Principles for a pedagogy of unlearning

In this article we make the case that ‘unlearning’ is an importantdimension of professional reflective practice that can offer newinsights when done collaboratively. We do so as an interdisciplinarygroup of academics interested in ‘undoing’ the conventional andindividualising norms of reflective practice in academic settings,particularly when it comes to planning and reflecting on groupprocesses for research. In the process of planning a project toinvestigate mentoring in the professions of social work and teaching,we reflected on our own collaborative academic practices throughco-facilitated discussion, the creation of visual ‘d/artaphacts’, writtenreflections on our perceptions of ‘unlearning’ and academic collaboration,and reviewing how our diverse disciplines have engagedwith unlearning in research literature and practice. These responsesgenerated insights into the intricacies of the collaborative practice ofunlearning in a professional research environment. We draw onthese conversations, d/artaphacts, and reflections to compose fiveprinciples for a pedagogy of unlearning that can be applied inmentoring and professional practice settings. The principles highlightthe importance of approaching unlearning as a collaborativeactivity for sustainable professional practice and for supporting thedevelopment of professional identities in fluid and complex relationalwork environments