A Call to Action  

The world and its inhabitants currently face a multiplicity of urgent existential issues, problems and challenges. War, poverty, prejudice and discrimination (in all their forms), and of course climate change are only a few examples of the crises that continue to trouble human and more-than-human lives in profound and debilitating ways. How we as social scientists (and human beings) seek to investigate, understand and solve these issues is intimately connected to philosophical questions of what it means to be educated, how and why (Beauchamp et al 2022).     

On this module, we invite you to investigate critical, existential, phenomenological, post-human and other ‘radical’ pedagogies, and to analyse and interpret your experiences of these perspectives through educational philosophy and social theory. Together, we will engage in sessions of radical, philosophical thinking to get ‘at the root’ of existential issues that Earth and its inhabitants must face, and to consider approaches to education that can help us to overcome and eliminate these problems. 

To achieve this aim, we will co-produce an engaged pedagogy (hooks 1994) that promotes philosophical thinking, dialectical dialogue (Freire 2018), and a ‘critical re-imagining’ of education. Such lofty aims require everyone on the module – staff and students alike – to exercise diligence, patience, generosity, and integrity as we develop and nurture a radical love and hope for the world and its inhabitants.   

You are the reason for this module. It was created for you. Our aim is to bring to life an educational experience in a higher education setting that supports you as a student/teacher, researcher/participant – human/being, that supports you in understanding what education means to you, and what you hope and believe it can mean for the future of life on Earth. To achieve these aims, your questions, ideas, and other contributions guide and shape the curriculum as we progress through the term. 

Module Aims and Opportunities 

Radical Education aims to provide you with multiple avenues for expression and engagement with the contents of module and people involved with it. As a result, everyone on the module – staff and students alike – are expected to do the following:  

• Actively participate and take responsibility for your role in the co-production of an inclusive, engaged pedagogy and learning community  

• Regularly attend lectures, workshops, seminars and other educational experiences 

• Complete all the assigned readings, tasks, coursework, and other module activities 

• Freely share your thoughts, questions, and ideas in our lectures, seminars, and workshops   

Simply put, we invite you to join us in thinking philosophically and radically about the methods, aims, and purposes of education. We do this in the hope that through the careful, creative, and critical examination of our philosophical ideals, contrasted against the social realities of education, we can better understand how inhabitants of Earth can achieve lasting peace, freedom, and equality, and how education can better promote human and more-than-human flourishing (Dewey 1916) now and for a rapidly approaching and uncertain future.

Upon completion of the module, students should be able to:  

1. Analyse, evaluate and explain key ideas, concepts and theories of radical approaches to education (Knowledge & Understanding LO1)  

2. Theorise, design and submit a research proposal for the implementation of a radical educational experience in a primary, secondary, further or higher education setting (Professional or Key Skills LO2)  

3. Construct logical, reasonable and evidence-based arguments supporting or critiquing radical approaches to education. (Cognitive/Intellectual LO3)  

4. Undertake independent study, discussion and debate in the spirit of critical enquiry. (Transferrable Skills LO4) 

Radical Education is delivered through a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities – including seminars, workshops and guided fieldwork activities as part of this programme’s blended provision which will include on-campus and online teaching and support. The precise mode of delivery and details – subject to Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidance – of the teaching and support activities will be made available at the start of the semester via Learning Central.  

What will we be doing on the module? 

Experiences 

You will participate in various ‘guided fieldwork experiences’ organised through a particular, pedagogical perspective (e.g. holistic, nature, contemplative and digital). We will investigate these activities as social scientists concerned with scrutinising and evaluating the methods and claims of the various pedagogies we experience. The aims of our investigations will be co-constructed and may include questions such as “how is this experience a radical educational experience?” or “how does my understanding of this experience reflect the claims by those promoting this pedagogical perspective?” or even, “how does this experience help me understand what it means to be educated?” 

Seminars 

Our seminars…  

• are opportunities to discuss concepts from the readings, presentations and workshops in a relaxed and informal setting 

• will prepare you for undertaking the guided fieldwork activities  

• will support you in making sense of the data generated through your investigations and how that information applies to other module content, including assessments 

Workshops 

Our workshops will begin with brief presentations on a particular concept, theme or figure. We then switch to group activities inspired by provocative discussion prompts and conversation starters. During our discussions, we will engage in philosophical discussions – often using art-inspired methods to generate, communicate, and examine key concepts, ideas and new ways of thinking about education. Each workshop will conclude with a plenary session where we present and discuss the outcomes of our artistically-inspired deliberations.  

What about Panopto/Learn Plus? 

Because the learning activities on this module are not lecture-based, Learn Plus recordings of workshops and experiences will not be possible. However, we have ensured that reasonable adjustments are in place to ensure everyone’s needs are met. If you’d like to discuss these arrangements in more detail, please contact the module convenor.  

How can you best prepare to grow and flourish during this module? 

Be Engaged: I know it can be difficult, but my first recommendation is to get involved! Attend our activities, complete the readings, share your thoughts and respond to others’ contributions. Be an active member of our community. If you need help doing that, get in touch! 

Module Journal: We will provide you with a ‘module journal,’ so make sure to use it when gathering data, jotting down thoughts, reflecting on experiences and other activities. Use your module journal to record, reflect and analyse your experiences on this module. Take risks. Get creative. Seek inspiration. You’ll be surprised by what you’ll learn! 

Academic Skills  

• Knowledge recall and application (LO1, LO2)  

• Analysis and evaluation of learning resources (LO3, LO4)  

• Written and verbal communication of ideas (LO1, LO2, LO3)   

• Critical thinking and reasoning skills (LO3, LO4)  

Module Specific Skills  

• Critically assess radical education and critical pedagogy. (LO3, LO4)  

• Describe and evaluate research evidence, theoretical positions and reasoning from a range of empirical studies on radical education. (LO1, LO3)  

• Debate and discuss research/theories regarding radical education through a variety of oral and written methods. (LO2, LO4)  

Employability/Transferable Skills  

• Participating and communicating effectively in online and offline contexts. (LO1, LO3)  

• Presenting complex oral and written information. (LO1, LO2, LO3) 

Each assessment is designed to evaluate aspects of students’ existing understanding of the content and to inform future learning experiences. The various assessment types (e.g. reading summary, concept map and grant proposal) provide students with multi-modal methods to achieve these aims and provide a more robust evaluation of their learning.   

Formative Assessment:   

• Oral feedback from the instructor and peers during discussions   

• Written feedback from the instructor and peers via the discussion board on Learning Central  

• A concept map outlining your idea for a ‘radical education experience.’ This assignment is the foundation from you will complete the two summative assessments  

Summative 

• Presentation (25%) 

• Grant Proposal (75%) 

• THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE: 

  Opportunities for re-assessment is only permitted provided you have not failed more credit than in the resit rule adopted by your programme.  If the amount of credit you have failed is more than permitted by the relevant resit rule, you may be permitted to repeat study if you are within the threshold set for the Repeat rule adopted by your programme.  You will be notified of your eligibility to resit/repeat any modules after the Examining Board in the Summer period. 

  All resit assessments will be held in the Resit Examination period, prior to the start of the following academic session. 

Essential Reading 

• Beauchamp, G., Smith, K. and Adams, D. 2022. Pedagogies for the Future: A critical reimagining of education. London: Routledge. 

• Dewey, J. 1938. Experience & Education. New York: Macmillan. 

• hooks, b. 1994. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge. 

• Freire, P. 2000. Pedagogy of the Oppressed 50th Anniversary Edition. London: Bloomsbury.  

Concepts 

Thinking Philosophically: We begin with an introduction to education from a philosophical perspective, introducing you to various philosophical concepts such as epistemology, ontology and ethics, and how these aspects of philosophy directly relate to the development of pedagogy and transformative, educational experiences. We then discuss the connection between ‘thinking philosophically’ and pedagogy, inviting you to engage in a critical self-examination and reflection of your own educational experiences and aspirations, guided by a pursuit of wisdom and desire to live a ‘life worth living.’ 

Radical Pedagogy: We ask ‘what does it mean to be radical?’ by examining issues facing the world and its inhabitants such as climate change, social inequalities, and even happiness (or the lack of it!). We then return to a brief discussion of philosophy by introducing you to normative philosophies of education that continue inform how society grapples with the various aims of education and the means through which we strive to achieve them.  

Radical Pedagogy and Praxis: Drawing on autobiographical and narrative research methods, we discuss the importance of teachers’ “personal practical knowledge” (Connelly and Clandinin 1987: 361) and the importance of praxis (Freire 2005) as both a means to pursue the fullness of our humanity and pedagogy. The former is achieved through the development of our critical consciousness, or ability to perceive contradictions in our social reality that prevent us from recognising and responding to social inequalities. The latter is through the development of teachers’ professional judgment and knowledge through thinking philosophically about their practice, theorising new alternatives and possibilities, and working then towards those aims. 

Holistic Education:  Holistic education encompasses education of the whole person, including their emotional, intellectual, physical, social, aesthetic, and spiritual development. This perspective is not simply a ‘teaching method.’ Rather, it is an alternative pedagogical philosophy that has yet to feature in most Western approaches to schooling. We discuss different aspects of holistic education such as embodiment, spirituality, and place-based pedagogy and advocate ways of knowing and states of being that are marginalised by the demands of mainstream Western schooling. 

Nature Pedagogy: We collectively analyse various claims that nature should be at the heart of education. We begin by addressing the concept of nature and how Western society has sought to separate people from it. We then investigate different pedagogical perspectives that call for experiences in schools that allow children to experience the “more-than-human” world with awe and wonder rather than treating nature as a resource or object of exploitation. We consider the issue of human exceptionalism which, ironically, has resulted in a suppression of states of mind and ways of knowing that allow a fuller expression of humanity.  

Contemplative Pedagogy: We introduce “contemplative pedagogies” as potentially radical alternatives to dominant pedagogies in mainstream education in the West because they challenge modern Western ideas about what education is about. We examine how contemplative pedagogy involves experiences of focus, presence, tranquility and insight. We also analyse how time is experienced differently through mindful contemplative approaches. This leads us to discussions of so-called “optimal experience” theories and how these present a possible reorientation for education.  

Digital Pedagogy: We focus on the role of technology in educational settings in a time of ‘liquid modernity,’ or the constant mobility and change occurring in society between demands for order and control set against radical calls for change, and the overthrowing of traditions, narratives, and regimes of truth. We consider the role of pedagogy, or pedagogies, in the use of technology and challenge the idea of ‘digital pedagogy’ as putting the cart before the horse. We consider the features of technology and how they could be used collaboratively by teachers and learners of all ages to develop local, national and international networks.