Education Portfolio
Receptivity Intelligence Knowledge Experience Expression
THE GOALS OF MY TEACHING - To promote Wholeness in the student, Creative Intelligence, Self-referral consciousness.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of Consciousness-Based Education (CBE) explains: "My Philosophy of Education has its beginning and end at the level of pure intelligence, where the unmanifest Absolute - fully awake, fully alert intelligence - the field of total knowledge, pure knowledge, pure self-referral consciousness, cannot hold itself back from knowing its own nature." (MVU Introduction, p. 108)
Maharishi has also told us that , "Knowledge is structured in consciousness." The original meaning of "to know" is "to unite with." Are students what they know, what they do, or what they are? All of those - the wholeness. William Butler Yeats says it so well in his poem:
Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?
O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
How can we know the dancer from the dance?
My personal approach to education has been primarily influenced by Maharishi who said, "An ideal educational system should develop wholeness in the life of the learner. The technologies of my Vedic Science strengthen and integrate the physical, mental, and behavioral aspects of life by developing their common basis, pure consciousness. This creates wholeness of awareness, the expression of a truly integrated life, in which all the material, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of life are beautifully correlated." (Maharishi, in Maharishi Vedic University Introduction, pp.145 - 146.)
The main theme of my teaching is wholeness, best achieved by holistic education. This means taking into account all the factors that influence learning. I believe that education must involve the whole student in all levels of his/her body, mind, heart and spirit.
I believe the deepest and most lasting learning takes place when the new knowledge gained is linked to prior knowledge and to the student's own experience. I believe that this process can be enhanced when the teacher uses such things as theme-based teaching and advanced organizers, and points out the orderliness and patterns found in nature (such as the layers of existence described by modern physics). I feel that my job is to help my students manage their own learning process so that learning is the most easy, efficient , and enduring. I want to present my lessons in such a way that they reach the diverse learning styles and multiple intelligences of my students. (See my position paper on Holistic Education)
In addition to Holistic Education (Receptivity, Wholeness), other developments, trends and issues in education that inspire me and that I am incorporating into my own teaching and curriculum design include:
- Multiple Intelligences (Intelligence),
- Cooperative Learning (Experience)
- Consciousness-Based Education (Knowledge)
- Multiculturalism ("The World Is My Family"),
- Standards and Benchmarks
- Technology in the classroom (position paper).
For example, within my Native American Unit - "Cultural Diversity As the Basis of Unity" - I use a variety of teaching strategies and styles, as befits the multiple learning styles and intelligences of the students, including inductive and deductive teaching . To accommodate different learning styles I give differentiated assignments where students have choices from each of the three areas of verbal, activities and production.
Because social studies is social, throughout my curriculum unit, I give the students many opportunities to learn and work together. Throughout each lesson, I make opportunities for cooperative learning. I lean more toward indirect instruction, including use of the dramatic arts - plays, skits, role playing. (For more on creative dramatics see Bissinger in Bibliography) .
I guide my students in setting up interest centers based on a particular theme. I divide the students into groups to work on projects together and have many chances to express the knowledge to each other, first informally and then later in more formal presentations to the group as a whole. This includes use of the concept of Jigsaw or peer teaching. (Iowa has many opportunities for interesting field trips and study of our own Midwest communities.)
I also use direct instruction in the form of teacher presentations - this is as a model for them of how I want them to make a presentation to each other, i.e., prepare a brief outline of their talk, and be enthusiastic.
"Cultural Diversity as the Basis of Unity" - This is an important theme to study for 6th graders because they are able to develop an appreciation of cultures other than their own, examine the customs and traditions of various cultural groups from the past and the present and perhaps most importantly, they begin to value the cooperation in human relationships.
Locating significant themes for interdisciplinary learning strengthens my unit design because that conforms with Maharishi's guidelines that we always begin with wholeness and return to wholeness. Also, learning is more process centered as the students engage in various projects involving service, production and problem-solving. The students enjoy working in groups being actively involved in their learning. The opportunity to research and search the web is motivating and rewarding for everyone.
This unit integrates the content areas across the curriculum. This unit develops many NSS standards.
This unit readily develops the major themes of my electronic portfolio of Wholeness and deep connections and also the SCI/VS themes of "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts." It emphasizes the whole idea of connectedness which is very much a theme in my curriculum unit on cultural diversity and unity. Students get a chance to work together cooperatively which is something this world needs more of. Ellis says themes must be representative of ideas that transcend space and time and lend themselves to all three knowledge modes, that is, knowledge received, discovered and constructed. (Teaching and Learning Elementary Social Studies by Arthur Ellis, Allyn and Bacon, 1998)
In addition to Maharishi, people who have inspired me in my teaching include:
- humanists such as Carl Rogers (unconditional positive regard) and Abraham Maslow (self-actualization),
- Rudolph Steiner (Waldorf schools),
- Tony Nader (Wholeness, Ved in Human Physiology)
- Oliver Sachs (Wholeness in Neurophysiology),
- my teachers including Alaric Arenander (whole brain functioning), and Fred Travis (experience changes the brain)
- my parents, family, and students.
Thank you!