PDM (Personal Development Matters) Home Page
New linked sister site - for managers, parents, teachers & Personal Developers!
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“We hope you find this to be a treasure-trove of inspirations for personal,
& professional, development - whatever your field of interest or studies.”
NB For all NEW postings SEE recent posts or in right-hand column
3 Questions & suggested answers that provide the context
for all posts & pages on these sites
Q 1) “What is it to be positively & fully human?” = the most important of all questions. My answers are in 2 and 3 below.
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Q 2) “What is it to function holistically?”
Ultimately my answer =
“To proceed in all particulars with a sense of the whole.”
But in steps along the path of development it is
“ consciously connecting ever-widening contexts, and
realizing encounters with the whole.”
Two quotations that are key to understanding. Firstly Jung’s,
“The utterances of the heart— unlike those of the discriminating intellect— always relate to the whole.”
Secondly Heschel’s;
“Concepts are delicious snacks with which we try to alleviate our amazement.”
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Q 3) How in one sentence does my PhD answer the question, “How should we educate to create a paradigm shift in education?”
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The SunWALK model of spiritualizing (or humanizing) pedagogy sees human education as:
the storied development of meaning, which is
constructed, and de-constructed,
physically, mentally and spiritually, through
Wise & Willing Action, via
Loving and Knowing – developed in
Community, through the
‘Dialectical Spiritualization’ of
Caring, Creativity & Criticality processes, all undertaken in the light of the
‘Sun’ of chosen higher-order values and beliefs, using
best available, appropriate content.
NB Please see these 3 questions, and suggested answers, as the context for all postings and pages on these sites.
Click on the diagram that pulls everything together.
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Welcome & Introduction to Part 1:
“Your site is a rich and varied source of information and provides an excellent starting point for further exploration, not only into the practice of holistic education but into the ways of thinking which underpin it. It is particularly useful for students wishing to undertake research in this area.“
Assoc. Prof. Bernie Neville, School of Educational Studies, La Trobe University and
author of a key reading Educating Psyche – Emotion, imagination & the unconscious in learning.
This 5 part site is a data-base of ideas - about applying a model to personal development or professional life. A model that answers the question ‘what it is to be fully and positively human?’. The site was started on 16.06.07 It is also an ideas resource for students, teachers, coaches, mentors, speakers & lecturers - including ideas for lessons or talks.
Which kind of model of ‘what it is to be human’ are you operating in your professional life, or personal life or as a parent? The idea is that for personal happiness - and to help in the world’s problems - we all need to have a clearer and deeper sense of those characteristics that make us truly and positively human. Such an understanding can help unite us whether we are atheist, humanist or religious.
Only beliefs separate - we all suffer and struggle, we all love and cherish hopes - that’s the real reason that we are all members of one human family! On a course I was teaching a the question was asked “What is the origin of human rights.” A woman gave what I thought was a scintillating reply. She said “Human needs.” As Maslow pointed out - we all have a range for needs from security through to the need to transcend our own egotistic self.
Our humanity lies in our oneness and our oneness lies in our humanity.
You can browse for ideas for personal development, or for material for your studies. Or you can think your way around some of the 30 unit course outline SEE Part 3 .
You can develop your own model or use mine, which can be applied to all the professions and to parenting, relationships and self development. I used teaching and education simply because that is my background but the model, which in truth is a kind of meta-model framework should work in any field - and should also work in a developing world situation just as well as in a ’sophisticated’ situation. It will only not work where there is no need for thinking, feeling and caring!
New to the site?
Try starting with ‘Summaries’ or look at Categories or do a search on the topics that interest you. There is a great variety of stuff in ‘Recent Posts’.
BALANCING the experiential HEART with the conceptual HEAD: Don’t forget that most of us need more of the contemplative/meditative to balance the conceptual - why not spend a few contemplative moments HERE!
The heart of the matter: If there is one quotation that gives the key to what this whole project is about it is this from Jung;
“The utterances of the heart— unlike those of the discriminating intellect— always relate to the whole.” - (Jung)
Enjoy - and dive deep!
Roger
Dr Roger Prentice
P.S. I hope you enjoy the site, as I transfer and update material from three earlier sites Spirit of Holistic Education, and SunWALK and the Holistic Education Institute.
If you have suggested additions or constructive critiques please email me at rogerprenticeATbigfoot.com (replace AT with @)
Acknowledgements:
Barista Great blog!
If I post a photograph my normal practice is to give the owner some publicity by providing a link - if I’ve slipped up let me know and I will correct the error. You are free to similarly use any of my published photographs - providing you include a link back to this site.
The Jung quote is from The Heart in Holistic Education.
A small gallery - to suggest some of the variety of ideas to be found here - but beneath all is the understanding that, “The utterances of the heart — unlike those of the discriminating intellect — always relate to the whole.” (Jung);
Nice one!