Ashlyne Oneil

Background

About Ashlyne Oneil

Critical Pedagogy. Anti-racism. Liberatory Feminism. Decolonization. These are the lenses through which I approach my work as an educator, an educational developer, and a person. As a working class white person, growing up, many of the injustices embedded within our education systems were hidden from me - my view obstructed by my relative privilege. But my experience as a queer, genderqueer, and neurodiverse woman, coupled with my grad school education and personal learning, opened my eyes to the oppressive and colonial nature of our current systems. Through this journey, I found the dynamic and inspirational field of educational development, and specifically, open learning. The very term 'educational development' connotes movement; a benevolent venture - fraught with uncertainty - towards the continued improvement of higher education. But, open learning furthered the appeal by centering justice in the work of educators. Finally, I thought, an organic connection between my commitment to social justice, my skill as an educator, and my affinity for relationship-building. As an educational developer, I centre the human experience in my efforts. This means the human experience of being a learner, a teacher, an administrator, a caregiver, a person. But it also means the human experience as it relates to sociocultural phenomena, to nature, and to the entirety of the world around us. No singularity exists without connection. I believe it is our job as educators to consider the connections between what we do in our classrooms, in our workplaces, and in our homes, to the planet and her inhabitants; and to use the spirit of justice to inform our pedagogical values and educational practices.