Becoming vulnerable in the era of climate change: Questions and dilemmas for a pedagogy of vulnerability

Abstract

This chapter aims to be both an exploration and an example of (or an experiment with) a ‘pedagogy of vulnerability’. It reports and reflects on efforts to create spaces for co-inquiry with students, as attempts to both escape the limits of traditional pedagogic relationships and to create spaces and opportunities for deeper learning. We consider how or whether the central premise of a ‘pedagogy of vulnerability’ – that purposeful and selective acts self-disclosure by teachers can help build the conditions of trust and care needed for dialogue around emotionally and politically challenging topics – is borne out in our experience.