Working from within: Currere, contemplation, and lived experience
Currere and praxis. September 29, 2025 Hongyu Wang, Jennifer M. Schneider
This theoretical and practice-oriented paper argues that combining currere, an autobiographical method of inquiry into lived curriculum across nonlinear time, with contemplation, which cultivates embodied stillness and relational awareness, can deepen educational life. The authors propose that their interplay enriches currere with greater attention to embodiment and sacred interconnection, while contemplation gains temporal and narrative dimensions. Drawing on theory, classroom practice, and qualitative research, they contend this convergence unsettles instrumentalist educational logics, resists the flattening of inner experience, fosters integrative personhood, and cultivates intergenerational nonviolence. They propose a praxis of depth, openness, and relational compassion for educators and learners.