Threading Humanity Back into Education and Educational Research

In this paper, we discuss the significance of re-humanizing education and educational research within an AI-dominated era. We also suggest that tactile learning, often overlooked in educational research and digital pedagogies, cultivates unique ways of multi-sensory knowing and encourages holistic understanding, complementing intellectual learning and enriching research processes. Using the metaphors and practices of weaving, knitting, and crocheting, we argue that tactile experiences, especially those involving fiber crafts, create a fabric of interconnections, fostering growth and intellectual expansion. Exploring the applicability of tactile learning in the educational landscape, we examine a number of scholarly works that demonstrate the benefits of integrating fiber craft activities in educational settings across various learning levels. We also delve into the role of researchers as makers and weavers, arguing that the tangible act of textile creation, namely tapestry-making and knitting, encourages reflexivity and allows for revisiting assumptions, refining and deepening meaning-making. We further emphasize the potential of tactile learning as a tool for fostering inclusivity in education and accessibility in the dissemination of research findings. Recognizing the need for academic work to be comprehensible beyond the confines of academia, we suggest the use of tactile representations, such as a woven tapestry, as non-traditional, creative ways to share research outcomes with a wider and more diversified audience. In essence, this paper underscores the potential of a combination of tactile learning and reflexivity in inspiring new insights and threading humanity back into education and educational research.