Cultivating the Ability of the Heart: Educating Through the Pedagogy of Love

• In Event: 25.039 - Pedagogy of Heart, Being, and (Non)Action

Abstract

In this presentation we argue that instead of using “power” as the lens to see the world, focusing on divisions, power struggle and “empowerment” (still rooted in a sense of separation) in education, we focus on cultivating the ability of the heart. Through the Pedagogy of Love, we will focus on: Are we loving? Are we compassionate? Are we cooperative? We draw on Daoist thinking to use the idea of the heart as an eco-magnetic field to illustrate the idea that cultivating the ability of the heart is to open ourselves to others and to cultivate reciprocal relationships. We will discuss what kind of pedagogies will help open up the power of the heart from contemplative perspectives.

Authors

• Dr. Tom E. Culham, The University of British Columbia

• Jing Lin, University of Maryland - College Park

• Rebecca L. Oxford, University of Alabama at Birmingham