Pedagogies of Possibility Workshop - 15th International Conference on Education and Justice

This presentation will highlight teaching practices that engage students in “pedagogies of possibility,” allowing them to navigate challenging times with a sense of hope, and to envision (and learn how to build) more equitable futures. Students face crippling debt, climate catastrophe, and increasing isolation. The faculty who teach them face these same issues, many while worrying about the precariousness of their own jobs. Teaching and learning cannot remain the same under these shifting conditions and educators (and students) need to adapt in ways that can equip us for what we will face in our collective future. This presentation draws from our forthcoming book of the same title (West Virginia University Press) and will share select practices from the book’s authors - educators (including ourselves) who are evolving teaching methods to support students in transforming their fears about a precarious future -- fears which can be paralyzing -- into visions for new ways of being in relationship with each other and the natural world. We will include actionable experiments and experiences from educators who are adjusting their approach to meet the urgency of this present moment. Our work follows in the footsteps of countless scholars, activists and practitioners who see hope not as a naive concept but as central to struggle and change -- and to the kinds of collaboration and community care that are necessary for survival.