ENGAGING WITH THE PRESENT BY EXPLORING THE FUTURE: CRITICAL POTENTIAL OF SCIENCE FICTION IN EDUCATION

Given the current challenges facing democracy and democratic practices globally, imagining different possibilities for the future is a crucial project for education in the present. In The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay Jr. (2008) argues that: "[...] sf [science fiction] has come to be seen as an essential mode of imaging the horizons of possibility" (p. 1) [1]. In this study, conducted in two grade 12 English classrooms (N=52) in Toronto, Canada in the Fall of 2016, I take up Csicsery-Ronay Jr.'s assertion and explore how science fiction can be used as a pedagogical tool to help secondary students explore fictional futures, with an emphasis on developing critical thinking skills through comparing science fictional futures to the present. I used Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1993; 2008) [2], critical theory, genre-based analysis, and inquiry-based learning to collaboratively create a novel study unit with the participating classroom teacher, designed to encourage students to explore contemporary issues through the lens of imagined futures. Focus in this paper will be on the results of students' engagement with the concepts of science fiction and critical thinking through this unit.