Speaker
James Cresswell, Booth University College
Title
Disengagement, Pedagogical Eros and (the undoing of?) Dialogic Pedagogy
Abstract
Dialogic pedagogy is an approach to education influenced by Bakhtin, Freire, and others. It is an approach that is critical of conventional education, which tends to be didactic and alienating to students. Student engagement is made central as dialogue takes priority over standardization and core cannons of content. Dialogic pedagogy also emphasizes the importance of communities of learners where teachers are co-learners along with students as all parties work on problems together. I seek to raise challenges to Dialogic Pedagogy and these come from scholars working on the “conduct of everyday life” and from Charles Taylor’s notion of “strong evaluations”. The conduct of everyday life involves a focus on first-person subjectivities with an eye to their constitution in social and power relations. Strong evaluations enhance this discussion by addressing how people can engage in decisions that involve weighing options about the qualitative kind of person one is. I outline how education involves a conduct of everyday life where strong evaluations are promoted. Taking such an approach to education grounds two challenges to dialogic pedagogy. One challenge is that students are reticent to engage in strong evaluations and the modern identity is one disposed to disengagement. The converse challenge student engagement entails pedagogical eros, which is easily converted into power and abuse by a pedagogue.
Bio
James (Jim) Cresswell is an Associate Professor in Psychology and Behavioural Sciences at Booth University College, Canada. His work has been supported by organizations such as the Social Science & Humanities Research Counsel, Templeton Foundation, and Murdoch Charitable Trust. His work is largely influenced by the philosophy of Mikhail Bakhtin and cultural psychology. Of special interest is Bakhtin’s work on aesthetics in relation to language and how it can enhance current work in education, philosophy of mind, cognitive science of religion, and immigration.
Location
York University, Behavioral Science Building (BSB), Room 163 (Large Endler room).