Biographical synopsis
Dom completed BPHIL., BA., BTh., MTh., and Grad DipEd, from Urbaniana University Rome, Imo State University Nigeria, Australian Catholic University, and the University of the Sunshine Coast, respectively. His passion for teaching and influencing young people has led him to work in schools both in Nigeria and here in Australia.
Dom is passionate about empowering people to embrace the core value of what it means to be human. A view that incorporates joining the ‘expansive’ flow of the universe that has been inflating for 13.8 billion years now from the point of Singularity of the Big Bang. Dom believes that joining this flow involves the capacity of the human person to adapt, to change, to reflect, to grow, to rise up, to integrate, to expand, to develop, to be empowered and encouraged in becoming better humans in a human world with human challenges.
Dom’s pedagogical orientation centres on this expansive flow of the universe because it involves an expansive movement of learning and growing that is at the heart of education.
As a philosopher and educator, Dom has the goal of orienting a heart-centred approach to pedagogy through his research work. He leans on the philosophy of emancipation and equality of Jacques Rancière, the ‘Socratic Way’, and the ancient Greek’s understanding of love in education as the platform for adding the flare of effervescence in pursuing the highest good through education. These philosophical frameworks involve a collaborative approach of improving the educational experience of students in order to bring a sense of self, wholeness, empowerment, and a state of improved wellbeing.
Spurred by these philosophical underpinnings and his personal teaching experience, Dom started his PhD degree in Education at James Cook University (JCU) Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield, in 2021.
Research Project
Dom’s research topic is: Promoting student wellbeing: the feasibility of family well-being soft skills approach in a university access course.
The Family Wellbeing is an Indigenous-developed, evidence-based wellbeing program that empowers people to take greater control and responsibility over the conditions that influence their lives. It focuses on a heart‑centred approach to relationships and learning which incorporates unconditional love, speaking from the heart, compassion, right use of will and power, goodwill, conflict resolution, joy, understanding, humility, acceptance, freedom, humour, desiring to do what is right for all in the pursuit of the highest good, promoting wellbeing, resiliency, emotional intelligence, positive psychology, and the Aristotelian concept of phronesis or practical wisdom.
Soft skills are essential to the all-round development of students, and study shows that they are highly essential in the flourishing of one’s professional and personal life. However, soft skills are noted to be missing among graduates preparing for the real world.
Dom’s project intends to systematically embed the Family Wellbeing soft skills approach in the curriculum of JCU access course. This is done so that soft skills development is not seen as an add-on to the educational experience of students, rather, as something that is crucially integrated in their curriculum as part of their learning objectives.
Dom’s hope is that by integrating the Family Wellbeing soft skills approach in a curriculum, both teachers and students would have the platform to develop the soft skills to navigate their professional and personal lives, and thus, improve their wellbeing.
In view of a successful outcome of his project, Dom intends to implement his research outcomes using Implementation science across universities in Australia, and possibly beyond.
Supervisory Team
Prof Komla Tsey
Dr Hyacinth Udah
Dr Rhian Morgan
Mentors
Prof Yvonne Cadet-James
Leslie Baird
Research Funding
James Cook University High Degree Research Scholarship
Publication
Orih, D. (2022). Can There Be a Recourse to a Philosophy of Love? A Confronting Question at the Heart of a Poor Pedagogy. Interchange. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-022-09474-4
Links:
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4875-2055
Twitter: https://twitter.com/orihdom