Transformative Pedagogies as a Praxis of Critical Hope

University educators are ideally positioned to offer their students what Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, called “education in hope” – a forward-looking, critically aware, and action-oriented understanding of the complexities that affect oneself and one’s society. And yet, educators themselves face their own contentious relationship to hope amidst unpredictable times of austerity, political polarization, and climate collapse. This keynote examines the foundations of “critical hope” (Freire, 1994; Grain, 2022) and explores how it might be taken up through creative teaching and learning practices in higher education. Specifically, we explore experiential and transformative pedagogies that offer vibrant possibilities for educators and learners alike.

Speaker: Dr. Kari Grain

Dr. Kari Grain is the author of Critical Hope and teaches in the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Education, where she leads the Adult Learning and Global Change (ALGC) Master’s of Education Program. In her ongoing community engaged scholarship, Kari is a research consultant with Simon Fraser University’s Community Engaged Research Initiative (CERi). Her scholarship on social justice, experiential learning, adult education, and climate action has been featured in peer reviewed journals, books, and podcasts. Dr. Grain works with school districts, universities, and non-profit organizations to engage practices of critical hope toward systemic and personal transformation. Kari was the 2024 recipient of the Killam Lecturer Teaching Prize in UBC’s Faculty of Education.

Select resources by Kari Grain

Grain, K. (2025). Blooming and brokenness: Why students need an honest education in hope to face an unknown future. In Academica Top Ten Series, Illuminating Hope in Higher Education. https://forum.academica.ca/forum/llluminating-hope-2-kari-grain

Williams, R. J., & Grain, K. (2025). Teaching in a Time of Climate Collapse: From “An Education in Hope” to a Praxis of Critical Hope. Sustainability, 17(12), 5459. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/12/5459

Grain, McClelland & Mahoney (2024). Facilitation for Community Transformation: A toolkit for community engaged researchers. Community Engaged Research Initiative, Simon Fraser University. https://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/ceri/images/Archive/Publications/2024-Publications/FCT%202024%20REPORT.pdf