Duma_EDRE629_Assign 2 1 Rediscovering the spiritual dimension in education: Promoting a sense of self and place, meaning and purpose. Dr Marian de Souza (2009) Rediscovering the spiritual dimension in education: Promoting a sense of self and place, meaning and purpose. Dr Marian de Souza (2009)  Key insights gained from the reading  Connections made from the reading content to earlier modules  Some implications for religious education in my secular school

What are the proper aims of education? What does it mean to educate a whole child? What educational framework nurtures the holistic development of a child? Rolheiser’s (1999) writing describes the soul as having a dual role in the make-up of human beings. It is the life pulse within us, the very energy that ignites our passion and desire for action, AND the housing for the adhesive that holds us together. Without it, our body of aggregated chemicals becomes a corpse. The dual functions of the soul creates a tension that we need to keep in equilibrium to maintain a healthy spirituality. Rolheiser states: “The desire lies at the centre of our lives, in the marrow of our bones, and in the deep recesses of the soul.” No wonder living is not a simple task! Not to mature spiritually is not to grow up at all. (Bellous, 2009) 2 EDUCATION OF THE WHOLE PERSON

If you ask me to tell you how I think I should live-what values I should live by- I can tell you. But don’t look at my life for the evidence. (Mackay, 2004, p.21) 3 VALUES EDUCATION

SPIRITUALITY “If human spirituality is innate and its expressions are relational, there are some implications for the design of learning environments and strategies in educational programs that will address and nurture this aspect of children’s and adolescents’ lives.”(De Souza, 2009, p. 1131) 4 SPIRITUALITY and WELLBEING Primordial Relational Connectedness to Self and Other in the physical world A means to helping young people find meaning and a sense of belonging QUESTION: Is spirituality in a religious school the same as wellbeing in a secular school? WELLBEING

Traditional institutions like families, Churches, local communities, religious traditions have changed in structure and importance Their influence in the lives of young people have diminished (de Souza, Cartwright & McGilp, 2004) New structures are required to nurture spirituality Goleman(1995) and Zohar & Marshall (2000) highlight its implication for the learning process and therefore, in turn, the importance of educational institutions undertaking the nurturing of spirituality on students New knowledge and understandings have highlighted the interdependence of rational, emotional and spiritual intelligences. (Goleman, 1995; Zohar & Marshall, 2000) 5 AUSTRALIAN CONTEXT

Neither IQ nor EQ, separately or in combination, is enough to explain the full complexity of human intelligence nor the vast richness of the human soul and imagination…We use SQ to wrestle with questions of good and evil and to envision unrealised possibilities- to dream, to aspire, to raise ourselves out of the mud (Zohar & Marshall, 2000)p.5. 6 IQ, EQ, SQ Downloaded from: jafarsidikmakulau.blogspot.com

The learning process, according to de Souza, involves: PERCEIVING THINKING FEELING INTUITING Learners engage the senses of the student, allowed time for inner reflection, communicating, exploring the feelings provoked and absorbing new information and knowledge about the topic. Learning must go beyond the surface. It must touch the depth of being, that is the “soul” of the student. It must reach the core where consious learning merges with unconscious learning to become transformed. This may and should lead to outward expressions of changed thinking and behaviour. This is the ultimate goal of education. 7 TRANSFORMATIONAL LEARNING

Spirituality and wellbeing are one and the same Teachers are the “gatekeepers to the spiritual dimension in the classroom” (Sunley, 2009) Metaphor of the teacher as a sheepdog.(Palmer, 1990) Four vital functions: Maintain the space where the sheep can graze Hold the sheep together while constantly bringing back strays Protect the boundaries from dangerous predators Move the sheep to a new grazing area when the grazing ground is depleted Teacher: Students must feed themselves by becoming active learners They must be taken to a place where the food is available: a good text, a well planned exercise, a thought provoking question When they are ready move them to a new feeding ground- a place where individuals are supported, particularly those that are lost or run away while all the while protecting the larger group from deadly predators like fears and challenges of the unknown The woodcarver is another metaphor An artisan – a master in the filed in the creation of beauty The incorporation of values into curriculum documents must be developed within a framework that authenticates and gives meaning to the selected values. (De Souza, 2009) 8 CONCLUSION

Bellous, J., & Csinos, D. (2009) Spiritual Styles: creating an environment to nurture spiritual wholeness. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 14(3), De Souza, M., Cartwright, P.,& McGilp, E.J. (2004). An investigation into the perceptions of their spiritual wellbeing of 16 – 20 year old young people in a regional centre in Victoria. Journal of Youth Studies, 7(2), Hay, D., & Hunt., H. (2000). Is Britain’s soul waking up? The Tablet, p. 846 Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. London: Bloomsbury Publisher Inc. Mackay, H. (2004). Knowing right from wrong: How to decide for yourself. Australia: Hodder Headline. Palmer, P. (1990). “The woodcarver”: A model for right action. In The active life, (pp.55-77). San Francisco: Jossy-Bass. Rolheiser, R. (1999). The holy longing. New York, NY: Doubleday. (pp. 3-19) Sunley, R. (2009). Relating to the Spiritual in the Classroom. In M. de Souza, L. Francis, J. O’Higgins-Norman & D. Scott (Eds.), International Handbook of Education for Spirituality, Care and Welllbeing (Vol. 3, pp ): Springer Netherlands Zohar, D., & Marshall, I., (2000). SQ: Spiritual intelligence: The ultimate intelligence. US: Bloomsbury Publishing. The relational aspect of young people’s lives should be recognised as a vital aspect of their spiritual, emotional and therefore, intellectual wellbeing. (de Souza, 2009) 9 BIBLIOGRAPHY