"Surrendering to curiosity": impacts of contemplation for resisting rationalized experience in teacher education
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Date
2017
Authors
Pelech, Sharon
Kelly, Darron
Journal Title
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Volume Title
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Abstract
The authors explore what constitutes contemplative space in the context of teacher education and how free space can be created so preservice teachers experience contemplative learning practices amidst the intensified and alienating processes they have often experienced within their own education. Through data collected from student projects and semi-structured interviews, the authors explore a hermeneutic perspective on and analysis of teacher education and how providing opportunities to experience contemplative space helps deepen student understanding of education leading to a further, intersubjective form of thinking. Students described the uniqueness of the experience that was characterized by dialogic opportunities wherein they had occasion to “contemplate together” through inclusive and non-coerced communication. They shared knowledge, experience, perspective, and opinion as participants in a practice aimed at mutual support in the pursuit of insight. Findings show that preservice student teachers recognized the object of contemplation was far less important than the orientation and conditions under which they contemplate. The authors’ findings spur hopefulness that contemplative space in teacher education will better equip subsequent generations of teachers to counter the marginalization inherent in rationalized schooling.
Description
Open access article
Keywords
Teacher education , Contemplation , Interpretive research , Rationalization , Hermeneutics , Student teachers , Contemplative spaces
Citation
Pelech, S., & Kelly, D. (2017). "Surrendering to curiousity": Impacts of contemplation for resisting rationalized experience in teacher education. European Journal of Curriculum Studies, 4(1), 570-583.