The place of pedagogy in an uncertain world: propositions for pedagogical justice

The world is becoming increasingly characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA). How education systems, policies and practices respond to the challenges facing young people and their communities is of critical importance, including questions of pedagogy and curriculum in mainstream and alternative education contexts. Knowing how systems and institutions can address the challenges of a VUCA world is important in striving for justice in educational contexts. This paper draws on a series of reflective dialogues undertaken by members of a newly formed pedagogy research group at a regional Australian university in response to a provocation regarding the place of pedagogy in an uncertain world. In this paper, we provide a range of conceptual and theoretical considerations for pedagogy across diverse disciplinary and educational contexts, which arose through the dialogic process of the group. These are presented here as prompts towards a series of propositions for pedagogical justice in the twenty-first century.