Drawing on research gathered from North America, Scandinavia, Western Europe, South Africa, China and the UK, this book arises out of an immersion in fire-craft and is inspired by kindling as a guiding imagination for a re-evaluation and re-articulation of educational purpose. Chapters combine insights gleaned from post-kindling sessions as well as from autoethnographic material, providing a lens for a deep enquiry into what fire-lighting ‘kindles’ for questions of educational purpose and praxis. The book challenges assumptions regarding the purpose of education and prevailing perspectives on why and how students are educated, drawing theoretical considerations out of, and in relation to, an embodied educational activity.
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. Facilitating Fire Craft 2. Preparing 3. Navigating Thresholds 4. Working with Tensions 5. Reversal of the Will 6. Silent Attending 7. Speaking Flames 8. Restoring the Vertical 9. An Instance Worth a Thousand 10. Conclusion
About the Author :
Jonathan M. Code is a Senior Lecturer at the Royal Agricultural University, UK
Review :
"This remarkable and original book on education dares to begin - not with policy, curriculum, or measurement - but with fire. Grounding philosophical enquiry in the embodied practice of fire-lighting, Code rekindles questions of purpose, meaning, and human becoming. Through an autobiographical lens, the text reveals that philosophy must remain rooted in lived experience, and that education is not merely the transfer of knowledge, but a process of kindling – awakening, tending, and sustaining what makes us most deeply human. This book speaks to practitioners of education and to anyone wishing to ensure that our educational systems maintain warmth, wonder and vitality."
-- Dr. Charlotte von Bülow, Senior Lecturer in Leadership, University of the West of England and Founder of Crossfields Europa and Luna Associates ApS
"This book gave me the courage to let my students face troublesome situations as necessary steps on the way to mastery, rather than sheltering them with didactical tricks that disguise the real challenge of the subject. Jonathan Code demonstrates the art of stepping aside while remaining deeply present, so that students can experience the transformation of becoming that genuine education makes possible. By tracing the mastery behind the craft of fire-lighting with all its struggles, Code holds up a magnifying glass through which I see my own teaching anew."
– Martin Lauesen, biology and mathematics teacher at Michael Skolen, Denmark
"This book starts with teaching the ancient craft of firelighting to reflect on pedagogy and the philosophy of education. It runs counter to the dominant instrumental aim that education is solely to gain a job. It is at the cost of selling the younger generation short . As the ideology and practice of Neo-Liberalism collapse this book proves timely. Jonathan Code’s uses a practical activity that blossoms into a philosophy that emphasises the importance of a well rounded education. It is a must read for parents and teachers who believe that education has an important role in developing young people for an uncertain future."
-- Professor Hugh Lauder, Department of Education, International Centre for Higher Education Management (ICHEM) and Centre for the Analysis of Social Policy and Society (CASPS)
