Brilliant Yet Shadowed Seminar Series 1
The SERA Theory and Philosophy Network is pleased to present a seminar series building on their latest publication Brilliant Yet Shadowed, which aims to foreground educational thinkers whose valuable contributions to the field otherwise exist at the margins of educational philosophy and theory.
The first seminar in the series takes place online on February 20th 2026 at 1PM UK time (full information below) and features two authors from the special issue. Please follow us on LinkedIn for more events in this series, as well as other news from the network.
Seminar 1 – February 20th, 1PM
Join here:
https://strath.zoom.us/j/84041296349
Meeting ID: 840 4129 6349
Password: 286486
Nicola Robertson, University of Strathclyde
Motoko Hani and the Jiyu Gakuen
Motoko Hani earned her accolade as a pioneer by becoming Japan’s first ever female journalist; however, she would come to cement her place in Japanese educational history by founding the Jiyu Gakuen – the “freedom school” that remains a going concern over 100 years after its inception. This presentation will consider the foundation of this school against Motoko’s own conceptualisations of liberty, unity, and authority. It will also consider how these philosophies are baked into the school’s physical construction, aided by the design of noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Nicola Robertson is a lecturer in education at the Strathclyde Institute of Education. Her research sits at the intersection of philosophy of education, technology, and popular culture studies. She is co-editor of Autobiography, Fan Fiction, and Education (Bloomsbury, 2025) and author of forthcoming monograph Pedagogical Propaganda: The Power of Image (Peter Lang).
Lu Sophia Leng, Jinan University
“Xing” (行Action): Tao Xingzhi’s Educational Philosophy – Integrating Knowledge, Action,
and Social Reform for Educational Excellence
TAO Xingzhi (陶行知1891-1946), a former student of John Dewey at Colombia Teachers’ College, was a well-known educational thinker and leader in 20th-century China and is still well-recognized today. He innovatively used education as the engine and tool to save and transform his country. Yet he remains a largely undiscovered figure in the global educational discourse. This paper examines Tao’s distinctive philosophy of “Xing” (行, action/practice), and his central beliefs of “life as education” (生活教育) and “society as school” (社会即学校) (Mao, 1984, p.610-612). Adhered to his dedication of “coming with a heart full of passion and leaving without taking even a single blade of grass”( 捧着一颗心来，不带半根草去) (Zhang, 2011), Tao has lived and manifested his philosophy and taken pragmatism to a new level of impact and transformation. By exploring Tao’s educational philosophy and practice, we gain new insights into the role of education in shaping a more just and equitable society, not only continuously in China but also in its powerful potential and impact in the world.
Lu Sophia Leng is an Associate Professor at the School of Foreign Studies, Jinan University, Guangzhou China. She earned her PhD from the College of Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA. Her research focuses on educational psychology, English language education, Philosophy for Children, and educational philosophy. She has been engaged in educational philosophy, teacher development and empirical studies on language teaching in recent years.