DiY (Do-it-Yourself) pedagogy: a future-less orientation to education

ABSTRACT

A future-less orientation, as defined in this article, explores approaches to education within the context of precarious, shifting, labour markets and the uncertain future of employment trends. A future-less orientation questions the validity of traditional views of education: as a means of preparing students for an imagined future career; one which may never happen. DiY (Do-it-Yourself) culture has a long tradition of finding innovative solutions to problems which institutions have failed to supply. In this article we explore the potentials of a DiY pedagogy based on a decentralised and transdisciplinary approach which emphasise diversity and community as a strategy to surviving a precarious future.

KEYWORDS:

• Futures education
• pedagogy
• jobless future
• transdisciplinarity
• DiY

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Andrew Gibbons is an early childhood teacher educator and Associate Professor at the School of Education. He has worked in journalism, in the social services in England and in early childhood education in Auckland. Andrew has a keen interest in philosophy and politics, and these orient his research of early childhood education, and education more generally, to questioning beliefs and practices, and their impact on the experience of being human. He has published widely on topics including the early childhood teaching profession, Aotearoa New Zealand early childhood education policy, approaches to early childhood curriculum, the educational implications of the work of Albert Camus, the philosophy of education, the role of technology in education, and the future of the university.

Dr. Emit Snake-Beings is an educator and researcher in film, video production, digital and interactive media. He specialises in a variety of practice-led research and actively engaged learning pedagogies. His PhD was awarded through the examination of creative strategies and workshop processes of DiY (do-it-yourself) ArtScience practitioners.