Keynote Speaker: Dr. Yuli Rahmawati

Dr. Yuli Rahmawati has been Head of Chemistry Education since 2019. She received Australian Government Scholarships to pursue master and doctoral degrees at Curtin University, Australia (2007-2013). As a transformative educator, she is involved in transformative learning and research practice. She is interested in culturally responsive teaching, social-emotional learning, STEAM education, and green chemistry.

Her professional development experiences have been enriched by awards from UNILEAD (2016), Women in Academic Leadership from DAAD, Germany (2019), and DIES International Dean’s Course (2022). As well as research projects funded by the Indonesian government, during 2017-2021 she has conducted research projects on student mobility (UMAP Funding), STEM (Australia-Indonesia Institute), and Learning for Empathy (UNESCO). Besides conducting professional development for teachers, since 2014 she has been involved as an expert member in developing national standards of education for the Ministry of Education Indonesia.

As she is working in a pedagogical university, Yuli has a passion for the ongoing development of teacher education and transformative education. She is excited to engage her student-teachers in transformative research approaches in various research areas. Reflecting on her previous studies and pedagogical experiences, she is passionate about empowering science and mathematics education to support education as sustainability.

Title

Returning Home: Empowering Teaching Identity through the Landscapes of Transformative Learning and Sustainability Education

Abstract

Being empowered and motivated by Parker Palmer’s call for teachers to understand the self and their relationship with others, in my research and professional journey I am exploring the values of transformative learning and sustainability education as they impact my teaching identity. As a chemistry teacher educator, I am continuing my commitment with a passion for educating my pre-service chemistry teachers as holistic individuals and social agents to participate in creating a better world. The journey of revealing and reconceptualising transformative values of constructivism, empowering teacher-student relationships, and dialectical thinking is continuing to engage me in creating innovative approaches to values-based learning and is stimulating me as a transformative leader. My values in relation to education as sustainability are empowering me to shift my thinking and actions to develop the agency of my pre-service teachers. In my unfolding identity as a leader in the university’s chemistry education program, I am transforming curricula and courses and creating new research and teaching approaches. Practicing the values of transformative learning and education as sustainability is helping me to continually negotiate cultural border crossings. The journey is not easy, however the experience of being neglected and rejected is empowering me to stay on the pathway of a transformative teacher educator.

The recent publications of Dr. Rahmawati can be found at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OrqDxrsAAAAJ&hl=en