In this inquiry I focus on the philosophical framework that could guide educational programmes seeking the moral empowerment of students—the systematic development of the capacity to pursue their own intellectual and spiritual growth and to engage actively in the long-term transformation of their communities, two inseparable aspects of a twofold purpose. Moral empowerment, it is proposed, cannot be achieved by raising political consciousness alone or by pursuing moral education as activity isolated from other components of the overall curriculum. The iterative process through which the individual and the environment are transformed is in need of the full force of knowledge. The inquiry draws on the experience of Fundacion para la Aplicacion y Ensenanza de las Ciencias, FUNDAEC, a Band'i inspired organization in Colombia, in order to identify the essential elements of the evolving conceptual framework under consideration. Nurturing understanding is argued to be central to the desired educational process, necessitating a critical examination of the `subject' and the 'object' of understanding, and how the 'process of understanding' is shaped by them. Nurturing understanding must go hand in hand with the development of a number of spiritual qualities. For this to be achieved, the historical view holding science and religion in opposition should give way to the perspective that they are two complementary systems of knowledge and practice. The integration of knowledge into the content of the teaching-learning experience demands that sharp division between the cognitive and the motivational, between reason and faith, be avoided. The concept of 'capability' discussed in relation to both being and doing, is presented as an effective strategy for this purpose, with the potential to overcome certain dichotomies prevalent in educational thought and practice.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:273011 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | So, Damon Wai Kwan |
| Publisher | Oxford Centre for Mission Studies |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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