Future Schools and Education as the Practice of Freedom

                         for Growth through Learning: 'Holistic Education'      

 

 HOLISTIC EDUCATION : A NEW PARADIGM FOR TEACHING 

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)

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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

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"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)

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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

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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     

Capetown Open Education Declaration       http://www.capetowndeclaration.org/read-the-declaration

schools   organizations  articles and pdf files   books, journals, newsletters  

European Public Consultation Document on Education     European Transpersonal Association   Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning and Dialogue

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

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