the art of learning
a curriculum proposal

This educational paper, co-authored with colleague Paul Herder, sets out our vision for a holistic curriculum approached from three perspectives:
inquiry, thought and creativity.

An excerpt from the INTRODUCTION:

As the twentieth century comes to a close educators are generally recognizing the profound inadequacy of the profession to meet the growing number of challenges facing the world today. Educational literature is filled with statements as to what is wrong with modern education as well as declarations of what needs to be done.

Seeing the need for change is obviously a step in the right direction, but evidently significant change must occur at a deep fundamental level. Normally we tend to meet educational inadequacies with idealistic calls to foster, for example, more sensitivity, or less intolerance, ignoring the arduous but necessary work of inquiring into the very source of the problem itself.

It is our proposal that the source of the problem lies not only in the ideas that make up the content of our thought but more importantly in the process of thought itself. This does not mean solely the study of abstract theories but rather places a strong emphasis on the individual activity of on-going direct self-exploration on the part of both educators and students. This sustained inquiry moves through all the modes of learning and forms of creative expression.

Inquiring into the structure and content of thought in relation to itself, the body, feelings, perception and the imagination, constitutes the ground of our proposal.

- download the Art of Learning in pdf format (105KB)