Open invitation to participate in international online seminars 2023-24

Non-affirmative Theory of Education and Bildung

https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025

Meeting ID: 533 174 8025

Based on the newly published Open Access volume with the same name, Non-affirmative Theory of Education and Bildung (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-30551-1), Åbo Akademi University, Finland, organizes a series of seminars, open for anybody interested (program below).

Aims and content

Given contemporary societal challenges on a national and global scale, this seminar series explore the possibilities for Non-affirmative Theory of Education and Bildung (NAT) as a language of education for the 21st century. Reinterpreting and re-contextualizing the modern, or classic, tradition on theory on education and Bildung, the non-affirmative approach introduces core principles explaining how educative teaching relates to human growth towards personal, social and cultural autonomy (Bildung). The position digs into how the interactive pedagogical level relates to the dynamics between institutional education and other societal practices. The approach identifies a position beyond education as a transformative or a reproductive power. Instead of such instrumentalist positions, public institutional education is considered a critical societal practice, emphasizing the need to recognize of both the individual and societal interests while not affirming either. Thereby pedagogical activity creates a space for students Bildung, necessary for reaching cultural and personal autonomy, reflexive citizenship and democracy.

The non-affirmative approach draws on seminal studies of modern education theory as developed by Humboldt, Fichte, Schleiermacher, Herbart and others. Yet, this series centers prof. em. Dietrich Benner’s contemporary interpretation and developments of this tradition. In addition to clarifying the fundamental features of the approach, the series of seminars highlights how non-affirmative education theory contributes to understanding curriculum, Didaktik, educative teaching, school didactics, democratic education and social justice. The lectures highlight how NAT relate to phenomenology, sociology, hermeneutics, cultural-historical activity theory, discursive institutionalism, empirical research, educational leadership and governance and 21st century competencies.

The series consist of eight monthly seminars in the fall of 2023 and spring 2024 (program below) where the chapter authors highlight their contributions as a start to an online dialogue.

These seminars are open and totally free for researchers and PhD students in education and related disciplines/areas.

Participation in the seminars does not require any registration or the like.

Please observe the timezone.

The schedule follows Vaasa and Helsinki, Finland, time: UTC+3 hours

  1. Core questions in the theory of education, and how non-affirmative to education and Bildung deals with them

September 26th, 1-4pm, 2023

Michael Uljens: Introduction Why engage in non-affirmative theory of education? Problems, positions and possibilities

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  1. Non-affirmative education and related theoretical positions and issues – I October 17, 1-4pm, 2023

https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025

Meeting ID: 533 174 8025

13.00-13.40 Juan José Sosa Alonso: Revisiting forgotten relationships between justice and education – Non-Affirmative Education as complementing distributive justice (40 min)

13.40-14.20 Discussion (40 min)

14.20-14.40 Coffee/Break (20 min)

14.40-15.20 Andrea R. English: Dewey, existential uncertainty, and non-affirmative democratic education (40 min)

15.20-16.00 Discussion (40 min)

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  1. Non-affirmative education and related theoretical positions and issues – II November 14, 1-4pm, 2023 (13.00-16.00)

https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025

Meeting ID: 533 174 8025

13.00-14.05 Michael Uljens & Mari Mielityinen-Pachmann: Hermeneutics in non-affirmative theory of education (60 min)

Short break 5 minutes

14.10-15.10 Discussion (60 min)

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  1. Non-affirmative education and empirical research

December 12, 1-4pm, 2023

https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025

Meeting ID: 533 174 8025

13.00-13.40 Hanno Su and Johannes Bellmann: Pedagogical experimentalism and the principle of verification. A quest for non-affirmative educational research

13.40-14.20 Discussion (40 min)

14.20-14.40 Coffee/Break (20 min)

14.40-15.20 Alex Mäkiharju: Non-affirmative theory of education and cultural-historical activity theory —  Where do they meet?

15.20-16.00 Discussion (40 min)

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  1. Non-affirmative education perspectives on curriculum and Didaktik 

January 16, 1-5pm, 2024

https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025

Meeting ID: 533 174 8025

13.00-13.40 Armend Tahirslay: Bildung and 21th century competences: in need of mutual recognition?

13.40-14.20 Discussion (40 min)

14.20-14.40 Coffee/Break (20 min)

14.40-15.20 Bangpin Ding: From ‘didactics’ to ‘curriculum-and-didactics’ and beyond: A non-affirmative   approach to the analysis of policy changes of didactics in mainland China

15.20-16.00 Discussion (40 min)

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  1. A non-affirmative approach to Bildung and policy

February 21st, 1-4pm, 2024

https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025

Meeting ID: 533 174 8025

13.00-13.40 Lejf Moos:  Operating in an outcomes-based and a democratic Bildung discourse

13.40-14.20 Discussion (40 min)

14.20-14.40 Coffee/Break (20 min)

14.40-15.20 Thomas Rucker: Knowledge, values and subject-ness – Educative teaching as a regulative idea of school development in the 21st century

15.20-16.00 Discussion (40 min)

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  1. A non-affirmative approach to education policy and leadership 

March 12, 1-4pm, 2024

https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025

Meeting ID: 533 174 8025

13.00-13.40 Andreas Nordin: On the normativity of data-driven curriculum policy-making: a discursive and non-affirmative approach

13.40-14.20 Discussion (40 min)

14.20-14.40 Coffee/Break (20 min)

14.40-15.20 Ann-Sofie Smeds-Nylund: Understanding municipal education leaders in the tension between politics, professionals and parents

 

8. Non-affirmative Education Theory as a Language for Global Education Discourse in the Twenty-First Century                         

April 9, 1.00-5.00pm, 2024

https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025

Meeting ID: 533 174 8025

A. Presentation and discussion of individual papers                    13.00-13.10 Michael Uljens Introduction

13.10-13.40 Louis Waterman-Evans – Allgemeine Pädagogik between Schleiermacher and NAT – A comparison and discussion

13.40-14.10 Morgan Deumier – Negativity of experiences

14.10-14.40 Rebecka Rundqvist – Non-affirmative pedagogical action theory combined with critical hermeneutics as an approach to study data based decision making (DBDM) and learning analytics (LA) in education

14.40-15.00 Coffee/Tea

15.00-15.30 Huda Al Kindy – Education and policies

15.30-16.00 Anna Wahlgren – Between control and freedom – a study of preschool teaching practices from a bildung perspective – a non-affirmative approach

16.00-16.30 Alex Mäkiharju – Non-affirmative dimensions of leadership

Work in progress
Patricia Donner – Hermeneutic dimensions of non-affirmative pedagogy

Antonio Pinilla Torres – Affirmativity and Non-Affirmativity in Ethics Education: Toward a Post-Critical Pedagogical Framework

B. 16.30-17.00 Discussion about an initiative to move forward – Special issue?

Zsanett Bicsak & Michael Uljens