- FULL NAME: Pavle Heidler

- PHONE NUMBER: +46 70 99 66 929

- EMAIL: pavleh@gmail.com

- WEB: http://pavleheidler.wordpress.com

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- TITLE OF THE ACTIVITY: ON TEACHING - a seminar

- DETAILED CONTENT DESCRIPTION (150 words or more):

At the time of writing this proposal, I am conscious of my thoughts being based on experience available to me now. In the coming months I expect to gain specific insight that might influence and change (hopefully, for the better) some of the claims I will stand for today. 

On Teaching

My first attraction to the Symposium at large came from its title, specifically from the last word which is a negation of the statement put in brackets and as such placed in front of an exclamation point. I read the exclamation point as the urge, the need, the desire to act; the desire to act upon the negation to the statement that is understood (recognised, shared by peers) only when hidden from plain sight. The brackets seem to be the crucial signifier, one implying that we empathise and agree with the following thought: actual autonomy (one that would be assumed by stating the not without the use of brackets) is recognised as a source to more problems than solutions. Actual autonomy is something we want, but have not yet attained - consciously.

Teach me (not)!

What is placed to the front of the title is an imperative: teach me. This imperative implies, however theoretically, that the one making the demand is directing him or herself to someone else; the one making the demand is speaking to the other who is, at the time of utterance and by the utterance, presented as a superior. “Teach me” implies that we (still and habitually) see knowledge as that which is passed on through man-made action. 

If it's true that we long for living and moving through flat structures, it becomes a problem that most of our current organizations are in fact still organized vertically. When practicing skills tuned in to flat structures, we are practicing skills that are actually impractical for the world we live in. How are we, as teachers, to address that? 

Examples of other questions I’d like to ask:

What are the skills a person needs in order to live and work (successfully) in today’s environment?

How are we, as teachers, to address the fact that (1) we are working with people?; that (2) we are facilitating a space in which these people are to build various types of skills?; that (3) some of the necessary skills can not be built without supervision?; that (4) some of the necessary skills can not be build under supervision?; that (5) to reason in terms of facilitating space to make knowledge is, in certain terms, already to reason in a dated fashion.

How are we, as teachers, to address the time difference between the practical environment and its demands and the theoretical environement and its demands? How are we, as teachers, to address the time difference between knowledge and practice? How are we, as teachers, to address time?

Which of all these are teacher's responsibility? And when? Which of all these are not the teachers responsibilities? And when?

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After answering some or all of these questions I would like to check in with the question of the teacher’s sense of purpose.

Last Interest I would like to Present to this Context

All of my research is, at present times, quite persistantly, though ever-so-gently fraimed by the following questions:
(1) Does it need to make sense linearly?
(2) What does it mean in terms of the body it creates? 

note: IT stands for any other question I might be busy with.

Since everything I teach descends directly from the experiences I gather by being a performer, dancer, dance and performance maker, writer, friend, teacher and student - and since all these interests I practically unite through my understanding and interest in performativity being that which makes possible socially fraimed communication - all my interests are (currently) focused strongly by the question of “the body it creates”.

I see the body as the facilitator of communication, be that communication fictional, virtual, pragmatic or functional. My interest, then, is to relate to that body as to something which enables me to relate to others and I ask: how do I learn to be that body? And what kind of body do I want to be?

And when do I want to be it?

* the seminar will consist of a lecture and a conversation.

- SUMMARY OF CONTENT DESCRIPTION (max 60 words; for publishing)          

The core questions behind On Teaching and the Importance of Being Not - a Seminar  are: What are the skills a person needs in order to live and work (successfully) in today’s environment? and How are those skills to be attained? I question the role and responsibility of the teacher in their relationship to the student, to knowledge, institution and practical, creative environment.                                                                                                                                                                    

- SHORT BIOGRAPHY (max 60 words for publishing (if co-taught all in all max 60 words)

Pavle Heidler studied at SEAD and P.A.R.T.S. He is currently enrolled with the MA program at DOCH, where he is developing a performative practice called The Process of Materialisation of Fiction, and continuing existing research on The Behind the Sun Series, a series of theatrical events. He also publishes writings on the topics of dance and creativity.

- AIMED AT WHO (AND HOW MANY PEOPLE MIN /MAX?)

Aimed at people working within the field of performing arts.

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-  TIME REQUEST: min 3 hours                                                                                                                                                                  

- TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS (audio, beamer etc): /                                                                                                                                                                                   

- SPACE NECESSITY (studio size etc): maybe a lecture room?

__________________________________________________________ Thanks!!!