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Denise
CushI Colin Johnson I Susan
Horsfall
Denise
Cush
In his article, Rasamandala dasa explores whether ISKCON education
can benefit from theories and practices common in secular education,
whether these are compatible with the principles of Vedic scripture,
points out some weaknesses in current ISKCON practice and recommends
some ways forward for the future. It is obviously the product of
much reflection and considerable first hand experiences. It is my
opinion that the most valuable progress in educational fields comes
from those who have daily experience of the teaching and learning
process and therefore know what works and what does not. This is
an opinion shared by those who advocate 'action research' by practising
educationalists (see Hitchcock and Hughes 1995). I also feel that
it is a sign of maturity in a religious community to be able to
be self-critical in this way, and Rasamandala dasa is to be commended
for seeking to lead ISKCON into a new phase of development.
I would further like to explore issues of the methods of secular
education, the importance of clarity about aims, objectives, content,
methods, and assessment, the way in which other religious communities
are facing these issues, and finally to suggest that religious communities
and secular education should be 'critical friends' of one another.
Secular education and experiential learning
Rasamandala dasa, perhaps, gives an oversimplified picture of
'modem secular education' in that this is a very contested area,
not helped by the polarisation into 'progressive' versus 'traditional'
teachers, neither of which exist outside newspaper articles. However,
the stress on skills and attitudes, the pupil as an active learner
constructing knowledge from experiential learning and the teacher
as facilitator rather than fount of knowledge, are common themes.
This is partly because ideas about knowledge have changed and it
is now seen as contested and provisional, rather than a fixed entity,
with the teacher's only problem being how to transmit it. It is
also because learning technology has changed. Traditional (for example,
Vedic) learning took place in a context where the only resource
was the teacher. We now have a wealth of resources- books, videos,
interactive CD-ROMs-which means that the learner can be more independent
of the teacher. I think both these issues need to be faced when
exploring changes in educational methods. Yet even thousands of
years ago, without these resources, good teachers knew that you
cannot just tell people things, they have to be enabled to understand
them for themselves. One thinks of the Buddha, who sent Kisagotami
out to find a mustard seed from a house where no-one had ever died,
or Uddalaka Aruni in the Chandogya Upanisad who had his son
Svetaketu dissolve salt in water so that he could experience for
himself the truth that the invisible can nonetheless be present
everywhere. Thus, experiential learning is not a modern invention.
I was fascinated but not surprised to see that concepts such as
knowledge, skills and values had parallels in Vedic literature.
Aims, objectives, content, method and assessment
One of the things I have learned from my own experience is the
importance of clear aims and objectives (the latest jargon here
is 'learning outcomes'), separating content and method, as well
as assessment and evaluation to determine whether the planned learning
actually took place. New teachers, as Rasamandala dasa states, usually
focus on content and possibly method, but often ignore aims. I have
so often supervised the lessons of student teachers, with the question
'so what?' in my mind, and sadly also that of the pupils. Or student
teachers will have grandiose aims such as creating harmony between
religions, and then feel it has been achieved when at the end of
the lesson their pupils are able to label the parts of a mosque.
Thus, I applaud Rasamandala dasa for this emphasis.
One area where my experience has differed from Rasamandala's is
that I would not necessarily agree that teacher directed knowledge
input comes first and student-centred exploration second. In secular
education it has almost become the other way round, with pupils
in nursery classes encouraged to make their own choices and pupils
in secondary school exam classes cramming by rote. I would claim
that it should be a dialectical relationship between the two styles.
Some topics lend themselves to starting with teacher input, and
others to starting with pupil exploration of experience.
Another area that I have had reason to reflect on is the relationship
between aims, content and methods. My own secular teacher training
students often confuse the three, considering that a confessional
aim must have a narrow content and traditional, didactic methods.
Confessional teaching can employ experiential and exciting methods,
and non-confessional teaching can be delivered in a dull
and doctrinaire fashion. Of course, there are also times when methods
can contradict aims, such as a lesson on democracy taught in a dictatorial
fashion. I would support the idea that experiential methods need
not conflict with the confessional aims of ISKCON.
Knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes
As a young teacher, like my own students mentioned above, my
main focus was on knowledge-I wanted to share my enthusiasm about
religions by sharing my collection of facts with pupils. However,
experience has taught me that interesting as facts may be, far more
important is the acquisition of general concepts which can be applied
to new situations, skills which can likewise be transferable to
new contexts and, most of all, the inculcation of attitudes such
as curiosity and respect for the opinions of others, which will
outlast any facts remembered. In other words, the teacher helps
the pupil develop the abilities needed to continue learning long
after the teacher has departed; as the saying goes, rather than
giving the hungry person fish, you teach that person how to fish.
Thus, I would agree with Rasamandala dasa that attitudes and values
should take priority of place in education, but suggest he might
like to add 'concepts' to his list of knowledge, attitudes and skills.
The experience of other faith communities
Problems with education in a confessional context are not unique
to ISKCON, and are indeed shared by other faith communities. In
this country, there is in particular a wealth of experience in Christian
education (see for example, Astley and Francis 1996, Francis and
Thatcher 1990, Astley and Day 1992). Many contemporary writers (such
as Capaldi, in Francis and Thatcher) are realising that Christian
education cannot be a passive induction into a static tradition,
but rooted in the concerns and experience of the pupils and in the
realisation that those traditions themselves grow and change. Jeff
Astley sensibly concludes that a balanced Christian education privileges
neither the pupils' experience nor the teachings of the tradition,
but is a dialectic where each criticises the other (Astley and Day).
Thus my suggestion to ISKCON is that it may well be worth studying
how other faith traditions are dealing with educational issues.
Secular education and religious communities: critical friends?
In educational research circles the notion of a 'critical friend'
has taken root-someone who will point out your errors and make suggestions,
but as a supportive equal. Thus I would suggest like Rasamandala
dasa that confessional education can learn a lot from secular education,
especially in the area of actual practical teaching strategies that
work. On the other hand, confessional education can also offer something
to secular education, in that it can query the often unexamined
presuppositions underlying what goes on in contemporary schools.
It has to be admitted that in secular education there are certain
tendencies that might seem to be in tension with education as traditionally
found in religious communities. Modern secular education tends to
be underpinned with liberal humanist values which may stress individual
autonomy rather than 'submission', reject scriptural revelation
and personal spiritual experience as valid sources of knowledge,
and separate the intellectual from the personal, moral and spiritual.
This does not mean that confessional and secular education need
be enemies: secular education can through its questioning help to
prevent religious communities becoming fossilised by over-stressing
their claims to absolute knowledge, and religious communities can
confront the implicit relativism of secular education with important
questions of truth. One of the most valuable challenges to modern
Western philosophy from Hindu philosophy is the age old idea that
wisdom is shown by moral behaviour, as well as clever ideas. As
Radhakrishnan (1950) put it 'A man is not learned simply because
he talks much. He who is tranquil, free of hatred, free from fear,
he is said to be learned' (in Morgan and Lawson 1996:63).
References
Astley, J. & Day, D.1992. The Contours of Christian Education.
London: McCrimmon.
Astley, J. & Francis, L. (Eds). 1996. Christian Theology
and Religious Educalion: Connections and Contradictions. London:
SPCK.
Francis, L. & Thatcher, A. (Eds). 1990. Christian Perspectives
for Religious Education. Leominster: Gracewing.
Hitchcock, G. & Hughes, D. 1995. Research and the Teacher.
London: Routledge.
Morgan, P.d. & Lawton, C. (Eds).1996. Ethical Issues In
Six Religious Traditions. Ediburgh: Edinburgh University Press
Back to Top
Colin
Johnson
I would like to offer comments on Rasamandala dasa's
article 'Towards Principles and Values-An Analysis of Education
Philosophy and Practice within ISKCON' in the last issue of the
journal (Vol. 5, No. 2). I do so as the Publications Director of
the Christian Education Movement, an educational charity firmly
rooted in the Christian tradition, but committed to the teaching
of the major world faiths as part of the religious education programme
in schools.
There are clearly some elements in Rasamandala dasa's article on
which I am not qualified to pass any opinion. I cannot comment on
how far it is possible to reconcile twentieth century educational
philosophies with Vedic texts, or the ways in which ISKCON, as an
organisation, ought to develop. Having said that, I found the article
fascinating because so much of what Rasamandala dasa had to say
connected with my own experience and my own thinking, both as a
religious educator in the secular education system, and as a member
of my own faith community leading a Bible course for adults.
The first point with which I identify strongly is the current domination
of knowledge-based teaching. Of course, no one in their right senses
can deny the importance of knowledge, but knowledge is not an end
in itself. It is what you do with knowledge that matters.
In schools, religious education is just emerging from a long period
in which the transmission of knowledge was totally dominant. There
were good reasons for this. When it became apparent in the late
1960s and early 1970s that a religious education that focused exclusively
on Christianity could not be educationally justified within a secular
school system, it was replaced by the phenomenological approach.
Put in very crude terms the philosophy behind this ran as follows.
Whatever your own faith or non-faith stance, it is undeniable that
religion has been vastly influential in the way human beings have
lived their lives. Therefore, an education that does not attend
to this phenomenon is incomplete. However, because it is not part
of a secular education system to indoctrinate or convert pupils,
we must confine ourselves to teaching the 'facts'.
The legacy of this phase of religious education is still very strong
and is reflected in heavily content-laden agreed syllabuses of religious
education, but there are signs nevertheless, that changes are on
their way. The Model Syllabuses for Religious Education produced
by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA) in 1994
refer to two types of learning: learning about religions
and learning from religions. Thus, a pupil is no longer considered
to be religiously educated who merely knows a lot of facts about
different religions. Pupils are expected to 'respond to questions
of meaning within religions' (my italics). Elsewhere the Model Syllabuses
state that, 'Religious education should help pupils to . . . enhance
their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development . . .' In
short, while religious education as set out in the Model Syllabuses
is not intended to indoctrinate or convert pupils, it is
intended to change them. In other words, it is to do with
being as well as knowing.
Here too I identify with Rasamandala dasa. Education in religion
(whether religion in general or a specific religion) is about being
and not just about knowing and doing. It is about what we are and
what we are to become as well as what we know and how we behave.
I thought as I read the earlier part of the article that Rasamandala
dasa was putting forward a sequential view of learning in which
knowledge comes first, to be followed by understanding, skills and
values. I was pleased to see that he subsequently opted for a model
that saw these as proceeding in parallel rather than sequentially,
which is certainly true to my experience. I am sometimes amazed
as I read the New Testament at how new believers seem to have been
baptised into the faith after the briefest of encounters with a
Christian evangelist. It seems that detailed instruction in the
faith only occurred after the initial commitment had been
made.
The adults who come to my classes on the Bible have only partial
knowledge of the text in many cases, but their observations often
reveal a secure grasp of the basic principles of Christianity and
considerable insight into their application to the task of living
a Christian life. Above all, they are highly motivated. This echoes
the comment made in footnote 16 of Rasamandala dasa's article when
he observes from experience that a student with no skills but the
right attitude is far easier to teach than a student endowed with
technique alone.
For these reasons I would not wish to put knowledge, understanding,
skills and values in a rigid learning sequence. I believe they interact
with one another and need to be developed in parallel.
As a final comment, I am encouraged by Rasamandala dasa's emphasis
on principles and values because of the possibilities which these
open up for inter-faith discussion and co-operation. At the level
of principles and values, the major faiths have a great deal in
common. It is in specific forms of belief, and even more so in specific
practices, which often reflect the cultural origins of the faith,
that they appear to be so very different. To take a very obvious
example, all faiths appear to promote the so-called Golden Rule
in one form or another: 'Do to others as you would wish them to
do to you.'
Hans Küng, the Swiss Roman Catholic theologian, has argued that
it is possible to speak of a 'global ethic' which reflects the ethical
concerns of the major world faiths. He has further argued that there
is little hope for a peaceful world unless the faiths recognise
and promote the values they share, which are often contrary to the
values of the secular world. In short, he argues that the differences
between the faiths are relatively small compared with the vast gulf
between a religious understanding and a secular understanding of
the world.
This takes us back to the beginning: knowledge by itself is not
enough. It is certainly not enough if, in terms of religious education
in schools, it only teaches children that different faiths have
different holy books, different places of worship,
different times of prayer, different forms of dress,
different festivals and so on. They need to know that people
of different faiths often live by the same, or similar,
principles and values. And they need to be challenged to consider
whether they should not adopt these values for themselves.
Back
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Susan
Horsfall
Having read and digested what Rasamandala dasa has to say,
I must admit to having great sympathy with his argument for a systematic
approach towards training and education if ISKCON is to progress
successfully into its 'third phase'. His choice of an experiential
approach to teaching is not one upon which I would base an entire
approach to teaching, preferring a mixture of methods.
My own experience is with Key Stage 2 and 3 Religious Education
(RE) in British schools. School RE is, though, somewhat different
as it must, by law be non-denominational and it cannot advocate
the truth or otherwise of one particular faith. However, for the
purpose of a faith group, Rasamandala dasa's choice of an experiential
approach does have advantages.
Informed choice is essential to any decision-making process. Choosing
to be a devotee of an ideological group should be no exception.
Rasamandala dasa demonstrates that this is not at odds with ISKCON's
tenets by citing from the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita
in support of his argument. In my view, a further advantage to his
approach is that an overt educational process, which is capable
of standing up to scrutiny externally as well as internally, would
doubtless disabuse concerns about ISKCON's intentions, that is,
'brainwashing' or coercion of devotees.1 This can
only assist in raising public awareness of ISKCON as a reputable
and discerning group, as indeed would his idea of appropriate advertising
materials. This is an area deserving greater debate. However, I
intend to turn to another feature of his article.
Rasamandala dasa writes of the striking resemblance between secular
management and the education processes, albeit acknowledging the
different aims of each; secular management aims to achieve financial
gain whilst education as applied to groups such as ISKCON is intended
to develop greater spiritual awareness. He states, 'For this reason,
the managerial function must serve the education processes, rather
than vice versa'2. His ideal is that temples should
be centres for education. He rightly recognises that a haphazard
approach to education, no matter how well a particular teaching
method may work in itself, is not acceptable. Indeed it would be
doomed to failure, as it would fail to address many of the issues
which it is intended to correct. His proposal is a clear management
system within which the education processes can function, and one
which is easily understood by devotees.
As a one time personnel executive in a national supermarket chain,
I was responsible for ensuring that training and education were
properly implemented within stores. Where failures occurred in stores,
it was one of my responsibilities to investigate why. What Rasamandala
dasa points out as some of the problems within ISKCON: confusion
surrounding personal and institutional responsibilities; negative
motivational tactics; failures of communication etc. could also
be found in problem stores. The common reason for this failure was
non-adherence to recognised management systems and an 'I know best'
attitude from managers at various levels. The general effect on
staff in this situation was one of a sense of unfairness and demoralisation.
In stores which did work in accord with the system the difference
was tangible. All staff understood their role, were confident in
themselves and their own work. Moreover, such stores fulfilled their
purpose-in this case making a profit. To go back to 'failing' supermarkets,
in the main they still managed to function, but staff turnover was
exceptionally high. Locally the store would have a generally poor
reputation and ex-employees were often embittered at their experiences.
It may seem inappropriate to draw such an analogy between failures
within ISKCON and secular approaches to management. After all, ISKCON
is not seeking to become a commercial enterprise. But as Rasamandala
dasa points out, a management function is a supporting factor. It
is the purpose to which a system is employed that is the determining
factor. Supermarkets, charities, educational institutions and religious
institutions may all use similar management systems, but have different
objectives. The fact that a secular management system is envisaged
as a support for ISKCON's educational programmes, as defined by
him, should not irk devotees; it is merely an expedient. The use
of a systematic approach to education within the group will result
in devotees confident in their own faith and able to grow in Krishna
consciousness, these are the fruits which Rasamandala dasa's approach
could potentially bring.
In this 'third phase' of ISKCON's progression it is imperative
that this routinisation involves a positive and dynamic step forward.
'Short-termism' is a disastrous route. Rasamandala dasa's approach
is long-term, forward thinking and one which deserves the full backing
of the leadership. It is for them to decide whether they will take
this opportunity to realise ISKCON's full potential. For the sake
of all ISKCON devotees, current and future, I sincerely hope that
they do.
Notes
- Sefton Davis realised that this was not the
case but his was a concern common to general conceptions regarding
non-mainstream religious groups. See Sefton Davies, A
Response to Dhyana-kunda devi dasi's Article, 'Devotees and their
Parents' ISKCON Communications Journal, 4(2), (1996),
p.95.
- Ibid. p.25.
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