Future Schools and the Practice of Freedom:
Education for Human Development or 'Holistic Education'

HOLISTIC EDUCATION : A NEW PARADIGM FOR TEACHING

A rational approach to our human problems depends on the intelligent implementation of a universal education for human development or 'holistic education'. Holistic education (or 'peace education') aims for the development of the individual as a complete and therefore rational and moral (or 'spiritual') human being.
"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." (Dr. Maria Montessori. To Educate the Human Potential. Adyar, Madras, India: Kalakshetra Publications, 1961. p.13)

Failed education is ultimately due to the basic mistrust of the 'human personality' or 'human nature'.
Human nature is a peaceful nature which depends on development of human potential Continuous hindrance to human development results in frustration and violence. Therefore it is only logical that education for human development or 'holistic education' is the same as education for peace or 'peace education'. As peace education, holistic education is the necessary prerequisite for a culture of peace and the basis for true democracy. True democracy depends on democratic thinking and democratic education... 'democratic' in the largest sense, that is, based on the affirmation of human dignity.
Today there is urgent need for positive social change and this depends on the right kind of education... instead of the traditional authoritarian education for control of the individual we need a humane education for development of the individual as a complete and rational or 'moral' human being i.e. 'holistic education'. Holistic education aims for the development of moral consciousness or 'conscience' of 'morality' required for effective human socialisation or 'peace'. As peace education, holistic education depends on conditions of freedom in an environment which allows for development of moral intelligence or 'creative intelligence'. This depends on the practice of freedom to discover one's human potential as the source of self-control or 'self-empowerment' i.e. moral freedom, inner freedom or 'true freedom'. True freedom or 'responsible freedom' is a function of the proper development of the moral or 'spiritual' dimension of the human personality or 'human nature'. The human organism is a social organism and human nature is a social nature. Human instincts for socialisation depend for their development on education which allows for spiritual development or 'spiritual emergence'.
"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)
The paradigm of traditional education as 'schooling' is based on a basic mistrust of human nature - a mistrust which perpetuates suffering, oppression and destruction because it leads to the fallacious notion that the interests of the individual and those of society are mutually exclusive. This dichotomous view of the social reality inevitably results in unresolvable pseudo-problems which cannot be dealt with effectively unless they are approached from the more accurate perception of human nature as a social nature with natural instincts for sociability the 'social instincts'. Consequently the needs of the individual and of the society are mutually dependent and interrelated. So what are the implications for education? The development of civilised societies depends on the complete development or 'civilisation' of the individual. Individual human development depends on education which provides the right conditions for the facilitation of learning which engages the person as a whole and their instinctive motivation for growth through learning or 'intrinsic motivation'. Intrinsic motivation engages development of the spiritual dimension of human nature... a function of consciousness of the higher self or 'Self' as the source of personal power or 'self-empowerment' required for the ability to adapt to changing social conditions i.e 'adaptability'. Consciousness of the Self is equivalent to consciousness of moral values for living... moral consciousness or 'conscience'. Development of conscience depends on education which provides the optimal conditions for complete human development... development of the individual and their potentialities... physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual and moral or 'spiritual' development. i.e. 'holistic education'. Holistic education involves the planning of learning environments which respect human dignity as it is naturally manifest in meaningful creativity and productiveness or 'work'.
For children growing up in the complex world of the 'global village' effective educational practice is based on an appropriate philosophical framework or 'paradigm' for educational theory which involves the understanding of learning as a natural process of functioning of the human brain. Insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying the natural learning process i.e. 'biology of learning' provide evidence for the validity of education for personal development or 'holistic education'. Holistic education is based on respect for the instinctive motives for learning or 'human needs' which define 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) (What is holistic education?see Introduction to Holistic Education www.infed.org/biblio/holisticeducation.htm)
The key to human development and schools for humanity is recognition of the psychological value of meaningful work which is crucial to development of moral consciousness or 'morality' of 'conscience'... a concern of 'moral science'. The morality of 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 i.e. ‘creative intelligence’. The cultivation of creative intelligence depends on the freedom to engage in active experiential learning motivated by natural curiosity of inquiry. Such learning is meaningful because it engages the individual’s instinctive responsibility for their own growth and development. Meaningful learning for human development depends on freedom in education 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. 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 is the practice of freedom for creativity and productivity or 'work'. Freedom to work is the basis for self-empowerment and self-determination which is foundational to understanding, to social responsibility for peace, cooperation and real democracy.
Holistic education is natural education based on principles of human development. The human organism is a social organism which depends on the development of human potential for effective adaptation to changing environmental conditions (physical and social). Human 'adaptability' depends on complete development as a function of the integrated functioning of the human brain as a social brain specialised for understanding of the significance of experience i.e. 'experiential learning' or 'natural learning'. Natural learning is active learning of 'creative intelligence' and results in meaningful 'knowing' or 'knowledge' as 'real knowledge' or 'truth'. As a truth finding process natural learning engages the individual as an integrated whole incorporating the spiritual dimension and representing the human personality or 'human nature'. Human nature is a social nature and the human organism is a social being which can be characterised in terms of human motives for learning or 'human needs'. Human needs include the basic psychological needs for security and self-esteem ('ego needs') and the so-called 'higher' needs for psychological growth beyond the 'ego' level of consciousness or 'self-transcendance'. These are the spiritual needs or 'metaneeds'. Motivation by the metaneeds or 'metamotivation' engages growth through learning and development of human potential for 'self-actualisation'. Self-actualisation depends on education which provides conditions for self-empowerment or 'freedom' as 'freedom of thought' or 'inner freedom'... freedom for growth through learning, freedom from fear and conflict, freedom from dogma, freedom for personal development, freedom for a life which is guided by universal human values or 'virtues'... source of virtues is moral consciousness or 'conscience'.
The formulation of logical and reasonable educational theory is based on the fact that children are natural learners who can participate in the planning of learning environments which will foster their natural growth into mature and responsible adults living by universal human values. 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' . Educational theory based on natural law is rational theory which can be implemented as informed and effective practice guided by the 'morality' of developed conscience... moral practice or 'educational praxis'. Rational discourse of educational praxis depends on meaning of freedom as the awakening of true human intelligence or 'inner freedom'. Inner freedom based on natural biological principles is 'responsible freedom'. (The practice of theory which is not based on natural principles results in perception of false dichotomies and unresolvable 'pseudoproblems'). The aim of education, in the fullest and deepest sense of the word, is the integrated development of the person as a whole... variously known as 'free education', 'libertarian 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', 'confluent education', 'peace education', 'transformative education', 'democratic education' and 'holistic education'. Holistic education is for development of rational conscience which is required for the mastery of life and respect for the lives of others... 'education for life'. 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 and moral courage... a philosophy consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 26 paragraph 2) "Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and human freedoms".
Holistic education is highly motivating because it is based on the stimulation of natural curiosity.
"...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." (Einstein)
The 'paradigm' of holistic education has larger scope than the traditional paradigm 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'. "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". (Dr. Maria Montessori)
Holistic education is 'humanistic' 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 moral consciousness as moral reasoning of 'morality' 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 is freedom of self-empowerment or 'responsible freedom'. 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'. The facilitative teacher designs learning environments which are compatible with respect for the instinctive motives for human learning behaviour i.e. 'human needs'. Human needs include the 'lower' psychological needs for self-esteem- the 'ego needs' - and the 'higher' psychological needs for spiritual growth - the 'spiritual needs' or 'metaneeds'. Motivation by the metaneeds is 'metamotivation'. Metamotivation engages personal development in terms of all the interrelated aspects of the complete human personality - physical, emotional, intellectual, psychological, social, political, creative, artistic, philosophical and spiritual i.e. 'holistic growth'. "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)
Holistic education is 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 aims to cultivate intelligence – not only mechanical intelligence of conditioned learning but also 'intuitive intelligence' or intuition... creative intelligence which allows for social cooperation and the creation of humane societies. "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)