On 7th December 2024, Dr Elizabeth O’Brien travelled to Christchurch, New Zealand at the invitation of AERA to convene a panel at the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia.This panel brought together a diverse group of scholars from the USA, UK, Japan and Ireland interested and engaged in teacher education to creatively and critically consider varied ways in which humanities-oriented approaches might enhance teacher education throughout teachers’ careers, and help teachers and school communities offer effective and ethical responses to pressing educational challenges and controversies.
Through putting theoretical work in fruitful conversation with empirical studies that highlight the voices and lives of teachers, and by drawing on panellists’ varied experiences as educators and teacher educators, the session provoked a wide-ranging discussion about the value and practicability of the integration of humanities-oriented approaches into teacher education.