There is a range of scientific evidence about the harm being done to the natural world. Cebellos et al. (2017) argue for a two to three-decade window to do something meaningful about biodiversity loss. In this seminar, Helena Kettleborough explores how we might look at learning anew through the eyes of the planet and the cosmos and see how learning might be delivered differently.

She takes as inspiration American philosopher Thomas Berry, a lifelong Catholic priest who came to see, at the end of his life, that all life and the planet are part of an interconnected sacred cosmos. He worked with his colleague, cosmologist Brian Swimme, to write the New Universe Story in 1992. Two decades later, Swimme went to collaborate with Mary Evelyn Tucker to create the film ‘The Journey of the Universe’ and a book of the same name. Drawing on experience in delivering learning within a wider paradigm to community members, senior citizens, members of faith communities, academic audiences and sustainability activists, Helena will consider with seminar participants a number of questions.

How might the notion of a sacred cosmos and planet change the worldview of learning?  If ‘a learning city can be characterised as one in which communities attempt to learn collectively to change their own futures’ (Osborne, 2017) how does this change through altering worldviews and paradigms? How might the idea of a shift in the paradigm for learning impact on the work of the PASCAL International Observatory and its Learning Cities Network?

Exploring a new paradigm for learning and teaching: A participatory seminar

Tuesday, January 30th, 2018, 12.30-14.00, Room 201, School of Education, St. Andrews Building, 11 Eldon Street, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G3 6NH

Presenter: Dr. Helena Mary Kettleborough, Post-Doctoral Associate Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

All are welcome. Please RSVP to [email protected] to book your place. A sandwich lunch will be available at 1230.

We hope to see you there.

Dr. Helena Mary Kettleborough is a post-Doctoral Associate Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.  Helena was awarded her PhD from Lancaster Business School ‘Joining self and community to earth and cosmos: a first person action research inquiry’ and her current priority is to share, write up and publish the research.   Helena’s career was as a senior manager in Local Authorities delivering community development, learning and neighbourhood regeneration services within Greater Manchester and across the North West. Helena currently works in the community delivering workshops on sustainability and biodiversity loss and is an active volunteer in her local inner-city neighbourhood. In 2017, Helena delivered three sessions of community learning exploring ideas of a paradigm shift and action research for community activists in the central Manchester Rusholme ward. Helena has a long-standing commitment to creativity, participation and spirituality as ways forward for hopeful futures. Helena was awarded Outstanding Teacher in Sustainability in the MMU Student Union Awards 2016 and nominated for Outstanding Teacher in Innovation in 2017.