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
No comments:
Post a Comment