INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION THROUGH VALUES

 The present scenario!

Education is a world wide mantra for success and prestige of one and all. If one is not literate of values and having a liberty of making decisions in life there is bound to have a doping effect to the personalities of identities and individualities. What is needed is a vibrant force of Value Education dwelled into the individuals. The World Declaration and Framework for Priority Action for Change and Development in Higher Education adopted by the World Conference on Higher Education (UNESCO), 9 October 1998, clearly underlines that there is an unprecedented demand for and a great diversification in higher education, as well as an increased awareness of its vital importance for socio-cultural and economic development, and for building the future, for which the younger generations will need to be equipped with new skills, knowledge and ideals.    For imparting these skills, knowledge and ideals we need today to shift our paradigm from the time-worn old concepts of education to newer ones because time is changing fast and if we do not apply new innovative methods in education, if we do not strive now to build new pathways by re-engineering mindsets of ours as well as our growing children, the results of the education will be null and void.  

A Quote to justify religion with education:

Teachers and those who are involved in rearing the children and 'moulding' them into the worthy citizens of tomorrow are perhaps doing a service that is the most praiseworthy in the eyes of the HIM above as rightly quoted by  Baha'u'llah, the latest Messenger of God in the everlasting prophetic cycle, hailed them as "the cup-bearers of the life-giving water of knowledge " because " they direct the peoples of the world to the straight path and acquaint them with that which is conducive to human upliftment and exaltation."   What is this straight path?  "The straight path is the one which guideth man to the dayspring of perception and to the dawning-place of true understanding and leadeth him to that which will redound to glory, honour and greatness."  

So, my dear colleagues! This is certainly the sunrise point of education.  The keywords are :   TRUE UNDERSTANDING, GLORY, HONOUR and GREATNESS.  If these objectives are fulfilled, education has achieved its purpose.   If not, it cannot be called true education.  Education is not just filling some information and data in the brains of children and thus making them into something like a computerized device programmed to fulfil some specific services.    The true purpose is to mould sensible human beings who can contribute their mite in the ever-advancing process of human civilization.  

Since human civilization is not a static phenomenon but a transient reality, it is important that the education is made capable of catering to the needs of our time.   Most people find it easy to live in the past and beat the same old track as our subconscious mind is not receptive to changes.  The subconscious mind is in fact a device programmed to adjust our surviving and existence and it takes any change as a threatening element.   So, the option is to consciously accept the change that is vital for our growth.  It is here that teachers and educators play a vital role.   They have the leadership responsibility for 'Re-engineering mindsets and building pathways for innovations in education' so that a new world can be created, better values infused and a mightier contribution made towards the advancement of human civilization.

Some suggestive points for re-engineering mindsets and building pathways for innovations in education

Change involves living. . Nothing is stationary in the material world of outer phenomena or in the inner world of intellect and consciousness. The starting point for the application of noble principles to educational reform is the understanding that continuing reform and evolution of education is essential to the life of the mind and spirit.   We cannot expect great changes overnight but if we strive continuously and sincerely towards fostering some of these noble principles, we will surely be able to "re-engineer mindsets and build pathways for innovation in education"

Equality of Gender at workplace and at places of interest:

Education is vital for ensuring a quality of work life for all children and a better world for all people.   However, we must not forget that the true efficacy of education will be released and viable achievements made towards "re-engineering mindsets and building pathways for innovation in education" duly realized only when girls are given equal opportunity in every sphere of education and empowerment.   But if girls are left behind, those goals can never be achieved, not only because girls compose half of the world population but also because educating them gives more multiplicative results.   In country after country, educating girls yields spectacular social benefits for the current generation and those to come. An educated girl tends to marry later and have fewer children. The children she does have will be more likely to survive; they will be better nourished and better educated. She will be more productive at home and better paid in the workplace. She will be able to play a more active role in social, economic and political decision-making throughout her life.   This is also a focus of the UNICEF.  One of the major aims of the UNICEF is to get more girls into school and that they are equipped with the basic tools they need to succeed in life.

Every child is potentially the light of the world and a pride of the Human Race

"Every child is potentially the light of the world and at the same time its darkness." If this is true and it certainly gives us great hope as parents and caregivers; then what is it that will make a difference between a child becoming a light of the world or its darkness? Of course,spiritual qualities. Not money, not fame, not academic excellence, not strength, nor beauty can assure us that our children will become the light of the world.

The most basic belief that should guide our efforts in "re-engineering mindsets and building pathways for innovation in education" will be that all of us are created noble. All have the potential to show forth the spiritual qualities in our character. All have been given talents and gifts that can be used to benefit the world of humanity. These qualities are latent in every child, but they need to be developed. "Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can alone cause it to reveal its treasures and enable mankind to benefit there from."  These gems of inestimable value are the spiritual qualities of love, kindness, truthfulness, trustworthiness, sincerity and integrity to name but a few. Every day as we nurture our young children, we must help them discover these gems that are already within them and assist them to polish and develop these "gems" until they can apply them in their lives. Then we will begin to educate spiritual beings who are guided in their actions by betterment of the world.

A child is like a young plant, it will grow in whatever way we train it. It just needs tender handling, that we can determine the way it grows by firmly. We should never treat it roughly or harshly, or it would never survive.  We must not censure or vilify our children. They must not be subjected to blows or verbal abuse or their character will be totally perverted.

We must be firm in the principles we believe in and agree that these spiritual qualities are necessary for the education of our children. If we want our children to solve their problems through the power of words, uttered with respect and clarity; then we must discipline them with words uttered with respect and clarity. If we want our children to be constant and determined, then we must be consistent, patient, and diligent in our task. A child learns what he lives and if we are striving for a more peaceful world where spiritual principles guide our actions and decisions; then we must begin with the young children.   So let us strive to train our children in all the perfections of humankind so that they will shine out as brilliant stars in the world of humanity.

Fostering Encouragement at all times

 Current educational patterns rely dominantly on criticism. However, a proper educational environment is one where teachers encourage students, students encourage one another, and parents and community encourage schools and teachers — as well as their own children in their learning. And students must be trained to encourage their teachers as well. Encouragement must be sincere and tied to real educational progress. Fostering an atmosphere of encouragement also makes room for errors and mistakes that are natural part of progress.   It also makes room for healthy criticism aired with a gesture of love and with the sole purpose of improvement. Encouragement spurs the learner to seek the next level of achievement.

Both teachers and students must become conditioned to use encouragement frequently in the educative process.   It must become a normal, expected part of all interaction. Encouragement within the family, at the workplace, as well as at school and in all aspects of life, is important. For this reason mastering the art of encouragement must be an educational objective as well as an element of successful educational practice. The concept of encouragement focuses on feedback, giving us a sense of incremental success, meeting expectations and gaining the will to continue. Current educational systems are basically flawed in their feedback processes.

Examination patterns are a good example. One of the prime purposes of examinations should be to provide feedback. The student must have an opportunity to try again, to see if the lessons of feedback have been successfully learnt. Both the structure and timing of the current examination systems go against, and usually even preclude, this opportunity. Examinations come at the end of a course when there is no opportunity for further instruction.  Encouragement should be specific and oriented to bring the best in each student.  For example, it is not sufficient to write in a Home Work copy a remark such as "WELL DONE!".   The student must know that what aspect is "well done" which he must develop more and more in the learning process.  Similarly, a remark like "WEAK!" does not tell a student how to make the point stronger.

Interdependent Process, Content and Objectives of Education

The process of education itself is spiritual and must be examined for its effect. Learning how to learn is both process and objective, both method and content. Bahá'ís define the process of education to be the independent investigation of Truth. The purpose of education is to seek the transformation of each individual spirit through conscious knowledge.

One of the most promising fields of enquiry is to discover how the educational process can be made more 'conscious'. Fundamental to independent investigation is responsibility. At every stage of the educational process each individual must be made to feel responsible for the process and its results. Developing active learners is a starting point for successful education. Active student involvement becomes a focal point for defining both the process and the content of education.

Since education is a life-long process, it becomes obvious that teachers are never finished with their learning.  At present, it is considered that a teacher is being who KNOWS EVERYTHING and a student is a being who NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT.  This time-worn concept needs to be thrown out and the fact should be accepted that learning is an inter-dependent process and a teacher learns from his student no less than a student learns from his teacher.  

Purity & Nobility  : the true objectives to be achieved

When the soul is conceived it enters the world pure and unblemished. The experiences of this world contribute blemishes and impurities. The purpose of life is to recognize and deal with these imperfections and to try to regain purity of motive and action. The purity of the infant is a bestowal of God. The imperfect purity we strive to regain becomes the conscious fruit of our lives. Our nobility comes from successful choice. Successful choice has only one criterion, alignment with the spiritual premises of the active Divine attributes. Bahá'ís call the process of aligning our choices with Divine Will, personal transformation. Recognizing and making conscious choices which conform to spiritual virtue is the essence of education.

The process of spiritual growth and transformation has many settings. Obviously school is only one of them. But in modern secular education, school is often not considered a place for moral and spiritual transformation. It is not simply a matter of curriculum. The process of education, the premises of human relationships, the consequences of actions and how they are understood, all this is a part of spiritual growth. Put another way, if spiritual growth is not taken into consideration when designing the content and process of education, the result will almost certainly be at odds with spiritual processes, and effective education in the most fundamental sense will become impossible.

It is therefore clear that the prime purpose of education is not just imparting knowledge of arts and sciences and letting the children have as much information as possible.   Knowing how to learn, how to evaluate information and knowledge, how to establish the credibility of sources, where to find appropriate information and principles, how to organize information for its effective use and to share it with others, these skills are the foundation of the independent investigation of truth.   Encouraging students towards independent investigation of truth is one of the most prime prerequisite for "re-engineering mindsets and building pathways for innovation in education".

Excellence through co-operation, competition and networking:

We often say that we are living in a competitive age.  This word "Competition" is coined so much as a 'mantra' of today's success and survival that most schools are tending to be 'arenas' where students are trained and enabled to face various competitions.  Thus, the focus shifts from "acquiring true knowledge" to gaining tips and tricks for defeating others.   The Darwinian theory of the "survival of the fittest" gave this notion of competition a scientific basis.  But even Darwin and his followers could not reply one thing.   If men and animals are just designed to "survive" by increasing their 'fitness' anyhow, why we find the spirit of sacrifice and love working in this universe?   Why a mother (even in animals) sacrifice her life and put herself in trouble when she can easily choose her own survival in difficult conditions of life such as hunger, famine and other odd conditions?   Why lovers stake their lives for protecting their beloveds when, according to Darwin, they should care for their own survival?  This question finds its answer in this basic belief that every human being is basically a spiritual creature and he is governed by such rules as love, care, sacrifice, help, co-living, etc.   Therefore, if we are truly serious towards "re-engineering mindsets and building pathways for innovation in education", we must find a balance between competition and cooperation, between justice and mercy, and learn to appreciate tests, hardships and effort. Differences in human capacity will have to be acknowledged and respected as we consolidate our commitments to unity in diversity in a new world order. Vying for excellence is competition in its finest sense, strongly endorsed in principles. It is competition which encourages cooperation, which seeks the elevation of all performance as an integral consequence of its practice. Traditional models of education are based on a more destructive competition, and excellence has been defined in terms of competitive achievement with winners and losers.

 Justice and Mercy

A 'sense of justice' is perhaps the most powerful objective of all education. Bahá'u'llah states, 'Set your reliance on the army of justice, put on the armour of wisdom, let your adorning be forgiveness and mercy and that which cheereth the hearts of the well-favoured of God.' Children must be taught that in true spiritual sense this is a world of mercy but we mankind have made it cruel and unjust.  Therefore, one purpose of true education is to equip children with a sound choice of just thought, just action, just purpose for life.   It is this choice that makes education meaningful and sets man apart from animals. Nobility is derived from making the right choices in a world where wrong choices are possible.

Mercy is linked to the concept of forgiveness. If God can forgive the most grievous sins of man, then we are well advised to forgive one another. This means that we must each give others the opportunity to rise above past mistakes, however grievous, and to celebrate our progress in doing so. That is vital to the conduct of the teacher in the classroom. A learning environment is by definition a setting where mistakes are expected to be made frequently and dealt with mercifully.   Classrooms must be the laboratories of life. Teachers must be models, striving constantly to improve their own understanding and practice of justice. We must be accountable for our actions but leave our mistakes behind by learning from them. Therefore teachers, more than other members of the society, must be trained to deal with the delicate balance between justice and mercy. Not only must teachers learn to deal with their own mistakes as well as the mistakes of their students, they are responsible to help students learn to deal with the mistakes of one another.

Tests & Hardships

We must accustom children to hardship. Clearly tests and difficulties are an appropriate part of education. Again, it is a matter of balance. When we can see purpose in our tests and understand them, they become more meaningful and easier to accept. Not all tests, however, can be understood, and we must be prepared to accept tests and difficulties which we do not understand.

It is the task of educators to make the process of education as focused and understandable as possible. It is the task of the learners to trust their teachers even when they do not understand. This places a moral responsibility on teachers to make the educational process as purposeful as possible, to make effort meaningful and productive.

The task of education is enormous. We must do everything possible to make the educational process as easy and as effective as possible, adding further levels of difficulty as students gain in capacity and understanding. There is so much to be learnt that hardship and effort are natural concomitants of any effective educational process, but they should become the source of high achievement and not the result of harassment, which has too often been the case in the past.

Dealing with Differences in Capacity

It is obvious that children thrive in different degrees in the same educational environment. Why? Partly because their innate potentials are different. Partly because of the influences and experiences they bring to the educational setting. Partly because of their own attitudes and dispositions. The teacher must make education as easy and effective as possible; the student must learn how to learn most effectively regardless of the quality of the teaching.

We must not confuse difference in intellectual potential with difference in spiritual worth. Current educational practice does not uplift the spirits of all children. Academic success is often confused with personal worth or spiritual capacity. Bahá'í teachings clearly endorse the different innate capacities of children.   This would imply different educational levels and processes. There are also Bahá'í principles which suggest that some combination of multi-ability and multi-age groups as well as grouping by interest and ability will be appropriate. This is an area which will need the perspective of time, experience, and trial and error learning before effective practice can emerge.

Unity in Diversity

A basic principle one should follow is unity in diversity. Perhaps one of the most profound consequences of this principle is to provide perspective. One of the most vital lessons in education is for us to learn that our way is a way and not the ONLY way. Education must value a diversity of viewpoints, of processes and procedures, of content and method. But unity in diversity means that there must be coordination, a sense of direction and purpose, and a commitment to unity even as we actively seek to promote and appreciate diversity.

As the world becomes unified, we must have a greater understanding of one another — awareness of cultural diversity. But not all cultural practices are compatible with a unified world. The educational process must help students become aware of how cultural beliefs, their own as well as others', influence attitudes and behaviour. It is important to understand their history and context. Further, everyone must be taught to recognize how beliefs and practices must be modified to be effectively integrated into a world community. Students can gain the benefit of being able to incorporate other beliefs and practices to enrich their own lives.

Consultation and Decision-Making

Education focuses our attention on new modes of decision-making, as the spiritual processes of consultation.  There is a host of  principles guiding the decision-making process. And there are many ways in which the decision-making process is applied to education. What to teach, how to teach it, who should teach, whom to teach it to, and when. Each of these decisions will enhance or constrain the process, appropriately and inappropriately. The process of educational reform should hold none of the current elements of education sacrosanct. All should be examined and alternatives considered. The principles of consultation can greatly facilitate and guide the process.

Consultation is a process, and the mastery of consultation an important objective of education. The skills of decision-making are essential to success, in the family, in the workplace, in social institutions, and even in casual human interaction.   One straight point is to understand the definition of an effective decision: a decision based upon analysis of facts and circumstances and of the principles which apply; a decision which has been informed by the opinion and perspective of all those concerned; and a decision which is conscientiously implemented by all.   Part of the decision-making process, whether by an individual or a group, is to explain the decision and assist with its implementation. Conscious understanding is essential in both making and implementing decisions. Roles must be clearly defined and understood. There is a time to offer advice and input to a decision. After a decision is made it is essential for everyone to be united in implementing it; otherwise it is impossible to make a good judgement about its effectiveness. Its failure may simply be a function of strife rather than of its own weakness.

All opinions are sought, whether informed or uninformed. The only condition is purity of motive. To remain silent is to bias the decision inappropriately. At the same time, when an opinion is offered it becomes a part of the group decision-making process and should not be clung to by the person offering it. Every effort must be made to listen to what is being said, not to who says it.

In the classroom teachers have a leadership responsibility.

They are in charge. But they have an obligation to listen to the viewpoints of their students and to take their opinions into account. They must help students understand why decisions are taken and the principles on which they are based. They must demonstrate how each decision relates to the welfare of all concerned and attempts to reflect justice and wisdom. Conversely, it is the responsibility of the student to conform joyfully to the expectations of the teachers, to constantly analyse the educational setting, and to offer opinions so they can be heard and appreciated.  Above all, the teacher-pupil relationship must be characterized by mutual respect and understanding, creating an atmosphere of joy.  Right application   of the process of consultation is conducive to such an atmosphere in education.

Conclusion

Educational reform continues to be muddled by conflicting, uncoordinated initiatives. There is constant tension between conflicting viewpoints. Principles themselves often appear contradictory. However, these principles offer clear insights into the definitions of both the process and the objectives of reform.  At the same time, they offer perspective and even specific guidance as to how we should build on the scientific body of knowledge which is being rapidly expanded, and incorporate both old and new knowledge into new institutions and practices. In brief, there are three kinds of education: training and development of the physical body, intellectual and mental training, and the education of the spirit. Our efforts towards re-engineering mindsets and building pathways for innovations in education must accommodate the basic elements of all these three sorts of education.   Even more, the ultimate focus must be on moral-spiritual education because the body of the world will receive its vivification through the animating virtue of the sanctified spirit of man.

Religious teachings identify the obstacles to human happiness as 'racial and religious prejudice, the competitive struggle for existence and inhumanity toward each other'. Perhaps the most important way to define the purpose of education is to see true education as the ultimate source of human happiness. With unified action we will begin our journey to the achievement of true human prosperity and world peace. Let there be Peace on Earth to envisage the Pride of the Human Race and making this Earth a better place to live in.

Let us take a pledge to be united, uniformed and informed in particular.

Tina Olyai

Director, Little Angels School

Gwalior