Two curricula.Three languages.More cultures than we can count.A long way from home.
For international educators working across curricula, languages and cultures, and building lives far from home. A place to explore the questions that arise in our classrooms and schools.
I’m John Clark in my research, and Stew to the people who know me. After years as an international teacher and school leader in China, I’m now an Assistant Professor of Education at Abu Dhabi University.
Explore aesthetic legitimacy ↗Share an example ↗
The questions
I come back to.
I’m interested in how education comes to be seen as valuable, whose knowledge and traditions carry authority, and how educators make those expectations work in practice. My current research explores these questions through AI and professional judgment in Abu Dhabi education.
Beyond work, you’ll find me technical diving or skiing. I welcome conversations and collaborations across contexts.
Explore my research on AI in education ↗
ORCID ↗Aesthetic legitimacy.
The gap between what a school says is happening and what we know is actually happening.
You might recognise it:
- A school promotes student-led inquiry, while lessons still centre on worksheets and memorising answers.
- Displays celebrate international-mindedness, while classroom discussion leaves little room for different perspectives.
- An exhibition presents student agency, while teachers have produced much of what visitors see.
- A prospectus promises individual attention, while teachers know there is little time or support to provide it.
The signs are familiar and convincing. Working inside the school, though, we may experience a different reality. That tension was my starting point for exploring aesthetic legitimacy.
I’m developing this concept to understand how images, language, spaces, symbols and practices make claims about educational quality credible. What examples do you recognise—and how do you understand them?
Explore the idea and share your perspective ↗A cab ride in the UAE.
· Field note
An Instagram announcement, a school banner outside a cab window, and questions about heritage, marketisation and making room for local traditions in international education.
Start a conversation.
For research collaboration, scholarly discussion and enquiries about my work.