Impressions from the meditation on changes we can make in the educational system.
Re bringing meditation into the schools:
I think it is important first to gain the parents acceptance and trust in the use of meditation. For that we can try to invite leaders and celebrities, representing the range of religious beliefs of the parents, to describe why, how and to what effect they meditate. This will create a sense of normality about meditation among parents and teachers, and thus allow for the introduction of experiments in schools.
Making experimental schools:
To catch the attention of the didactic and psychological community we can try to inspire spiritually inclined students of didactics and psychology to write a thesis on an experimental school. This school might be started by inviting parents to take part in a research project which attempts to underpin the spiritual development of the students. After a few years the evident positive effects might convince a wider group of parents to join, and thus the experiment gains in quantity. In addition, the results get published in a form conforming to the standards of the didactic and psychological community.
Experiencing the joy of service and group responsibility:
We could try to provide lots of opportunities for children to help out in the schools and community, and set time apart on a regular basis for this service work. This would let them experience the joy of caring for others and taking on small responsibilities, thus developing a sense of group purpose.
To a small extent this is already happening internationally in the project "Operation Day's Work" set up in honor of the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld, where high school students are given a day off to contribute one day's labor to the community for a small fee. This fee enters a fund to make donations to an international development project chosen by the students in advance.
The teachers of all courses try to incorporate material about the chosen problem in their teaching, thus supporting the students in their endeavor and illustrating the problem from various perspectives.
Impressions from the meditation on changes we can make in the educational system.
ReplyDeleteRe bringing meditation into the schools:
I think it is important first to gain the parents acceptance and trust in the use of meditation. For that we can try to invite leaders and celebrities, representing the range of religious beliefs of the parents, to describe why, how and to what effect they meditate. This will create a sense of normality about meditation among parents and teachers, and thus allow for the introduction of experiments in schools.
Making experimental schools:
To catch the attention of the didactic and psychological community we can try to inspire spiritually inclined students of didactics and psychology to write a thesis on an experimental school. This school might be started by inviting parents to take part in a research project which attempts to underpin the spiritual development of the students. After a few years the evident positive effects might convince a wider group of parents to join, and thus the experiment gains in quantity. In addition, the results get published in a form conforming to the standards of the didactic and psychological community.
Experiencing the joy of service and group responsibility:
We could try to provide lots of opportunities for children to help out in the schools and community, and set time apart on a regular basis for this service work. This would let them experience the joy of caring for others and taking on small responsibilities, thus developing a sense of group purpose.
To a small extent this is already happening internationally in the project "Operation Day's Work" set up in honor of the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld, where high school students are given a day off to contribute one day's labor to the community for a small fee. This fee enters a fund to make donations to an international development project chosen by the students in advance.
The teachers of all courses try to incorporate material about the chosen problem in their teaching, thus supporting the students in their endeavor and illustrating the problem from various perspectives.