An Interest-driven Approach: An interview with Professor Allan Leslie Combs

Abstract

On March 17, 2024, I interviewed Professor Allan Leslie Combs about his teaching for my doctoral research project titled Teaching With Consciousness: A Narrative Inquiry Into Scholars’ Experiences Teaching About Consciousness Beyond the Brain. In January 2025, Leslie reviewed a draft of my interview write-up and emailed me, saying, “Beautiful work! And I have to say I am honored by the description you give of my own teaching philosophy.” This article draws on Leslie’s stories and applies their insights to the theory and practice of consciousness education—a field exploring perspectives on the source and nature of consciousness and their implications for ways of being, knowing, teaching, and learning. Keywords: Allan Leslie Combs, consciousness education, consciousness studies, transformative learning, pedagogy, nondualism, student-teacher relationshi