AISC 2024

We are confronted with global crises: political instability, environmental destruction, and increasing global inequalities. The dominant, evidence-based discourses in education do not seem to be offering adequate responses to these crises.

I consider crisis as an opportunity to interrupt the ‘normal’ order; to consider the conditions that have given rise to it, what it says about who we are as humans and how we might be able to imagine and do things differently to work towards collaborative, participatory, plural, just and imaginative futures. In this keynote, we will tackle the questions ‘How can educators respond to a world in crisis and create alternative futures in the present?’ and ‘How can the imagination be put to work in educational spaces?’

We will shift the focus from problem-solving and crisis responses to possibility and mutual aid. We will explore educational practices that involve imaginative, utopian and speculative thinking and acting. Education and schools in particular will be repositioned and reimagined as spaces where alternative futures emerge, starting here and now.

In this provocation we will apply a speculative and imaginative approach to thinking and taking action called ‘utopia as method’ to a theme/challenge/idea that is pertinent to international schooling. We will work with a theme/challenge/idea of your choice, reflect on school values and principles and (re-)imagine how your school might implement alternatives, starting today. At the start of the session, we will also briefly look at the conceptual and theoretical background of utopia as method.

Expected outcomes:

• Developing a foundational understanding of utopia as method, which allows you to apply a basic version of the method in your own educational context;
• Re-imagining a theme/challenge/idea that is pertinent to international schooling in such a way that immediate action can be taken in your own school context.

The global COVID-19 pandemic and following financial turbulence and energy crisis prompted an increased focus on the urgent need for financial literacy education in national curricula. The OECD spearheaded the trend by promoting guidelines following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and introducing PISA Financial Literacy Assessments for 15-year-old students. This presentation offers critical insights into why financial literacy is essential, whose interests it serves and how financial literacy curricula are constructed. Critical pedagogy lens helps examine definitions, purposes (both social and political), policy responses and teacher support for delivering financial literacy education in K-12 schools. The presentation reveals problematic aspects of teaching financial literacy including inadequate teaching resources and teachers' PD, lack of student agency, and the consumerist and conflicted outsourcing of financial literacy curricula and creation of teaching resources to for-profit financial organisations. The Ontario Financial Literacy Scope and Sequence of Expectations is an excellent example of a sophisticated, world-class, integrated curriculum. However, dominant neoliberal policies and marketisation of education influence heavily the implementation of such curricula. Educators suggest more investment and alignment among key stakeholders is necessary in co-creating and embedding financial literacy into K-12 curricula.

Key words: financial literacy, critical pedagogy, consumerism, hidden curriculum, teachers’ professional development

Expected Outcomes:
Participants of this presentation can expect to become familiar and empowered to discuss and evaluate the urgent need to incorporate financial literacy into K-12 curricula, but also become more critical while reflecting on the inherent conflict of interest embedded in the subject of financial literacy. Considering which financial institutions and organisations currently promote and create teaching materials and who benefits from financial literacy at schools challenges current status quo which uncritically assumes that financial literacy is important without considering whom it supposes to serve and to which ends. Teachers of all subjects can foster internal dialogues to embed financial literacy cross-curriculum in schools and consider the role of financial literacy to prepare the next generation to manage own financial wellbeing and financial inclusion in the era of AI, digital finance and disappearing money replaced by digital fiat currencies.

Teachers can also expect to learn more about critical pedagogy as an educational philosophy in promoting social justice and critically examining power and political structures in education systems. The works of Arendt, Bjorklund, Freire and Henderson empower today’s teachers to address learning gaps through the lens of citizenship education and empower students to ask “big why” questions.

Critical thinking in schools is largely based on a 'progress' model. It relies on us all saying that something in the past was 'NOT' a satisfactory way to conduct our lives, and that we need to correct our weaknesses. Karl Popper, Nassim Taleb and others lead this critical thinking paradigm.

My presentation recognises the strength in this position AND states that it is inadequate as a framework. The word 'AND' is also critical to learners. The words 'OR' and 'WITH' also matter.

Using the work of Michael Polanyi and Hans Georg Gadamer I argue that students lose a sense of meaning and purpose in themselves if the focus of critical pedagogy is only on identfying problems and correcting them.

I refer to three powerful metaphors: Education as an act of translation, education as a personal pilgrimmage and education as being like a tree - with many branches to traverse.

Expected Outcomes:
I wish to challenge the predominant framework in critical pedagogy. In one sense I wish to laud it and recognise its strengths, but also to help educators think beyond it.
I am hopeful for a more generous and open pedagogy that is based in human agency but not human autonomy.
Practically, such a pedagogy improves student well-being and creates better schools.
Our school is one example.

The presentation will showcase how a culture of respectful dialogue can be cultivated using the "Seven Norms of Collaboration" from Thinking Collaborative. These norms serve as a foundation to empower students and educators to have rich, thoughtful conversations and maintain respectful dialogue.

The key points covered in the presentation include:
-The Seven Norms of Collaboration provide a structured protocol to promote genuine inquiry, clarification of thinking, and expression of one's own ideas and perspectives.
-Implementing these norms helps raise awareness and understanding of different perspectives and experiences among students and educators.
-Through dialogue and discussion guided by the norms, students are able to delve into relevant, real-world issues, critically analyze actions and outcomes, and reflect on their own roles and responsibilities.
-Developing a culture of respectful dialogue using the Seven Norms of Collaboration enables students and educators to have meaningful, productive conversations on important topics.

The presentation aims to demonstrate how these collaboration norms can be effectively applied in educational settings to foster an environment conducive to open-minded, thoughtful exchange of ideas.

Expected Outcomes:
- Participants will leave with an understanding of how to promote a culture of thinking and develop a greater sense of community within in their learning environments. They outcomes will include:
- Increased Engagement and Participation:
Students feel more empowered to actively participate in discussions and share their perspectives.and develop
a willingness to explore different viewpoints.
- Improved Communication and Listening Skills:
Participants learn to listen more attentively and ask clarifying questions to better understand each other's
thinking.
- Greater Empathy and Perspective-Taking:
Participants gain a deeper appreciation and increased empathy for diverse backgrounds, experiences, and
perspectives.
- Enhanced Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving:
Students are able to delve into complex, real-world issues and analyze that lead to better-informed conclusions
and decisions.
- Stronger Collaborative Relationships:
Educators and students build more positive, trusting relationships based on mutual respect and open
communication.
- Increased Awareness of Personal Roles and Responsibilities:
Participants develop a stronger understanding of They are better equipped to reflect on their own roles and
responsibilities in addressing important issues and how their individual actions and choices impact others and
the larger community.

In today's global educational landscape, fostering effective collaboration among educators from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds is essential. This workshop addresses a critical challenge: how can educators from varied backgrounds work together to share and learn from their collective professional knowledge effectively? Drawing from my experience at the Education Development Institute (EDI) in Qatar, this session explores an intentionally disruptive learning design aimed at addressing epistemic injustice within professional learning teams.

Participants will delve into the framework of Collaborative Professionalism (Hargreaves & O'Conner, 2018) and engage in hands-on activities that highlight the principles of joint work and mutual dialogue. The session will showcase a bilingual professional learning program that encouraged inclusive practices and facilitated deeper understanding and genuine dialogue among team members. Attendees will share practical strategies for creating inclusive and equitable learning environments that honor and leverage linguistic and cultural diversity.

Join me for an interactive and thought-provoking session that not only challenges conventional leadership practices but also provides actionable insights to foster new transcultural discursive practices within your own educational contexts. This workshop is ideal for leaders and educators committed to enhancing critical pedagogy and fostering inclusive professional learning communities.

Expected Outcomes:
1.    Enhanced Understanding of Inclusive Collaborative Professionalism: Participants will gain an understanding of the tenets of Collaborative Professionalism (Hargreaves & O'Conner, 2018) and how these principles can be applied to foster joint work and mutual dialogue in diverse educational teams.
2.    Practical Strategies for Inclusive Practices: Attendees will share inclusive strategies such as bilingual agendas, intentional language shifts, and the use of visible thinking tools to facilitate equitable participation in professional learning.
3.    Building Transcultural Discursive Practices: Through discussions, participants will reflect on their current practices and develop plans to implement new strategies within their own educational contexts, promoting critical pedagogy and inclusive professional learning communities.