Embracing the Temporal and the Spiritual: Self Reflexivity in Vocational Teacher Education

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Since many college graduates will be front line workers in the accomplishment of sustainability initiatives, they should be well prepared for economic, political and social life. This paper addresses some of the limitations of college level technical/vocational education (TVE) as being too focused on specific content to the exclusion of larger social and environmental issues such as the protection of the environment, respect for traditional knowledge, the disparity between rich and poor, over-consumption by countries of the North, the abuse of natural resources, and the necessity of incorporating them into college curricula. Teachers must themselves be self-reflexive, questioning their power and privilege and bringing a sense of spirituality into classrooms that have not traditionally been part of the technical/vocational educational experience. Vocational teacher training can and should address some of the paucity of social issues in TVE curricula by creating a transformative learning environment that moves beyond privileging Westerncentric knowledge and respects other ways of knowing while informing curriculum content. It is imperative that as educators we find ways to question our positionalities and use our relative privilege to transform curricula.

Stream: Cultural Sustainability

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

I have over eighteen years teaching experience including secondary, post-secondary and vocational teacher education. I’ve instructed subject area experts in developing and delivering curriculum materials including course design, lesson plans, testing and evaluation materials. One of the very innovative projects that I piloted is the development and delivery of courses in teacher education via live stream on the internet to urban and rural students where I combine classroom, online, teleconferencing, email and distance education technology and resources. I am currently a PHD candidate at York University in Toronto. My area of research includes working with technical/vocational instructors who are subject area experts to critically examine curriculum materials to ensure that they are inclusive and serve the needs of diverse students while meeting the demands of the workplace.