A tale of grappling: Performative duoethnography as expanded methodological thinking

This article is a tale of two researchers, teachers, and artists grappling and playing with duoethnography. By expanding the methodology, we aim to bridge duoethnography into pedagogy. Grappling with the methodological to pedagogical bridge, we found that intertwined performative aspects of doing a duoethnography could challenge our knowledge production and roles as researchers and the current and more dominant practices that we operate within. We engage with a performative paradigm (Bolt, 2016) and lean on relevant theories from new materialist feminist thinkers such as Karen Barad (2003, 2007), Lenz Taguchi (2009, 2012) and Tami Spry (2011, 2016), while dialoguing with Joe Norris and Richard D. Sawyer’s (2012) tenets of duoethnography. Our embodiment of these tenets, intertwined with our theoretical positioning, allows our investigation to expand into a performative duoethnography. As an end, we propose duoethnography as a critical performative pedagogy (Pineau, 2002) and offer this article as a playful impulse connecting methodological considerations with pedagogy.

Staging Sexual Assault

This essay examines a staged production of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland reimagined through the lens of childhood sexual assault. Primarily, it serves as a pedagogical case study of theoretical and practical approaches for conceptualizing, staging, and reflecting on performance as activism. Incorporating the director’s/author’s own voice, alongside that of the cast, it creates the possibility for understanding sexual assault and theatrical creation with greater nuance and urgency, while also illustrating the work of directing in the same light as critical performative pedagogy.

Experiential Learning in the Large Classroom Using Performative Pedagogy

Experiential learning (EL) is widely believed to lead to enhanced student engagement. This form of learning, however, may be difficult to implement in the large class sizes so common today. This case study describes an initiative involving performative pedagogy using interdisciplinary teaching and learning in an undergraduate class of 150 students from a change management module in the School of Business and an ensemble performance module in the Music Department in an Irish University. The students utilized acting, music, dance, and role-play in a large enrolment setting. Postprogram surveys and focus group interviews of students found that students responded positively to the initiative. Students also rated the class as more engaging than other subjects in which they were registered. Reflective essays written by students showed evidence of deep reflection and learning and these formed the basis for our discussion of the implications of this approach for management education. Future research should examine the effects of performative learning on student performance in terminal examinations.

The Lecture-Performance: Implementing Performative Pedagogy in Literature Class

In recent years the performative has gained importance within the pedagogical field and has opened new perspectives in educational research. Experience has shown that the integration of performative elements in the learning process allow teachers to involve learners emotionally and cognitively. The present paper deals with a learning experience performed with students in the course “German Literature (2nd language)” at the University of Valencia. From the perspective of Performative Pedagogy, students are asked to carry out a research project and then transfer the acquired knowledge to the theatrical format that must be didactic: a Lecture-Performance. This activity highlights the benefits of students’ autonomous and cooperative learning, as well as the development of students’ performative competence, with which they achieved deeper levels of understanding and improved their retention of what was studied. The teacher evaluation and a questionnaire carried out by the students at the end of the activity confirm the achievement of the initial objectives.

Analyzing the Degree of Consensus in Current Academic Literature on Critical Pedagogy

Critical Pedagogy is a philosophy and approach to education which has influenced theory and practice for almost 50 years, most recently in the fields of Applied Drama and performative pedagogy. However, what exactly is understood by Critical Pedagogy in the 21st century is unclear, and whether its roots still align with the ideas and practices of its progenitor Paulo Freire is uncertain. Therefore, this systematic review of literature aims to explore the interpretations of Critical Pedagogy presented in 100 peer-reviewed papers published in recent times. After identifying frequently emergent themes in the selected literature, which are associated with the work of Freire, this paper examines the degree of consensus around Critical Pedagogy’s transformative aim, its associated democratic classroom approaches, and the concepts of conscientization and praxis. Through this analysis, the review distinguishes a number of peripheral discussions that are related to a modern/postmodern debate within the literature. This paper concludes by asserting that there are more points of convergence than of divergence in the various interpretations of Critical Pedagogy available in the articles surveyed. We suggest that the current branching out of Critical Pedagogy has not been rendered devoid of core meanings as an educational tradition, one which holds considerable potential for the field of Applied Drama, and for other forms of performative education.