Theme: Weaving Stories, Creating New Realities for Empowerment and Resilience
Friday, March 15, 2024 | 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. | In-person
Scarfe 310 (Opening), Scarfe 202 & 1214 (Presentations)
Keynote Speakers | Dr. Kedrick James and Dr. Wayne Ross
The Education Graduate Students (EGS) Conference, an annual event spearheaded by the students of the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, is set to take place once again. We welcome and encourage participation from all other departments within the Faculty of Education and other schools and faculties. The main purpose of the conference is to showcase the work undertaken by graduate students in all its diversity of subjects and conceptual approaches to theory and practice. This event is also intended to provide a community space for participants to receive feedback from peers, and an opportunity to practice in preparation for national and international conferences.
The theme for this year’s conference, “Weaving Stories: Creating New Realities for Empowerment and Resilience,” was chosen with careful consideration of the current global context. This is an invitation to explore the educational processes that can help individuals and communities to articulate their narratives, fostering resilience and empowerment.
Our stories and experiences intertwine within the tapestry of human existence, shaping our lives and the state of the world. We are not mere spectators in the theatre of life; instead, we actively script and enact our narratives, influencing the environment and shaping our perspectives. Our stories transcend personal anecdotes, serving as the lens through which we interpret a world currently in crisis due to war, political unrest, environmental crises, human rights violations, and diverse forms of inequality. As Fulford (1999) insightfully observed, “Storytelling is an attempt to deal with and at least partly contain the terrifyingly haphazard quality of life” (p. 14). Despite the prevailing chaos, education provides powerful tools to acknowledge and amplify unheard and suppressed voices, and rights that are denied, along with narratives that are often overlooked. This concept finds resonance in the words of Carl Leggo, who underscores the transformative potential of storytelling as a means to open up new possibilities for understanding, wisdom, and transformation (Leggo, 2008).
This call is an invitation to delve into the educational processes that can support us in articulating the narratives, thereby fostering resilience and empowerment in a world of chaos.
In this context, we invite presentations that delve into the following inquiries. Please note that these guiding questions are not limiting, and we welcome a broad range of perspectives:
- In what ways can innovative educational approaches foster a sense of empowerment and agency in turbulent times?
- How can educators and learners use narrative competence to navigate and make sense of complex, often contradictory global narratives?
- What role does critical thinking play in helping learners discern their paths and voices in a world filled with diverse and sometimes conflicting messages?
References:
Fulford, R. (1999). The triumph of narrative: Storytelling in the age of mass culture. Leggo, C. (2008). Narrative inquiry: Attending to the art of discourse. Language and Literacy, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.20360/G2SG6Q
Download a copy of the EGS 2024 poster
For more information visit the EGS Conference Page