AVD 38 Humanising Learning for Transforming Society. Held on 14 Feb 2026

This dialogue continues the vibrant discussion initiated at the ICSEI (International Congress of School Effectiveness and Improvement) 2026 and spans a wide range of global contexts and geographies on the importance of transformative, humanising learning experiences, and the roles that these can play in positively transforming society. In this "Knowledge Age," where we are able to access and engage with unprecedented volumes of information, yet simultaneously face global disarray, isolation and widespread instances of dehumanisation, paying attention to how we create learning structures that support depth, connection, relationship, and activate our appreciation of our common humanity is an increasingly clear imperative. This dialogue examines how our ways of learning must evolve as society transitions into a knowledge age characterized by exponential digital information expansion. The discussants explore emerging pedagogies that maintain humanity, disciplinary integrity, and cultural heritage while contending with mass knowledge production, generative AI, and shifting power dynamics. Discussions centre on how education can consciously evolve from knowledge transmission to active knowledge formation and reformation, whilst simultaneously supporting humanised and humanising learning spaces capable of transforming society. Shared discussions focussed on the following fields of thought: 1. Pedagogies of Concord, Synergy and Mutuality: Repositioning Knowledge Niall MacKinnon (Scotland) and Venesser Fernandes (Australia) examine how mass education's industrial transmission model conflicts with constructivist approaches in the emerging knowledge age. They propose classroom-based pedagogies linking educators, students, and communities through collaborative problem-solving that transcends social conflicts while maintaining disciplinary integrity and generating public value. 2. Pedagogy of Construction: Building Ideas, Empowering Learners, and Humanizing Education through Knowledge Building Silvana Reda (Canada) and Karima Ouerjani (Morocco) advocate for constructivist pedagogies that prioritize students building grounded self-concepts through socio-emotional learning before engaging in collaborative knowledge construction. They emphasize authentic, inquiry-based learning that develops cognitive capacities while fostering equity, inclusion, and collective responsibility for addressing real-world problems 3. Pedagogy Embracing Contextual Paradoxes to Offer Meaningful Learning Spaces Bernadine Mizzi (Malta) explores pedagogical tensions arising from society's shift to the information age, including depthlessness versus profundity and surface appearance versus depth. She challenges educators to examine contextual paradoxes in their practice and co-construct meaningful learning spaces that navigate these oppositional states to find optimal responses in challenging times. 4. Pedagogies of Care, Connection and Belonging: Humanizing Education through Dialogue and Generosity – Abdelaziz Zohri (Morocco), Robyn Whittaker (South Africa), and Andrew Wambua (Kenya) address the 21st century crisis of care and belonging through dialogue as pedagogical practice. Drawing on pan-African dialogue analysis, they explore how education spaces can foster interconnectedness, mutual understanding, and generosity rather than conformity and isolation. Mohammed Elmeski (Morocco) provides an overarching synthesis.