Future Schools and Education for Peace: The Practice of Freedom
as 'Inner Freedom' or True Freedom
True freedom is freedom for self-empowerment and self-determination... freedom to think, freedom to learn, freedom to create and produce, freedom to engage in work which is meaningful. Meaningful work depends on responsible freedom... mature freedom, moral freedom, spiritual freedom, freedom of developed conscience i.e. 'inner freedom'. Inner freedom is foundational to democratic thinking, understanding and peace i.e. true democracy. True democracy depends on education of the person as a whole i.e. 'holistic education'. Holistic education involves the child's integrated development in harmony with intrinsic human nature so that they function as a free and independent member of the society.
The human organism is a social organism which depends on the development of human potential in order to adapt effectively to changing environmental conditions. Human 'adaptability' depends on complete human development as a function of the integrated functioning of the human brain as a social brain specialised for understanding of the significance of experience 'experiential learning'. Experiential learning or 'natural learning' is active creative learning which results in meaningful 'knowing' or 'knowledge' as 'true knowledge' or 'truth'. As a truth finding process natural learning engages the human personality as an integrated whole in all its dimensions... including the spiritual dimension i.e. 'human nature'. Human nature is defined in terms of human motives for learning or 'human needs' which include the spiritual needs i.e. 'metaneeds'. Motivation by the metaneeds or 'metamotivation' engages growth through learning and development of human potential or 'self-actualisation.' Self-actualisation depends on education which provides conditions for self-empowerment or 'freedom' as 'inner freedom'... freedom for growth through learning, freedom from fear and conflict, freedom from dogma or 'freedom of thought', freedom for personal development, freedom for a life which is guided by universal human values i.e. 'spiritual freedom' or 'moral freedom'. Moral freedom is a function of psychological growth beyond the 'ego' level of consciousness i.e. 'self-transcendance'. The freedom of self-transcendance is 'true freedom' or 'responsible freedom'... freedom to grow through learning... freedom to develop one's potential through creativity and productiveness or meaningful 'work'. The psychological value of work is crucial to human development and to the development of schools for humanity. Children are natural learners. They can participate in the planning of learning environments which will effectively foster their natural growth into mature and responsible people who live by the universal values of the human organism as a social being. These realities are foundational to the formulation of logical and reasonable educational theory which can be implemented as informed and effective practice guided by the 'morality' of rational conscience as 'social conscience'. Moral practice of educational theory is 'educational praxis'. 
Rational discourse of educational praxis depends on meaning of freedom as 'inner freedom' (as opposed to freedom to compete or 'outer freedom') and is based on natural biological principles. (The practice of theory which is not based on natural principles results in perception of false dichotomies and unresolvable 'pseudoproblems'). The function of education is to provide the conditions to free the human spirit in order to cultivate the intuition of natural human intelligence i.e. 'creative intelligence' . Education for 'responsible freedom' is education for the integrated development of the person as a whole... variously known as 'free education', 'libratory education', 'progressive education', 'new education', 'open education', 'cosmic education', 'child-centered education', 'person-centered education', 'problem-centered education', 'humanistic education', 'integral education', 'integrative education', 'peace education', 'democratic education', 'transformative education' and 'holistic education'.
'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)
The 'paradigm' of holistic education has larger scope than the traditional paradigm which is based on the assumption that the learner is a passive recipient who needs to be motivated by external factors provided by the 'teacher as instructor'. In fact, effective learning is a function of active engagement in a process of adapting 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' i.e. 'holistic education'. "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 Montessori)
Holistic education is 'humanistic' education because it is true to the social nature of the human personality or 'human nature'. Human nature can be defined in terms of the evolutionary significance of freedom of thought or 'creative intelligence' and 'morality' as moral reasoning or 'social intelligence'. Social intelligence is characterised by the 'social values' required for survival of the human species as a social species i.e. moral values or universal spiritual values - moral justice, compassionate wisdom, universal love, knowledge, understanding and social responsibility or 'peace' i.e. 'human values'. Human values are experienced as the moral freedom of 'self-transcendance' i.e. 'true freedom'. True freedom or 'responsible freedom' is fundamental to the integration of learning with life. "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)
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'
Holistic education is education with conscience... education for responsible freedom or 'self-empowerment' 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 aims to cultivate intelligence – not only mechanical intelligence of conditioned learning but also 'intuitive intelligence' or intuition of creative intelligence which allows for social cooperation and the creation of humane societies. All children have the right to educational experiences through which they can recognise the psychological value of their learning experiences... in building self-confidence, self-respect, creative intelligence, moral courage of a developed conscience is required to master one's own life and to respect the lives of others. Holistic education is 'education for life' or'peace'. "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)
(Introduction to Holistic Education www.infed.org/biblio/holisticeducation.htm) Failed education is ultimately due to the basic mistrust of human potential and the 'human personality' or 'human nature' "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) "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) |
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