‘Once there was a learning developer…’: the potential of parables to stimulate critique.

Authors

  • Steve Rooney University of Leicester

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i16.541

Keywords:

Learning Development, reflective practice, criticality, creative writing

Abstract

This article builds on a workshop that took place at the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE) annual conference in April 2019. It explores the role of the parable in provoking and stimulating debate and critical reflection. Beginning with a discussion of the parable as a form, the article then explores how the oft-cited parables that appear in the Gospels according to Mark, Matthew and Luke help to reveal the subversive pedagogical potential of parables. Returning to the terrain of contemporary higher education, it is argued that the parable is an apt form for encouraging education practitioners to explore more deeply and more critically some of the assumptions and practices they encounter in their working lives. All this serves as a prelude to the presentation of a selection of parables, which are accompanied by some guidance to help structure and support engagement. The article ‘concludes’, at the risk of infuriating readers, with yet another parable.

Author Biography

Steve Rooney, University of Leicester

Head of Learning Development

Leicester Learning Institute

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Published

17-12-2019

How to Cite

Rooney, S. (2019) “‘Once there was a learning developer…’: the potential of parables to stimulate critique”., Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (16). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.v0i16.541.

Issue

No. 16 (2019)

Section

Papers

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