Transformative Education and The School System

�Context

How can our schools be cultural spaces against ecological degradation, poverty, and gender insensitivity?gender insensitivity?

How can our schools be liminal spaces of human creativity and imagination to respond to challenges of our times?

Paradigm shift�This situation calls for a paradigm shift in the system of education towards �an instructional system that is transformative in its culture;transformative in its culture;

�an educational system that creates a balance between knowledge acquisition and values formation and

� places an equal focus on personal achievement and social responsibility(Gonzales, et al, 2002).

transformative- based education requires a redesigning of a school system �the mission-vision-goals � complemented by a set of core values; � complemented by a set of core values; � organization/ governance system; � institutional culture and climate; �curriculum program and �the human and material support system. � (Duderstatd 2000) A Tale of Power & Vision.flv

School Vision, Mission, and Core Values: Bedrock of Transformative Education

� Administrators will have to revisit, review and rearticulate their schools Vision-Mission- Goal (VMG) statement and to evolve their core values.

The core values are to be incorporated � The core values are to be incorporated into the teaching program across key learning areas.

� The school may consider to map a new educational agenda oriented to the vision of God’s reign of justice, peace and integrity of creation.

TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION AND VALUES

FORMATION TOWARD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

�The mission is to make teaching social

responsibility a core practice in

education so that young people

develop the convictions and skills to

shape a safe, sustainable, democratic,

and just world.

�This challenge raises questions about

content and how schools are

structured.

� It demands a balance between

personal competence and social skills

and social responsibility.

�This effort can renew a sense of

purpose and meaning among

educators (Berman, 1992).

Transformative Education and the Curricular Program or the

school’s instructional program.

� Strategizing curriculum program

� includes review and revision of the

traditional curriculumtraditional curriculum

� reorganization towards integrating

strong transformative elements,

especially the content areas.

Curriculum Content Major Themes

�The major themes consist of:� Justice and Peace Education

� Environment Education� Environment Education

� Engaged Citizenship

� Poverty Reduction

� Gender Sensitivity

� Youth Empowerment

�The desired outcome of

transformative education is a

transformed student who could

improved society, an integrated,

wholistic, God-loving person a

Desired outcome

wholistic, God-loving person a

builder of family and community.

�The school will need to match the

requirements of the student to

challenge him / her to seek

leadership for a sustainable

future. (de Jesus, 2007)

In short, the outcome of transformative

education is a transformed person,

commissioned in turn to transform society

(de Jesus, 2007).

The Transformative Teacher

� Teachers who know and believe in the power

of transformation are the ones capable of

moulding the soul, mind and heart of the moulding the soul, mind and heart of the

school’s institutional processes and structures

so that these reflect the school’s aspiration to

be a living arena of cultural transformation.

Two aspects

� Witnessing the transformative process

demands from teachers two fundamental

things:

�1) that they, as persons, are examples of �1) that they, as persons, are examples of

transformation as a lifelong process; and

� 2)they teach transformatively.

� In the transformative teacher, BEING TRANSFORMATIVE

and EDUCATING TRANSFORMATIVELY become one.

• Transformation towards right relationships is a

lifelong experience, process and commitment

that ask to be embraced as one of life’s realities.

• This movement towards right relationships has • This movement towards right relationships has

brought about the growing awareness about

human rights, environmental advocacies, gender

sensitivity, poverty reduction, youth

empowerment, and engaged citizenship.

VOCATION

�Teaching becomes a vocation when

one grows into appreciating how

one’s involvement in the education

process impacts society at an

individual, social and ecological individual, social and ecological

level, and embraces the

responsibility of such an impact as

a lifelong commitment.

�Teaching becomes a way of life

when one’s craft as a teacher is

expressed whatever one’s

profession or involvement.

For a transformative teacher, the

academic is seen in relation to real

life, not only in terms of its

application but also its responsible

impact in society and the earth.

Educating Transformatively—Inviting Students to

Experience the Transformative Process

• The basic dynamics of eco/human

community that students need to

understand are: interrelatedness,

interdependence and

interconnectedness. interconnectedness. A True Teacher.flv

ANIMATOR

�A teacher’s role is to be animator and usher of students into community living.

� Interrelatedness focuses on how each one is related to everything else in the community. community.

� Interdependence highlights the need of each one for the other and the role of each one in the wellbeing of the whole community.

� Interconnectedness stresses how each one’s actions or decisions affects others and the whole community.

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING AND

REFLECTION – CO-LEARNER

� Teachers best develop integrative learning

and reflection when they are co-learners

with their students in an atmosphere of

acceptance, wellbeing and concern, open to

the variety of talents, gifts, and personhood the variety of talents, gifts, and personhood

of all.

� Participation is evoked in this kind of

atmosphere, allowing genuine dialogue to

guide the learning process towards critical

inquiry and conscientious reflection about

the realities in the world and themselves.

CHALLENGER

� Radical imagination is

cultivated when the

transformative teacher guides

the students in seeing and

naming the root causes of a

situation, not just the

symptoms.symptoms.

� The transformative teacher

acts as a challenger who

motivates the students to

imagine alternatives to the

situation that needs to be

changed.

Mentor

• A transformative teacher is a mentor to students, guiding them in appreciating how their giftedness, talents and skills are God-given and skills are God-given capacities to be constantly honed, expressed with humility and used in the service of the wider community.

COMPASSIONATE HEART

�Transformative teachers hone in

their students a compassionate heart.

�A transformative teacher will hone

compassionate hearts most

effectively through his/her way of life

that exhibits transformation both in

the personal and professional

dimensions.

� Being transformative is an experience in

actively participating in the fulfilment of actively participating in the fulfilment of

God’s dream for all peoples—a world that is

just, peaceful, and harmonious.

� The transformative teacher journeys as a

faith companion of students as they,

together, co-create God’s world. [YOUTUBE-HQ]-

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