Future
Schools and Education as the Practice of Freedom
for Growth
through Learning: 'Holistic
Education'
Freedom in
education means freedom to engage in learning which is meaningful because it
involves intrinsic motivation by moral or 'spiritual' needs
or
'metaneeds' and
spiritual values or 'metavalues'.
So-called
'metamotivation' facilitates the development of character while it cultivates the
human potential for excellence. Both are foundational to a
culture of peace and
true democracy.
"Education
shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the
strengthening of respect for human rights and human freedoms".
(Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 26
Paragraph 2)
Today there
is urgent need for positive social change;
our
species survival depends on it. The human species is a social
species; its unique feature is its moral or 'spiritual
' faculty and its concern for
the welfare of others (empathy). The human moral faculty promotes both individual and
community cooperation and hence survival.
The
continued evolution of humanity depends on complete
moral or 'spiritual' development as development of moral consciousness or
'conscience' (the human spirit) so
'humanisation' of the
individual and the society. Humane individuals create humane societies. Consequently
we
can better understand
our social and political
problems if we analyse them
in
terms of the conditions offered to children as they develop. Normal psychological development is completed
with appropriate
conditions of
freedom and
unconditional love . Survival
of the human species depends on mature unconditional love because this is the condition
required for development of the rational conscience or 'human spirit' as a tool
for living. Inadequate conditions
of insecurity and fear results in the inhibition of of moral development.
As a result, moral consciousness or 'conscience' is arrested at the level
of the ego-needs for security, self-esteem and belongingness
(see Maslow's 'hierarchy of needs').
The following frustrated,
immature and neurotic growth translates into
the limited
cognition of egocentric
perception The dysfunctional relationship with oneself
and the other leads to irrational fears
which translate into the
fear based emotions and attitudes which prevent authentic relationship and
complete cognition necessary for empathic understanding
of the social reality.
Inauthentic relationship
and incomplete cognition are not only non-adaptive
but can be destructive
enough to lead to unbalanced behaviour and human wickedness.
The so-called
'evil'
of human wickedness is the result of undeveloped irrational conscience
originating in the deprivation of
unconditional
love which communicates
security necessary for spiritual growth as development
of rational conscience. In this, way loveless environments
contradict the interests of humanity and hinder its capacity for
adaptation to changing social conditions i.e. its 'adaptability'.
Human adaptability and
survival depend on the accurate perception of reality as a whole or 'holistic
reality.'
Accuracy of perception is a function of the extent to which one
develops beyond
the limitations of the ego and its egocentric mode of irrational thought and
behaviour patterns. Consequently we can bring about the much needed positive
change through
individual and collective
transcendance beyond
ego i.e.
'self-transcendence'.
Self-transcendance is a function of
the capacity to transcend one's mind made self and relate to one's fellow human
beings by connecting to their human core, their humanity or essence through the
instinctive emotion of unconditional love which is the power by which we can
transform the
world.
"Humble love is the most effective force, the most terrific,
the most powerful, unequaled by any other force in the world." (Fyodor
Dostoievsky)
With self-transcendance we will be
able to experience unconditional love
and so engage in
authentic relationship based on the accurate evaluation of self, the 'other' and the
world. Accurate evaluation is based on understanding of the truth of reality and
this depends is our
capacity
for perception of the various facets and dimensions... perception for the whole
or 'holistic perception'. Holistic perception is based
on the respect for and harmony with, the true nature or 'essence' of
the human personality i.e. 'human
nature'. Human nature is a moral or 'spiritual' nature and human
development is a function of the development of conscience or the 'human spirit'.
Spirituality is a biologically based and therefore instinctive human characteristic
which constitutes the intuitive component of
creative
and therefore adaptive intelligence... moral intelligence,
spiritual intelligence, social intelligence or
'creative
intelligence'. Our potential for creative intelligence must be developed so that we can
put an end to
competition
and conflict and with mature cooperation and collaboration
we can
resolve our practical, social, political,
environmental and philosophical
problems. We can
create a better world
only if we recognize that moral
or 'spiritual development' is an important aspect of complete human psychological development
or 'humanisation'. Provision of the conditions necessary for humanisation... of
the individual and the society... is
the only valid foundation
for
education which is meaningful because it is based on the natural principles of
human development and engages development of the personality as a whole i.e.
'holistic education'. Holistic
education is based on the recognition of our need to trust ourselves so that we
can trust children to take responsibility for their growth through learning.
Intuition of creative intelligence is the basis for
positive social communication and collaboration. The creation of humanised individuals is a function of their
complete
moral or 'spiritual'
development... the full
development of moral consciousness or
'conscience'. To be
completely humanised or 'fully
human' one must be inwardly free... free from the social conditioning which creates fear and inner
conflict,
free from the egocentric wishes and desires which prevent perception of the holistic reality.
We must have 'freedom
of conscience'. Without
freedom of conscience,
human
psychological
development
is arrested at the level of identification with self-image, the ego-self or
'ego' (immaturity) It is the
unbalanced
value systems of
egocentric (egotistic) adults which
inflict grave harm
on our species and our planet.
Consequently
we must transform
ourselves; move away from identification with the ego and its power over our
thoughts and actions and live from
the 'place' of our true nature as moral consciousness or 'conscience' ...
our essence or essential
self, true self, greater self, higher self, spiritual self or
'Self'.
We need to set ourselves free, inwardly free,
free to open our minds and
trust the moral instincts of our nature,
free from fear and inner conflict,
free to
think critically for ourselves
and express our true thoughts, free to see
beyond our egocentric perception and see with 'holistic
perception' and so perceive the wholeness of reality, the 'holistic reality', and in this way understand the perception of the 'other'. Holistic perception
generates
empathy, compassion, desire for
understanding and
therefore allows for the positive, creative and therefore peaceful and adaptive
approach to our human problems and conflicts of interest. However all these
things... inner freedom,
open-mindedness, holistic perception, morality of creative intelligence - depend
on the 'right' education which
allows for children's freedom to grow through learning. Right education
does not
try to
educate children to be what we
would like them to be, does not
condition them for mediocrity but trusts them to trust themselves, to trust
their own sense of responsibility to themselves and their needs for the
development of their own human personality and potential. Right education
provides them with those conditions which are appropriate for growth through
learning,
for
complete psychological
development and personal fulfillment.
Right education respects
children for who they are -
spiritual beings able to become mature,
integrated, intelligent, ethical and responsible adults able to cooperate peacefully and effectively in
their efforts to resolve their human problems... a natural human right. Consequently
we
must provide universal education which fosters the complete development of the
person as a whole...
'self-transcendance'
and
the development of human potential i.e.
'holistic education'.
Holistic education
for human excellence
engages the psychological value of positive and meaningful creativity and
productiveness or 'work'.
Living in freedom
requires moral knowledge or 'morality' as
moral reasoning or 'social intelligence'. Personal liberation as freedom of
conscience is fundamental to growth through learning which is
meaningful because it engages personal
development.
Consequently
we must offer our children a natural education
which aims for the cultivation of
their individual potential and their natural creative and
productive intelligence which they need to ensure
effective adaptation to changing conditions of their social and physical
environment. The
cultivation of creative intelligence is based on recognition and respect for
children's developmental needs and the principles of human psychological development. Complete development of the human
personality involves moral or 'spiritual' development. Spiritual development is a
function of learning based on motivation by the higher spiritual values or 'metavalues'... 'metamotivation'... is the driving force behind holistic education... education for the person as a whole.... involves connection with children's essential
humanity giving rise to a holistic perception of their world, enabling them to
grow to completely humanised mature adults able to identify the true causes of
their human problems so that they can resolve them creatively and effectively.
The
egocentric perspective of self, of others and the world interferes with the
ability to effectively resolve our human problems. Important insights are degraded by minds which are too immature
to understand them and to put them into mature practice. It is this ignorance
and irresponsibility of egotism which forms the basis for the
destructiveness of competition and conflict. Physical growth
without
complete psychological
development
translates into
egocentric perception and creates distorted
thought patterns
and beliefs
which are
limiting
because they
generate fears and negative emotions which are irrational because they are unfounded
and so
contradict
the process of
healthy psychological development...
interfere with the developmentof
moral intuition and
moral consciousness or
'conscience'.
Development of the human conscience is a
function of the integrated development of personality and character in the
context of inner freedom.
Undeveloped conscience
results in the devaluation of
one's own humanity and this leads to the denigration of the humanity
of others.
The lack of
moral responsibility or 'morality' results in
the wickedness of destructive non-adaptive human behaviour or 'evil'.
The human species
is a biological species…‘homo sapiens’...a social
species which depends for survival on complete development of moral
consciousness or 'conscience' required for positive socialization or ‘peace’. Morality
is 'social intelligence'. The
human organism is a biological organism which like other biological organisms is intrinsically motivated
to behave naturally in accordance with an intrinsic
organismic valuing process making value choices and decisions which allow for
its effective adaptation to changes in the social environment. Value-choices are
made on the basis of the organism’s inherent tendency towards self-preservation
and self-actualization fulfilling biologically-based instinctive needs known as
‘operative values’. The operative values are intinsic biological needs which
make up the inner core of human nature,
the human yearnings, aspirations, capacities
and talents , the instinctive preferences of behaviour
which are engaged in the unfolding of
human powers leading to the achievement of human potential or ‘fulfillment’
and the integration of the comlpete personality or ‘wholeness’. Operative values
are include basic psychological needs for security, self-esteem and
belongingness or ‘ego needs’ and ‘higher’ psychological needs for
self-transcendance or ‘spiritual needs’ (also known as ‘metaneeds’).
Denial or
frustration of any of these needs leads to the evil of psychopathological and
wicked human behaviour. It is for
this reason that
we
need to understand our social and
political
problems in
terms of the ill effects of
arrested human development. The
ignorance of egocentric perception must be replaced by perception
of the wholeness of reality
or
'holistic
perception'.
Holistic perception generates
empathy,
compassion,
open-mindedness and
desire for understanding
and so
goes
beyond the supposed dichotomy between individual freedom and social responsibility.
True
freedom is possible only if the individual is fully developed. To be fully 'human'
it is essential that we
set ourselves free as 'inwardly free'... free
from social conditioning which creates fear and inner
conflict,
free from egocentric wishes and desires which prevent us from
perceiving the holistic reality which extends beyond the limits of the ego-self
or 'ego'. Only then can
we understand the perception of the 'other' and allow for the positive, creative and therefore
peaceful and adaptive approach to
the intelligent resolution of our human conflicts of interest which create our human problems.
For this reason we must provide
universal education which fosters the development
of intelligence which is creative because it is involves holistic perception and
is therefore adaptive.
In order to
cultivate creative intelligence we must provide children with
conditions of
freedom as freedom from conditioning or 'inner freedom'....
the freedom to become
integrated human beings with the human attributes of
personal
integrity.Their birthright
is
education for human excellence. The 'right' education
is education which ensures
complete psychological development
and so aims to develop the person as a whole. So-called
'holistic education'
engages the psychological energy of
motives for learning which are
intrinsic to the organism...
'intrinsic
motivation'...including
metamotivation by the
spiritual
needs or
'metaneeds'.
Holistic education
is not concerned with what adults would like
children to be.
It does not
condition them for
mediocrity and conformity but respects
them for who they really are -
spiritual beings who learn from their human experience... who have
the potential to become mature, integrated,
morally and therefore socially intelligent... ethical, responsible and civilized adults able to cooperate
effectively in
their peaceful efforts to resolve their
human problems. Holistic
education is based on trust in children to trust themselves to trust their own sense of responsibility
to themselves...
to trust their needs for the development of their own personality and their own potential...
simple to do if one was trusted as a child so that one has learned to trust
oneself and difficult if one was not trusted as a child so that one must first
learn to trust oneself.
"Holistic
education is more concerned with drawing forth the latent capacities and
sensitivities of the soul than with stuffing passive young minds full of
predigested information. It is an education that prepares young people to live
purposefully, creatively, and morally in a complex world." (Ron
Miller
ed. The Renewal of Meaning in Education: Responses to the Cultural and
Ecological Crisis of our Times)
The
paradigm of traditional education
as 'schooling' is
essentially ineffective because
it is ultimately based on
the intrinsic
mistrust
of the human personality or
'human nature'.
So what is human nature? Human nature can be characterised in terms of an understanding of the the
human species (homo sapiens)
as a
social species and the human
organism as a social organism.
Human
nature is a moral, spiritual or social nature with instincts (‘social
instincts’) for
effective adaptation to changing
social
conditions. Positive or
creative socialisation depends on cultivation of core
human values which result from complete moral or ‘spiritual’ development ….
social values, moral values,
spiritual values or 'virtues'.
Awareness of one’s human
nature ('self-knowledge') is awareness of
the self beyond the persona, 'ego-self'
or 'ego' i.e. 'transpersonal self', 'true self', 'authentic self', 'higher
self', 'greater self' or 'Self'. Creative or positive socialisation depends on the intuition and critical
thinking skills … moral
reasoning of moral
consciousness or
morality of 'rational' or 'mature'
'conscience'
i.e.
moral intelligence ,
'creative intelligence' or
'social intelligence'.
Social intelligence is
required for accurate evaluation of the social environment, intelligent
decision-making, creative
socialization,
solidarity, peaceful
cooperation, creative
adaptation,
self-preservation and survival. Social
intelligence is a function of understanding
and social responsibility, compassionate wisdom
or 'empathy', universal
unconditonal love
or 'lovingkindness' (agape love), knowledge
as 'truth', 'freedom' as freedom from conditioning, freedom from fear or ‘inner
freedom’, 'justice' as moral
justice, beauty as essence…
In a complex process of normal moral or ‘spiritual’ growth and development,
instinctive value choices or ‘operative values’ are
built into the biological
constitution of the organism in the form of
inherent tendencies or motives
for learning behaviour …
preferences of behaviour which operate in the complete integration of the
personality as a whole
and are implicated in the
unfolding of human powers in a process of complete psychological development
leading to the achievement of human potential (fulfillment or
‘self-actualization’).
This intrinsic organismic
valuing process includes instinctive yearnings,
aspirations, capacities
and talents which make up the inner core of human nature. The individual makes
value choices and decisions in accordance with these natural developmmental laws.
If development is hindered,
the result is irrational conscience and socialisation which is negative because
it is destructive and causes asocial behaviour.
Creative
intellligence of rational conscience is
developed
and cultivated
naturally as a
result of educating children in conditions which
respect their
instinctive needs and
provide for freedom
for growth through learning.
The human
needs can be characterised... described... in terms of their varying degrees
of urgency or 'prepotency' depending on
whether or not they inhibit motivation by other needs. According to
humanist psychologist
Abraham
Maslow the
human needs
range from the most to least prepotent
on a 'scale of sufficiency' 'or 'hierarchy
of needs'. The
most prepotent needs are the physiological and physical needs for survival and
safety such as food, water, shelter ('survival needs'); next are the basic
psychological needs for security ('security needs'); next are the basic
psychological needs for care and affection or unconditional love ('belongingness
needs'); next are the basic psychological needs for self-respect and self-esteem
... persona or 'ego'
('ego needs'). Then there are the
so-called
‘higher’ psychological
needs
for moral development and
personality integration which is essential for responsible socialisation. These
are the subconscious needs
for living
being beyond desires of the ego i.e. self-transcendance ( 'Being-needs', 'spiritual needs' or
'metaneeds').
Metaneeds
are subconscious needs for awareness of
the
human values for living...
needs for
needs for
truth,
moral
intelligence... morality as free morality,
goodness,
beauty,
justice,
perfection,
kindness,
happiness,
serenity,
wisdom,
love
as lovingkindness or 'compassion',
social harmony or 'peace', simplicity, lawfulness etc.
... 'social values' or
human
values'.
In the
process of normal
spiritual growth
the subconscious metaneeds
rise to the conscious level of awareness.
At the highest level of
consciousness (transcendental
realm),
the being needs become the 'being-values',
the
higher human values or 'metavalues'
each of
which
represents a different facet
of the human conscience
or human 'spirit'. The function of the human conscience is
tor
maintain
personality integration
while adapting to changes in the social
environment. Effective
adaptation depends on perception of the socal reality as a whole.... 'holistic
perception' which is independent of the distortions resulting from egocentric fears and
desires. Spiritual
growth is
a function of motivation by the
metaneeds i.e. growth motivation or 'metamotivation'.
Denial
or frustration of the
metaneeds... (punishing
of children is in fact social conditioning which creates fear and hostility thus
interfering with their inner psychological and therefore moral or 'spiritual'
development...)
leads
to unbalanced
psychological development which translates into
psychopathological
thought and
behaviour
patterns and
the wickedness of human behaviour or
‘evil’.
The inaccurate perception of human nature
translates into the fallacious assumption that the interests of the
individual and those of
society are mutually
exclusive.
This
dichotomous
view of the social reality perpetuates suffering, oppression and destruction
because it creates
social problems which are in fact unresolvable 'pseudo-problems' which must be
approached
from the more accurate holistic perception of human nature as a social nature. Cultivation of human sociability depends on
humane
education
based on the respect for children's
instinctive drive to
grow through learning
which is creative because it engages the
intuition of
moral intelligence
('spiritual intelligence' or 'social intelligence')...
moral consciousness
or 'conscience' i.e. their
natural
intuitive intelligence... potential for creativity or
'creative intelligence'.
Creative intelligence of
rational conscience
is prerequisite to human
socialisation or 'peace'. Peace
is a function of respect for human motives or human needs
-
for human development
(complete development of the moral or 'spiritual' dimension of human nature) -
'holistic education'
or
'peace education'
depends on
conditions
of freedom
- moral freedom, inner freedom, responsible freedom
or 'true freedom' -
and allows
for the
discovery of human potential. It
is thus
the source of self-control as 'self-mastery' or 'self-empowerment'.
Self-empowerment is a function of guidance for living by the so-called 'higher'
values ('human values')... universal love, truth,
justice and so on.
Problem in education
is described in terms of lack of drive for learning or
'problem of motivation'.
The highest function of education is to bring about an integrated
individual who is capable of dealing with life as a whole." (Jiddu
Krishnamurti
Education and the
Significance of
Life)
For children growing up in the complex world of
the global village effective
educational practice depends on
an appropriate philosophical framework
or
'paradigm'
.
Educational theory is logical and reasonable
if it is
based on
natural law and
guided by the 'morality' of
rational
conscience.
The formulation of natural principles can be
translated into informed and effective moral
practice or
'praxis'.
(The practice of theory which
is not based on natural principles
results in the perception of false dichotomies and unresolvable 'pseudoproblems').
Effective educational praxis
is
based on
the understanding of learning
('experiential learning' or 'natural learning') as a natural function of the human brain, a social brain which
is specialised for
understanding of the significance... meaning... of experience. Experiential learning
is meaningful because it engages the individual’s instinctive responsibility to
themselves for
their own growth and development.
Children are natural
learner s and they
all have the right to educational
experiences offered in
conditions which allow them to enjoy the freedom
to exercise their responsibility for active
participation in the planning of
learning environments.
The practice of
freedom in education...
freedom to work and freedom to learn.
Freedom in school is
true freedom
as
'inner freedom' based
on natural biological
principles is 'responsible freedom'....
as
the practice of theory which is informed and
effective because it
is based on natural law and
guided
by
rational
conscience.
Freedom in education
is responsible freedom because it aims to provide
the right conditions required to free the human spirit
in order to develop conscience
as rational conscience or 'free conscience'...
freedom to
think,
freedom
to learn, freedom
to engage
in personal growth and development of one's
human potential for creativity and productiveness or
‘work
allows children
to
build their
self-confidence, self-respect, creative
intelligence and moral courage
thus
fostering their natural growth into mature
and responsible adults living
by the universal human values.
..
depends on
education which allows for
fulfillment of the needs for spiritual development ...
'spiritual emergence'.
Spiritual
emergence is the natural function of human nature. "In the most general terms, spiritual emergence can be
defined as the movement of an individual to a more expanded way of being that
involves enhanced emotional and psychosomatic health, greater freedom of
personal choices, and a sense of deeper connection with other people, nature
and the cosmos. An important part of this development is an increasing
awareness of the spiritual dimension in one's life and in the universal scheme
of things. Spiritual development is an innate evolutionary capacity of all human
beings. It is a movement towards wholeness or 'holotropic state', the
discovery of one's true potential."
(Stanislav Grof)
.
What
are the implications for education?
Meaningful
education is based on trust of human nature and recognition of the conditions
required for development of human potential....the integration
of learning with life....
'peace education'.
In view of the fact that the development of a civilised society depends on
rational or 'civilised' human beings, then
the needs of the individual and of the society are mutually dependent and
interrelated.
Consequently the function of education is to
provide
optimal
conditions for the
development of each person as a rational and integrated whole
through
cultivation of their human potentialities - physical,
cognitive, intellectual, artistic, psychological, emotional and moral or
'spiritual'
. Spiritual development is a function of
engagement of the person's instinctive
sense of responsiblity
for their own development
of
their human potential.... conscience. Development
of conscience depends on
education
for the development of the
whole person as a moral or 'spiritual' and therefore rational and peaceful human being i.e. 'holistic peace education' or
'holistic education'.
Holistic education is the practice of
freedom for creativity and productivity or
'work'
which is meaningful because it involves
motivation for growth through learning or 'intrinsic motivation'.
(Holistic education is motivating at all ages because
the learner is asked to engage in meaningful work.)
Holistic
education is therefore based on respect for human dignity as manifest in
meaningful work.
It
calls for the planning
and provision of natural learning environments
characterised by conditions
which enhance the learner's
freedom to learn. The role of the teacher is
described in terms of facilitation for learning. The
teacher as 'facilitator'
understands
the nature of
human nature as a
function of the
cultivation of creative intelligence and
development of rational conscience.
Holistic education is meaningful
education because it involves the creation of opportunites
of
which integrate learning with life and allow for personal growth through learning...
development of human
potential and human empowerment as self-determination ... complete
human development and the production of compassionate and responsible
adults with
a rational
or 'peaceful' approach to the resolution of their human problems...
i.e.
'freedom
' as 'responsible
freedom'...
freedom from the tyranny of
dogma 'spiritual freedom',
freedom of thought', 'inner freedom', freedom from fear and conflict, freedom to work
...
freedom for personal development and growth through learning, freedom for
guidance through life by the
human values and
the moral freedom of
transcendance of the ego or
self-transcendence' i.e.
'true freedom' or 'real freedom' foundational to
social understanding and social responsibility required for peace, cooperation and real democracy....
"Real
freedom is a consequence of development; it is the consequence of latent
guides, aided by education. It is the construction of the personality, reached
by effort and one's own experiences; it is the long road which every child
must take to reach maturity". (Maria
MontessoriTo Educate for Human Potential)
The aim of education, in the fullest and deepest sense of the
word, is to provide the conditions to free the human
spirit in order to
cultivate
naturally meaningful
human intelligence i.e. intuitive intelligence for
creativity or 'creative intelligence'.
Creative intelligence
is a function of the integrated development of the person as
a whole...
natural education based on principles of human
development
hence 'integral education'
or
'integrative education'
also known as
'free education', 'libertarian education', 'libratory education',
'progressive education', 'new education', 'open education',
'cosmic education', 'child-centered education', 'learner-centered
education', 'person-centered
education', 'problem-centered education', 'humanistic
education', 'humane education',
'confluent education', 'peace education', 'transformative education',
'soul education', 'democratic education'
and
'holistic education'.
Holistic education is
the
practice of freedom for the
the pursuit
of
'knowledge'
as 'truth'
and engages the
instinctive motives for growth through learning... is
a natural truth finding process which
is
active because it engages
the so-called 'higher'
soul needs , spiritual needs or
'metaneeds'
and thereby cultivates
intelligence...
not only
mechanical intelligence
of conditioned learning but also intuitive
intelligence
(spiritual intelligence) or
'creative
intelligence' which allows for social
cooperation
and the creation of humane societies.
Holistic education is
'humanistic' because it is true to
the social nature of the human personality or
'human nature'.
Holistic education is
education for human development and therefore
education with conscience... education for responsible
freedom or 'self-empowerment'
as the pre-condition
for creative and effective adaptation to changes
in the
social environment i. e.
'adaptability'.
Human adaptability depends on
'true freedom'... the freedom to interact with the environment... to inquire, to discover, to think...
to make personal meaning of experience or 'learn', the freedom to
understand the realities of nature and human nature
while attaining the highest levels of awareness or 'self-knowledge', the freedom to engage in
meaningful creativity and productiveness or 'work'. Meaningful work is a function of curiosity, cognition and the wisdom
of 'compassion'... engages development of
'moral consciousness' or
'conscience'
- the human 'soul'.
Holistic education is for development of rational conscience
which is required for the
mastery of life and respect
for the lives of others. It is
'education for life through life' (Ovide
Decroly). The
cultivation of creative
intelligence depends
on
the
freedom to engage in active
experiential learning motivated by the natural
curiosity of inquiry
and
understanding of
the physiological mechanisms underlying the natural learning process
('biology of learning'
) ...
engages the intrinsic
drive (intrinsic motivation) for creativity and productiveness or
'work'.
Work
is meaningful when it engages the
person's development as an integrated whole...
engages development
of moral consciousness or
'morality'
of rational
'conscience'.
Conscience is
the
source of guiding values
or
'human values'
required
for accurate evaluation
of changing environmental conditions, effective decision-making ... and behaviour
which is adaptive
because it is creative.
“The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves
throughout their lives.” (Robert M. Hutchins)
The paradigm
of holistic education has larger scope
than the
traditional
paradigm
of authoritarian education
for
control
of the individual with
its view of the learner as passive receptacle
motivated
by external factors...
'extrinsic
'motivation'... 'teacher as instructor'.
Methods, techniques, teaching methods
of the mechanistic model have become completely obsolete. The holistic
paradigm.offers learners the flexibility they need to
engage their personal
growth and
development.
In fact,
the learner is an active participant
who is motivated by the intrinsic drive to grow through learning...
'intrinsic motivation'... which is understood and respected
by the teacher as facilitator. Effective learning is a
function of the learner's active engagement in
a process of
adaptation
to the environment.
Human
adaptability is a function of the capacity
to create meaning from
experience or 'learn'. Natural
'experiential learning' is
a function of
the brain’s capacity for perception of
connections
between systems of wholes and the parts which make them
up i.e. 'holistic perception'. Holistic
perception actively engages the person as a whole in their instinctive striving
for
mature growth or
'self-actualisation'.
Self-actualisation depends on natural education which engages the individual's sense of
responsibility
for their
own growth i.e.
'intrinsic motivation'. Intrinsically motivated learning depends on the provision
of conditions which integrate learning with life and allow for development of
human potential and human empowerment as self-determination or 'freedom'. . Freedom in education is
freedom from dogma, freeedom from ignorance, freedom from from conflict...
'inner freedom', 'spiritual freedom', 'moral freedom'
or 'true freedom'.
True freedom is obedience
to rational conscience... a function of human development as 'moral development'.
Freedom in education engages children's integrated development
in harmony with their instinctive sense of responsibility
for their own spiritual growth and development i.e. 'human nature'.
Natural principles of human nature are foundational to education of the person as a whole
or
'holistic education'.
Holistic education
aims to nurture children's human
aspirations
for personal
fulfillment
or
'self-actualisation'
and
self-transcendance.
Holistic education provides
the conditions of freedom which are appropriate for growth through meaningful learning.
It engages the development of
their natural potential for their intuitive, moral or
'spiritual' intelligence as
'creative intelligence'. Creative inelligence is adaptive because it produces
creative
solutions to human problems and changing conditions.
"For too
long the inner world of children has been suppressed or denied, and this is a
serious flaw in our educational thinking that holistic educators seek to
remedy". (Kathleen
Kesson. Critical Theory and Holistic
Education: Carrying on the Conversation
in
Ron Miller
(Ed.) The Renewal of
Meaning in Education:
Responses to the Cultural and Ecological Crisis of our Times Brandon, Vermont,
USA: Holistic
Education Press (1993).
In the paradigm of holistic
education the
role of the teacher is defined in
terms of the 'facilitation of learning'.
The
teacher's
function is to understand the psychological
value of creativity and productiveness or
'work'... to
facilitate
the construction of conscience
through
development of human potential. The teacher is
a
'facilitator of learning'. The facilitative teacher designs
learning environments which are compatible with
respect
for
the instinctive motives for
human
learning behaviour i.e. 'human
needs'.
These include basic
'lower'
psychological needs for security and self-esteem ('ego needs') and the so-called
'higher'
psychological needs for
spiritual
growth beyond the 'ego' level of
consciousness or
'self-transcendance'.
Human needs for
self-transcendance are the spiritual needs, soul needs or
'metaneeds'. Motivation by the metaneeds
or
'metamotivation'
engages growth through learning and personal
development
in terms of the interrelated aspects of the
complete human personality - physical, emotional,
intellectual, psychological, social,
political,
creative, artistic,
philosophical and spiritual i.e. 'holistic
growth' and therefore the development
of
the human potential
for creativity and self-fulfillment
or
'self-actualisation'.
The cultivation of creative
intelligence depends on
the freedom to engage in
active experiential learning motivated by natural
curiosity of inquiry.
"It
is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction
have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiostiy of inquiry; for this
delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of
freedom; without this it goes to rack and ruin without fail."
(Albert Einstein)
i
Holistic education for children
means a future of peace for humanity.
"We must learn to trust human nature and
educate children in such a way that they can develop their human
potential. This is the only way we can bring real peace to the world. There
is only one problem, and it is human development in its totality; once this is
achieved in any unit - child or nation - everything else follows spontaneously
and harmoniously.''
(Maria Montessori.
To Educate the Human
Potential )
The only means to a world of peace and understanding is through the proper education of children
into emotionally and intellectually mature and thinking adults,
respectful and tolerant of other cultures"
(Norman Goble. The Function of
Teaching UNESCO
Paris 1977)
"The
organization of human communities and the establishment of freedom and peace are
not only intellectual achievements but spiritual and moral achievements as well,
demanding a cherishing of the wholeness of the human
personality."
(Ivan
Ilich, Deschooling Society)
Maturana biological view:
http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/pub/seized/educat.html
......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Present-day Western materialist culture and
schooling exaggerate the importance of the physical at the expense of the
spiritual and thus tend to suffocate individual initiative and personal
responsibility in favour of docile compliance with external authority vested in
ever-larger political bureaucracies. This de-humanising trend can be reversed
only by the voluntary combination of well-balanced individuals who have taken
the trouble to explore their own potential and are ready to live freely in
harmony with natural law rather than as slaves to a political system". (
www.ardue.org)
Metamotivation
is an intrinsic part of human nature.
consequently the techniques of so-called subjective biology ...contemplation or
'meditation... apply to human education.
The human capacity for metamotivation as 'experiential
richness' is 'teachable' in the sense that an educational program can be
designed around the instinctive needs of 'subjective biology', not only the
physiological and basic psychological needs but the 'metaneeds' as well.
Metamotivation is enhanced in a social environment which recognizes the social
or 'spiritual' nature of human nature. The individual's capacity for
metamotivation can be fostered through the acknowledgement, encouragement and
enforcement of the individual's instinctive yearning for love, truth, beauty
etc... the education of the spiritual needs or 'metaneeds'. A
social environment which respects the biologically based metaneeds fosters
mature growth or 'self-actualisation'.
Self-actualised individuals have self-respect, self-discipline,
self-directedness and a sense of purpose and worthiness - characteristics of
metamotivation for spiritual growth. It is possible to design an educational
program based on the respect for metaneeds and the cultivation of metamotivation
rather than sacrificing them in favor of the ego-needs and deficiency motivation
i.e.
'holistic education'. Holistic education
teaches young people not only how to make a living but also how to make a life.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is
the only thing that ever has". (Margaret Mead)
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Interactive Book: A
Scientific*
Rationale for Holistic Education
(*in
the sense of holistic science)
1. abstract
2.
introduction
3. site
map:
topics...
titles of texts http://website-tools.net/google-keyword/site/www.holisticeducator.com
4.
outline (texts
in context)
and
chapters
5.
glossary
6.
quotation
references
7.
alphabetic index:
(keywords)
8.
bibliography
(books and articles)
9.
dedication
10.
biographical
statement
11.
short texts
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Holistic
education on the world wide web
related
links
What is holistic
education? see
Introduction to Holistic Education
www.infed.org/biblio/holisticeducation.htm
Articles by Dr. Ron Miller:
wwwpathsoflearningnet/articles.php
schools
organizations
articles
and pdf files
books,
journals, newsletters
Spiritualizing Pedagogy:
Education as the Art of
Working with the Human
Spirit
(PhD thesis, University of
Sunderland in 2003 by
Dr Roger Prentice - Director of the
Holistic Education Institute and Developer of the
SunWALK model of
Holistic Education.)
http://sunwalked.wordpress.com/holistic-ed
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Disclaimer:
This
site is an ongoing project
and provides a starting point for further research.
All material is in the public domain and may be freely copied.
Feedback
is
much
appreciated.
To
submit
concerns, comments,
questions,
criticisms, corrections,
objections, suggestions etc.
contact
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