Soka Education - More enlightenment

The more I read of this text the more I'm seeing where my own personal education let me down, and where, luckily, my family picked up and therefore taught me to fill in the gaps with my own personal curiosity and determination. This is not to say that all of my teachers were talking heads, but more to the point, the system they worked in and for was (and remains) corrupted by the need for statistics and tests that provide those statistics. A standardized test (oh the dreaded bubble scantron sheet) cannot truly measure the development and growth of a person's character, creativity, and humanity - essentially, their core. Mr. Ikeda spends pages 16 thru 32 explaining that an education system that indoctrinates its students with value-creation based educational theories and methods will ultimately engender a heightened human condition. He defines "value" as being capable of adding or detracting from, advancing or hindering the human condition (pg 16). He also speaks of Dewey's pragmatism (experimentalism) as a "fundamental function of life activity" and that education really has not, overall, taken this notion from Dewey and implemented a meaningful, holistic system of teaching and learning that coincides with this aspect of human nature (pg 18). I couldn't agree more... though I do think education in the US is gaining ground here, providing more hands-on activities, requiring more critical thinking, internships, practical application, etc. in the classroom K thru undergrad.

During his tenure as a principal, Machiguchi promoted, even at the elementary school level, what he termed as "productive vocational activity" (pg 19). He prescribed a half day of learning and a half day of activity, giving students practical application of essential skills... in the region in which he taught, these skills were mostly agricultural or manual labor. His writings, Ikeda explains, delineate the benefits of this approach:

1) Provides efficiency in teaching

2) Effective use of educational facilities by doubling the (in-class) student body

3) Provides no "examination hell" as students are applying skills in front of experienced eyes rather than testing on paper

4) Graduates leave with skills and experience to enhance meaningful work

This holistic approach to education and generally to human development, in theory, should produce truly global citizens - which should be the driving force behind education and the essence of education. Ikeda describes Makiguchi's six transformative criteria (indices) for "enabling the student to engage in value creation":

1) From unconscious, emotional modes of living to a life of self-mastery, consciousness and rationality

2) From a life of less to one of greater value creation

3) From self-centered to a social and altruistic mode of living

4) From dependent to independent modes of living in which one is capable of making principle-based judgement

5) From a life of dominated by external influences to a life of autonomy

6) From a life under the sway of desires to self-reflective modes of living in which one is capable of integrating one's actions into a larger sense of purpose.

So where are you at? Do you waiver between several criteria or are you staunchly, steadfastly adhering to one more than the others? Do all apply to your life equally or is one a more prominent, driving force? Can one criterion exist without the others? Is there an area where you should, could, or are mindfully doing more work? Have you ever really considered these concepts in a concrete way?

Soka Education - the first 15 pages

I have barely begun the Soka Education text, and already I've written numerous pages of notes and quotes and find myself nodding in agreement with many of the ideas and concepts being put forth by Mr. Ikeda. Thus far the book has served as an introduction to the concept of Soka Education and how it came to be via Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944) who spent 30 years of his life as an educator and principal in Japan, writing four volumes on pedagogy as well under the title The System of Value-Creating Pedagogy.

To define soka education is simultaneously simple and complex. Soka simply means "value-creation". Thus one can extrapolate "Value-creating Education" and one would be correct, but when truly reflected upon the meaning is much, much deeper than teaching students (of any age - Makiguchi and his theoretical/philosophical heirs Josei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda fully encourage life-long learning, more on this later) how to live by a set of core values. Instead, soka education is not only the framework or foundation, but the entire barn (to build on the metaphor from Dr. Don's Spring 2010 class) to be raised mindfully and responsibly. If you teach students to truly value and respect themselves, others, the environment, education, etc. and they will be ever more likely to become and remain assets to their local, national, and global communities.

Though he began life in a poor farming community and faced many hardships, he had the good fortune to be recognized for his intellect and was sent for formal education. It is here he made significant connections, learned to read, and was able to hone his sincere interest in education, leading him to see beyond the traditional mandates of Japanese education (under oppressive shinto government leadership - more on this later, too) to what education should be in order to create and encourage truly valuable, responsible, concerned, and active global citizens. If some of this is sounding familiar, look to the writings and theories of John Dewey and you would be spot on. It cannot be ignored that Makiguchi was greatly impacted by the work of John Dewey and was in fact a contemporary of Dewey, sharing a close personal friend with Dewey but never actually meeting him in person. Makiguchi whole-heartedly took up Dewey's call for student-centered education on the basis that teachers in all forms (educators, mentors, parents, spiritual leaders, etc.) were (are) responsible for being mindful of guiding students to their ultimate happiness no matter their social, political, economic status.

Makiguchi was on the forefront of reformist education, constantly in the sights of strict government officials and economic elite that he refused to cater to at the expense of his students. He spent years as principal paying out of pocket to provide bagged lunches to students whose families could ill-afford to feed their families in the first place much less send lunch. This because he recognized the importance of nutrition for the development of the mind, body, and spirit and refused to see his students suffer needlessly and not achieve their potential for the price of a few cents. Many of his students never knew he provided the lunches, they simply knew where to find them (the janitor's closet) and that they were not questioned or ridiculed for their need. He also actively encouraged mothers to become involved with their children's education at a time when Japan's cultural norms were very heavily patriarchal. [Note: At that time the word used for 'parents,' as noted on pg 13, was fukei - literally 'fathers and elder brothers.']

The role of the teacher in soka education is first and foremost that "the emphasis shifts from education as the transmission of knowledge... to education as the process of learning to learn" (pg 13). "[Education] is the provision of keys that will allow people to unlock the vault of knowledge on their own... it would rather place people on their own path of discovery and invention" (pg 13). Sound familiar? He also encourages teachers to be partners, not ivory tower pontificators. Ikeda compares this notion to Socrates' idea of educator as midwife and Fröbel's gardener metaphor (pg 14). Being a soka educator also requires the sincere commitment of the educator to life-long learning and personal growth (Ikeda notes here that Makiguchi was well into his 50s when he began learning English so that he could help his students do so).

That's it so far... share your thoughts!

Thanks for reading,

Aimée

Welcome!

Blogging seems to be ubiquitous amongst the 20-40 something set as well as the librarian set of all ages. Thus is comes to pass that I, a 30-something librarian, begin my blog after much waffling. Admittedly, I begin this blog at the behest of a professor in my current Master's program. Yes, one Master's just isn't enough... and yes, I work full-time and absolutely, I'm a glutton for punishment! But I love learning - period. Hence why I love my job, why I am pursing a second Master's, and why life is always interesting!

Many of my blog posts over the next few months will be related to my course work, and specifically to what I'm reading for class, but will undoubtedly expand to include personal raves, rants, experiences, and notions - all library and education related!

To begin... the first book of the semester: Soka Education: A Buddhist Vision for Teachers, Students, & Parents by Daisaku Ikeda. More as soon as it arrives in the mail.

What am I reading now? Cara Black's Murder in the Marais thanks to a great recommendation from my colleagues Maria. (A hint: I was hooked by the female lead character, named Aimée, who is smart, wields a weapon like a pro, and wonderful descriptive writing so much that I can envision the locales without ever having seen them!)

What's on the To Read Next list? Sarah Waters' The Night Watch and then her latest novel The Little Stranger in addition to my course readings, of course!

Welcome!