is not enough. Without reciprocal, reflective expression, dialogue can become performative or silencing. Our model centers dialogic balance, where both listener and speaker engage with vulnerability and care to co-create meaning. This model was born from years of feminist teaching, heartbreak, resistance, and hope. And in a world where people are so often speaking past each other, or not speaking at all, we believe this full-circle dialogue offers a way forward—toward understanding, toward community, toward something more honest and whole.
Recommended Citation
Nicastro, Alana M. and Valdez, Shelly
(2025)
"Beyond Deep Listening with the ‘Feminist Ear’: Introducing the Full-Circle Model of Listening and Expressing,"
Feminist Pedagogy: Vol. 6:
Iss.
1, Article 13.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/feministpedagogy/vol6/iss1/13