Feelings, meanings, and the inner landscape in education

Feelings, meanings, and the inner landscape in education

We live in an emotionally-phobic society. There is a deep distrust and fear of feeling and emotion, such that this essential aspect of our humanity is largely left out of social, educational and organisational life. When someone asks how you are do you reply honestly?...
The educative power of presence

The educative power of presence

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou The most important element that we bring to any human endeavour or interaction is the quality of our own...
Nature-fulfilment theory: The pursuit of human excellence

Nature-fulfilment theory: The pursuit of human excellence

Abraham Maslow describes the aim of a humanistic education as self-actualisation, or, another way of understanding this much used but often misunderstood concept, becoming fully human. This means “the development of the fullest height that the human species can stand...
Identity and purpose: The essentials of education

Identity and purpose: The essentials of education

In a society that puts such value on efficiency and productivity we are often quite resistant to the practice of deep contemplation, specifically contemplating the why of things, questioning the reasons that we do what we do. Why(!) is this? Why questions are...