Simon Fraser University
Geoff Madoc-Jones

Geoffrey Madoc-Jones Faculty Photo

Assistant Professor

Language Arts

 

 

My research interests include: Language Art Education, Hermeneutics, Philosophy of Education, Poetry, History of Literacy, B.C. Literature and Contemporary Welsh Literature. My present research is being funded by a President's Research Grant. The project is titled: Literacy Education and Endangered Languages: The Welsh and Canadian Experiences Compared.

 

1999

Ph.D., Curriculum

Simon Fraser University
1990

M.A., Philosophy of Education

Simon Fraser University
1968

B.A., History

University of Wales

 

 

Selected Publications

 

Refereed Journals

Madoc-Jones. G. (2001, Fall). Practices, narratives and the telos of education. Accepted for publication in Prospero. Journal of New Thinking in Philosophy of Education.

 

Madoc-Jones, G, & Egan K. (2001, Spring). On the educational uses of fantasy. Accepted for publication in The Journal of the Imagination in Language Learning.

 

 

Non-Refereed Journals

Madoc-Jones, G. (1991). The utility of intrinsic worth: The graduation program and the challenge of liberal education. In Roland Case (Ed.), Educational perspectives: A critical analysis of British Columbia's proposals for educational reform, Burnaby: SFU

Madoc-Jones. G. (1995). Sport: An authentic activity. Educators at Work. SFU.

 

 

Papers in preparation

Madoc-Jones. G.  Performatives and practice: Speech acts in teacher education.

J.L. Austin and J. Searles' work on the importance of speech-acts is used to conceptualize certain aspects of teacher education, in particular the kinds of discourse that take place between student teachers and Faculty Associates.

 

Madoc-Jones. G. Giambattista Vico: Imagination, education and the teaching of poetry.

Vico's work on imagination and education is reviewed with a view to providing a non-Romantic justification for the teaching of poetry based on its role as a form of social practice.

 

Madoc-Jones. G.  Play and education:  Oakeshott and Gadamer

The common themes of M. Oakeshott's distinction between work and play and H-G. Gadamer's characterization of play as structure are used to develop a notion of liberal education in general and the language arts in particular.

 

Madoc-Jones. G.   Narrative, metaphor and interpretation.: Ricoeur and the Language Arts.

A comprehensive review of Paul Ricoeur's later work on narrative and metaphor is used to posit a rethinking of interpretive approaches to language arts education.

 

Madoc-Jones, G.  Allt y Rhedyn.  Dylan Thomas in Welsh:  A Translation of Fern Hill.

As part of a study of the relationship between a poet from Wales, who writes in English, the poetic features of the poem Fern Hill are investigated through the process of its translation into Welsh.

 

 

 

 

Snapshot of Conference Activity

  • 2000: Performance as Interpretation. Presentation at the Far West and North West Philosophy of Education Societies Annual Conference, Vancouver.
  • 1999: At the Mercy of Words: Dylan Thomas and the Welsh Poetic Tradition . Dylan Thomas Circle: Annual Dylan Thomas Lecture, Vancouver.
  • 1998: The Necessity of the Poetic in the Linguistic Imagination, Presentation at the American Educational Research Association, Annual Conference, San Diego.
  • 1997: The Necessity of the Poetic in the Educated Imagination,  Presentation at the Seventh International Conference on Thinking, Singapore. 
  • 1996: Hermeneutics and Teaching Literature, Presentation at the National Council of Teachers of English, North West Regional Conference, Vancouver.

 

Research and Development 

  • 2001-2003: Application currently under review for SSHRC New Scholar Grant entitled: Poetry, hermeneutics and language arts education: An inter-cultural study of policies and pedagogies. $94, 962.
  • 2000-2002: SFU Presidents Research Grant. Literacy education and endangered languages: The Welsh and Canadian experiences compared. $9,135.

 

 

Service (partial list of activity since 1994)

Faculty

Member, Faculty Tenure Committee, Graduate Programs Committee, Professional Programs Committee

Chair. Curriculum Committee for Faculty Review Self-Study Document

Site Sponsor: Sunshine Coast Med. 2000

 

 

University

Member, Diamond University Club Board

 

 

Scholarly Community

Member, British Columbia Teachers of English Language Arts. Executive Member 2000/2001

 

Canadian Council of Teachers of English Language Arts

 

National Council of Teachers of English

 

 

Professional

Madoc-Jones, G.  Schools and the practice of educative teaching. School District #46. Plenary address to Annual Professional Conference. February, 2001

Madoc-Jones, G.  Cognitive tools for the English classroom. School District #35. Langley. February 2001

 

 

 

 

Graduate Student Supervision (since 1993)

Theses Completed

  • 1 Ph.D. (committee member)
  • 4 MEd (committee member)
  • 13 MEd (Senior Supervisor)

Theses in Progress

  • 1 Ph.D. (committee member)
  • 1 MA (committee member)
  • 2 MEd  (Senior Supervisor)

 

Last Updated November 19, 2007 FOE