Future Fiction Makerspace
Participants will collaboratively learn about and advance transformative, inclusive, digital and culturally sensitive literary education methods in order to design learning environments for futures literacy in so-called laboratories. They involve expert input on four interrelated cultural practices of future-making (literature, drama, poetry and music and museum exhibitions) and focus on project-based collaboration, skill-sharing and hands-on workshop phases, led by UoC early-career experts.
Here's a first timeline of the Future Fiction Makerspace:
Wednesday,April 0217:00 - 20:30 | Welcome Addresses Prof. Dr. Wiebke Dannecker and Prof. Dr. Roman Bartosch Prof. Dr. Beatrix Busse (University of Cologne/teff) Nsah Mala (UoC UNESCO/MOST BRIDGES Hub for Planetary Wellbeing and Ecological Flourishing) Keynote Inspiration Chantal Bilodeau (Playwright and Translator, Montreal) Aperó |
Thursday,April 03all day | Research Networking Introduction to the Labs Dr. Natalie Dederichs (UoC/ReaCh): Cli-Fi Lab Leonie Carrell (UoC): Theatre Lab Tanya Gautam (UoC/EcoLit): Poetry Lab Dr. Sina Derichsweiler (UoC/ReaCh): Exhibition Lab Keynotes Inspiration: Prof. Dr. Carmen Sippl (UNESCO Chair in Learning and Teaching Futures Literacy in the Anthropocene, University College of Teacher Education Lower Austria) Prof. Dr. Per Esben Svelstad (NTNU Norway and MESH Research Fellow 2025) Prof. Dr. Julia Hoydis (University of Graz) Dinner (self-paid) |
Friday,April 0409:00 - 14.00* | Laboratories Cli-Fi Lab: The Cli-Fi Lab investigates the aesthetic and creative potentials of picturebooks and young adult fiction. Together, we will analyse climate fiction ("cli-fi") for young learners and develop an analytical framework that helps teachers to integrate literary fiction into their classroom practice. Theatre Lab:The Theatre Lab uses insights from drama pedagogy to develop a teaching methodology that engages learners through creative play and expression. It investigates how short plays can be integrated into creative and inclusive teaching scenarios. Poetry Lab: The Poetry Lab experiments with creative writing and the practice of poetry slams. It shows how writing can support learners in paying better attention to the environment and give voice to their concerns and hopes. Exhibition Lab: The Exhibition Lab explores the potential of creating and curating an exhibition of the future and thus combines language-based creative learning methods and demands for futures literacy. Student Workshops Presentation and Discussion |
*participants who decide to attend the Urban Laboratory “Changing Cities” as well (starting at 14:00) will be given the opportunity to leave earlier
A second, digital Future Fiction Makerspace is scheduled for autumn 2025 and planned as a community event intended for prototyping learning opportunities in cultural learning: results from the workshops and subsequent collaborations with teachers/schools and researchers will be presented to the larger teff community for further development and eventual integration into specific educational ecosystems of various teff institutions in Europe.
If you have any questions regarding the Future Fiction Makerspace, please contact bali2[at]smail.uni-koeln.de .
For any questions on the overall teff Future Festival organisation or teff funding (e.g. accomodation, travel costs, …), please contact teacher-academy[at]uni-koeln.de instead.