Dr. Mark Fettes
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education
Director, Graduate Studies in Education
Associate Director, Imaginative Education Research Group (IERG)
- Email: mtfettes@sfu.ca
- Phone: 778-782-2555
- Office: Education Building, Room 8561
Research Interests
I was first drawn to education through my work with First Nations organizations around issues of language maintenance and revitalization. This in turn is related to my long-term interest in cultural diversity and intercultural communication, and particularly the management of multilingualism in a globalized world.
I have been involved with Esperanto for many years and have published numerous articles in and about the language. Currently I am participating in a multidisciplinary European project on the linguistic aspects of mobility and inclusion.
My interest in indigenous and intercultural education has also led to a long-term effort to understand the role of imagination in learning, teaching, and schooling. I have worked with teachers at all levels of the formal education system, with a focus on helping them find more imaginative and engaging ways of teaching the mainstream curriculum.
My most important contributions have been made in the context of community-based research projects focused on school district-First Nation partnerships and on ecological schooling. The theoretical side of this work explores the relationships between experience, language, imagination and community.