The Praxis of Hope

Building a pedagogy of hope & philosophy

Radical hope is an approach for both teaching and learning – it is embedding dissent, and curiosity; it is demanding that creativity and critical thinking is actioned, not just entertained.

As teachers and learners, we’ve all agreed to be citizens of the world – the classroom does not remove us or temporarily pause our citizenship. In fact, instead, it should demand a responsibility that we actively work to integrate current issues, human rights and global conflicts into our teaching & learning approaches.

Learning, therefore, is political and act of actioned philosophy (Bourn, 2021).

First, our intentions as educators needs to shift to a consensus of understanding, that as teachers/educators our “education system needs to prepare children for life, not just examinations”(Bourn, 2021, p. 72) and I would argue all leaners, not just children.

Second, as educators, we agree on the definition of hope - a hope, not saccharine with fake idealism, but with motivation to enact change.

Third, we apply a philosophically minded approach – which means “ occupying a radical middle between opposing viewpoints and thinking critically, in action, about educational experiences” (Christou, 2010, p.14)

As with hope, the idea of being philosophically minded may confuse readers in thinking that it demands an approach of contemplation and retreat, but it is in fact the opposite, or perhaps the middle of it.

Being philosophically minded means holding space for reflection while questioning the status quo. It outlines the duty educators have to ensure learning is filled with dissent, dismantling presumption, interrogation and scrutiny of current systems and thoughts (Christou, 2010). Philosophy is action and not just theory. The philosophically minded approach asks us to consider history, ethics, and opposing vie points. Importantly, it asks us to assess the implications of our actions and lessons.

The practice of philosophy is encouraging tension in learning. This tension in learning allows us to use hope as a motivator and catalyst for change. It encourages learners to apply critical and creative thinking skills to solve problems. 

But it is critical, hope can’t be lost in idealism, a philosophically minded approach cannot be lost in pontification. Being philosophically minded and a hope builder are abstract concepts that we need to action

The questions we have for ourselves as educators is:

How do we transform hope into praxis? (How do we build practical hope?)

How do we action philosophy?

There are many reasons as to why we should embed hope and philosophy in our educational approach: it’s radical, it’s disruptive, anti oppressive and future forward,

A Consideration:

The act of building both hope and philosophy into educational practice outlines a lot of curious and critical thinking, to question everything seen and not accept the status quo – but I ask, if we continuously examine the world around us, do we forget to actively participate in it?

If we are constantly meditating, reflecting, and interrogating, are we actively living?

Stairway to the Milky Way

References

Bourn, D. (2021). Pedagogy of hope: global learning and the future of education [Article]. International Journal of Development Education & Global Learning, 13(2), 65-78. https://doi.org/10.14324/IJDEGL.13.2.01

Christou, T. M. (2010). Reflecting from the margins of education faculties: Refiguring the humanist, and finding a space for story in history. Brock Education, 20(1), 49-63.