EdTech Cubed Saqib Safdar

To explore critical pedagogy and liberation of the curriculum, in this podcast I interview author and Sufi teacher Shaikh Kabir Helminski. We discuss human condition, subjective human experience, mindfulness, pedagogy of mirroring - (as modelled by Shams and Rumi), and how to read Rumi. Transcript to the talk can be read below
Transcript
Saqib: Welcome, Shaikh Kabir, wonderful to have you. So, a couple of things I wanted to discuss today. The first, conditioning; cultural and religious. Are we as human beings confined to it? Or is there the possibility of liberation from it? And if so, how does that happen?
Shaikh Kabir: Well, we would not be human beings without a certain amount of conditioning. The question is, is the conditioning a positive or negative factor? Also, how aware are we that we are conditioned? So, any spiritual practice that raises our level of consciousness, allowing us to witness ourselves, our thoughts, our emotions, our behaviours, gives us a vantage point on our conditioning. And through that, we can engage in a process of, first, deconditioning. Deconditioning means doing what we can to reduce the negative forms of conditioning that do harm in our relationships that cause fear, cause worry, and all other forms of negativity. So, deconditioning first, and then reconditioning. Reconditioning is to replace all those negative factors by putting in place positive behaviours, positive habits, and positive responses, like, shall we say, generosity, gratitude, forgiveness, and patience. But there is also the possibility of unconditional love. Unconditional love is what will finally free the human being from these, sometimes positive, sometimes negative, factors of conditioning. In our essence, though, we are unconditioned. We are an eternal spirit participating in the Infinite Divine Being of Existence. And it is vitally important for the human being to have some experience of that. And from the experience of that these other levels of conditioning are transformed. We are then freed from the negative aspects of our conditioning and will then begin to manifest those latent attributes of the Divine Reality that are beautiful, loving, and intelligent.
Saqib: Wonderful. So, just to be clear, as human beings, are we limited to a subjective experience, or is there a possibility of objective perception and understanding of reality?
Shaikh Kabir: Well, just to define our terms. If by subjective you mean distorted or limited by a uniquely personal point of view, I would say we should be able to transcend that kind of subjectivity. If by subjectivity you mean a unique viewpoint within this non-dual unified reality, a perspective of an “I” that is the viewer, I believe we will continue to have that kind of subjective experience. But the important question is, is that “I” veiled by negativity, veiled by prejudice, veiled by selfishness, veiled by trauma, etc, etc. So, every soul has the possibility of a uniquely subjective, and yet, pure vantage point. I am reminded of what Ibn Arabi, when essentially asked about this question, said: 
“My journey was entirely within myself. But when I came as close as a human being can come to the presence of my Rabb (Lord), I saw that I was nothing but servanthood without a trace of sovereignty.”
So, by servanthood, here, he means every value in the human being, every capacity, every resource, every strength, is lent to us, reflected to us, by the primary agency, That Divine Sovereign, and yet we as unique individual reflections of the Divine Being. According to how much we can polish the mirror of our own heart we can be in that subjective, relatively objective, that vantage point, which is undistorted...

To read more about Tom and view the video demos in the podcast visit edtechcubed.com

In this episode, we explore:
Pedagogy
How was maths traditionally been taught and what impact can technology have?
Does using technology require a different pedagogical approach to teaching and learning Maths?
Should maths be taught through investigations or problem-based learning? Can technology help with this?

Technology:
Why are there so many options for using technology: GeoGebra, Desmos, Autograph, graphical calculators? What advice would you give to schools making a choice about which ones to use with their students?
How are these platforms developing? Are there any new features that teachers might be interested in?


Schools and Teachers
If a teacher is nervous about using technology in class where should they start?
Which is more important – teachers using technology at the front of the class or students using technology themselves?
Should schools allow students to use mobile phones in class?
What opportunities are there for teachers to develop their skills?
What advice would you give to teachers who are expected to deliver some online/blended learning component for their classes this year? Should teachers use some form of video element for teaching maths?

In this episode, we learn how Minecraft Education Edition was used for an online summer coding school for new year 7 students during lockdown, how year 8 students designed their school building to host an assembly and how it is used at Keystage 2 and 3 to develop 21st-century skills of problem-solving, skilled communication, collaboration etc. For more info, please visit www.edtechcubed.com

Guests

James Protheroe - assistant headteacher at Darran Park Primary School, South Wales. As a Microsoft Showcase School, the school has placed digital learning at the very heart of teaching and learning. This has included developing effective pupil digital leaders who have supported teachers and learners across Wales to develop effective approaches to teaching and learning with Microsoft tools. James is working with Minecraft and Welsh Government to develop Minecraft Learning Centres across Wales to train educators to integrate Minecraft: Education Edition to transform teaching and learning.

Tia Nasir, Undergraduate Computer Science Student at Royal Holloway, University of London. Previously a ’Digital Innovator’ at DLD College London, where Tia passed the Microsoft Technology Exam (Python) and helped to develop student digital voice. As a keen user of technology and programming, she has participated in several ’hackathons’, notably winning Deutsche Bank’s 24-Hour Global Hackathon in 2018 following her mentorship with ’STEMettes’. Recently, Tia devised and delivered a virtual course using Minecraft Education to introduce Python programming to an incoming cohort of Year 7 students.