Dr. Ashwani Kumar | Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada
Friday, November 25, 2022 | 12:30 – 2:00 pm (PST) | via Zoom
Faculty Host: Dr. William Pinar
View the Seminar Poster here
Abstract
Meditative inquiry is an exploration within oneself and of how one is connected to life relationally, ecologically, economically, politically, and culturally. This existential and social exploration – inside and outside the classroom and in one’s own self and in one’s interactions with other beings – forms the core of the meditative inquiry approach to teaching, learning, researching, creating, and living. In this presentation, Dr. Ashwani Kumar will reflect on the evolution of his work on meditative inquiry and its educational significance. He will describe how he became interested in meditative inquiry and will contemplate on the experiences and the educators who helped shape it. He will then discuss four curricular and pedagogical concepts – curriculum as meditative inquiry, teaching as meditative inquiry, music as meditative inquiry, and dialogical meditative inquiry – that have emerged from his work and explain their implications for holistic and transformative educational experiences in the contemporary world.
Bio
Dr. Ashwani Kumar is an Associate Professor of Education at Mount Saint Vincent University (Canada). He is the author of two scholarly books: Curriculum As Meditative Inquiry (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) and Curriculum in International Contexts: Understanding Colonial, Ideological, and Neoliberal Influences (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). He is also the editor of Engaging with Meditative Inquiry in Teaching, Learning, and Research: Realizing Transformative Potentials in Diverse Contexts (Routledge, 2022). He has served as the President of Arts Researchers and Teachers Society, Canada. His book Curriculum as Meditative Inquiry was chosen as an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Reviews (American Library Association) in 2015. His co-authored paper, “Teaching as Meditative Inquiry: A Dialogical Exploration”, which describes his pedagogical philosophy and practice, received the Outstanding Publication in Curriculum Studies Award from The Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies in 2019. He is the recipient of the Mount Saint Vincent University President and Vice President’s Advanced Career Teaching Award 2022 and University of British Columbia Faculty of Education’s Alumni Educator of the Year Award 2022. He plays the harmonium and sings and composes Indian classical music. His current project focuses on researching the theory and pedagogy of Indian classical music and their significance for culturally responsive education in Canada. For more information about him and his work see his website and YouTube channel.