[MGSA-L] Educational institutions for a more humanistic world

[June Samaras]

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite6_1_08/05/2014_539551

Educational institutions for a more humanistic world


By Stefanos Gialamas*

Societal change, due to the complexity of its functioning and globalization
in many diverse and multiple dimensions, demands a different type of
citizen. People need to live, work, develop and seek happiness locally
under a global influence. Many previously well-established principles and
values need to be questioned, re-examined and possibly challenged.

The development and nurturing of the new local or global individual
requires the acquisition of different competencies, the mastering of new
skills, and the ability to operate under a more complex set of rules, in
order to feel conscientious about protecting the environment and be
compassionate about a fellow citizen who might reside on a different
continent. How do we prepare young people for such a demanding life? What
kind of an educational experience should they receive, and what are the
appropriate universal principles and values that must guide their actions
personally and professionally?

>From an educational leadership perspective, the questions that accumulate
experientially include: What curriculum and learning objectives do we need?
Does it require a new way of assessing learning? What personal qualities
and characteristics do faculty members need? Who is it that should define
these principles and values? What are the desirable qualities of educated
people if they are to serve humanity?

The author defined educational experience as “the complete learning
experience obtained from students’ academic, physical, spiritual and civic
responsibilities” (S. Gialamas and P. Pelonis, 2009). Definitely, to answer
all or some or many of these questions, we need to engage the minds of
students, staff, faculty, administration, parents and friends of an
academic institution with the underlying commitment to serve the family,
the community, the nation and the world.
Innovation and authentic leadership approaches are the enabling objectives
to provide students with a unique, meaningful, high-quality, holistic
educational experience. Students will then use their academic knowledge to
exercise wisdom in their decision making as they become the keepers of the
future of the planet.

The educational institutions of the future require the following pillars:

– Innovative leadership
– Meaningful curriculum and delivery modalities
– Faculty as leaders
– Ethos

Innovative leadership

Innovative leadership is the continuous act of effectively engaging all
members of the institution, as well as utilizing their differences, their
authentic energies, creative ideas and diverse qualities primarily for the
benefit of the students and also for every other constituency of the
institution.

This type of leadership has three dimensions:

1. Interpersonal: Inspiring all members of the institution (constituencies)
to strive for excellence to reach their maximum potential, guiding and
motivating them toward exceptional performance, while being the example of
inspiration and instilling confidence in advance for success.

2. Setting standards: Establishing the standards for good conduct, serving
as a model for meeting these standards, being laureates for truth and
beauty and modeling integrity and ethos (as defined by the ancient Greeks).
Ethos in Greek means “character” – the guiding beliefs or ideals that
characterize a community. Ethos is also a disposition that reflects the
fundamental values peculiar to a specific person, cultural group, community
or movement. According to Aristotle, the chief components of a compelling
ethos are good will, practical wisdom and virtue. Virtue is moral
excellence, righteousness and goodness.

3. Serving humanity: Education requires an emphasis on the entire civic
spectrum, stemming from social awareness and interest to social engagement
and commitment.

The author defines social commitment to a cause as a pledge to benefit the
human condition. Striving for the betterment of a situation or enhancing
quality of life then becomes a way of life for students, as they also
develop a positive mind-set toward improving any necessary aspect of
society.

Innovative leadership implies a willingness to accept and live with a
certain amount of risk because it involves taking risks with new ideas that
have not been tried and could fail.

Similarly, it means a willingness to work with half-developed ideas with
the flexibility and resilience to constantly adjust the rules and
parameters as these ideas develop.

The curriculum must be directly related to what makes it relevant,
exciting, current and congruent with the needs of the local and global
community. Such a curriculum comprises four inseparable and integrated
components (S. Gialamas, A. Cherif, S. Keller, A. Hansen, 2000):

Skills: Acquiring new skills and mastering existing skills

Critical thinking: Developing decision-making competencies for problem
solving

Relevance: Relating competencies to the learner’s environment

Inspiration: Expressing the understanding of complex concepts in a unique
and refreshing way

In addition, the curriculum must not reflect any local cultural bias and
must be reviewed often.

Today, with all the available teaching and learning tools, delivery options
are endless. It is a technological paradise for any faculty member who is
really committed to providing the best educational experience to students.
“Face-to-face” teaching and learning now can be enhanced with so many
online opportunities (simulations, virtual environments, videos etc).

Moreover, one can teach complex topics without needing a costly
environment. For example, one can teach DNA replications, analysis and the
effects of inserting certain enzymes without being in an expensive
laboratory but having access to virtual labs and simulation tools.

Student assessment must be congruent with the curriculum and the learning
objectives.

Faculty as leaders

Faculty that promote and foster innovation are those that have a high
degree of social interest, are open to new ideas and have the courage to
try different teaching methods.

They are:

– Inspired to develop new ideas in teaching and learning
– Committed to explore why and how these ideas will benefit student learning
– Focused to identify needed resources for implementing these ideas
– Determined to establish authentic and diverse tools assessing student
learning

It is the distinct responsibility of all academic institutions to immerse
their students, faculty, staff and administration into a community of
learners that exemplify appropriate behavior within and outside of the
institution’s facilities. In other words, institutions can aspire to
establish, embrace and foster a holistic approach to ethics with clearly
defined standards and a mechanism for implementing these standards. In this
way, a balance can be established between the right of an individual
community member and the right of the community as a whole. As a result,
students, in particular, will develop their character and personality in an
environment conducive to academic success, personal growth and civic
responsibility and accountability.

Therefore, establishing a student “Honor Code” becomes a natural
progression, especially when it is created for students, by students with
the expectation that all school members will respect and abide by it,
making it a way of life for all.

The Honor Code is based on the simple idea that, when given the chance,
people will do the right thing. Traditionally, the Honor Code has been
implemented in many universities across the US and the author strongly
believes that it is time to implement it in every JK-12 environment. At the
American Community Schools of Athens (ACS Athens) a student-driven
initiative has begun to establish and implement a student Honor Code system
of integrity.

One might ask why students should spearhead such an initiative. Students
must be able to internalize that the educational institution is a
microcosmic model of ethical behavior. By understanding that influencing
others to do the right thing is beneficial to everyone, they can ultimately
influence others in the local community to act in the same direction. This
implies that each person takes responsibility for their behavior and acts
according to an internal value system rather than an external
reward/punishment system.

In simple terms, the Honor Code is a code of conduct fostering ethics,
integrity and maturity in the classroom and on campus. These high standards
for classroom and campus conduct can promote and encourage trust, maturity
and ethical decision-making outside and inside the classroom.

In the classroom, it establishes and maintains clear academic standards for
student conduct and etiquette; it models high standards in teaching,
learning and interaction between teachers and students.

Outside the classroom, it establishes and maintains clear standards for
student conduct on campus or school sponsored events outside campus; it
also encourages appreciation and respect for fellow students, faculty,
staff, school property and the school environment.

The student body that implements and guards the Honor Code is the Judicial
Review Board, which comprises students and faculty advisers.

Developing a more humanistic world requires that the great educational
institutions of the future will not be more of the same as defined today.
They will be the ones preparing young people to serve humanity. Effective
schools will be those that are proactive instead of reactive to the drastic
changes in society. If they can teach and inspire students to develop the
wisdom to transform static academic knowledge into social, ethical,
economic, environmental intelligence, then the sustainability of quality of
life can be greatly improved for people around the globe.

An educational institution exists for only one purpose: to provide its
students with the best educational experience possible. To do that,
students must recognize and maintain a healthy boundary and balance between
the right of an individual community member and the right of the community
as a whole.

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* Stefanos Gialamas, PhD, is president of the American Community Schools of
Athens.

References
S. Gialamas (2012) Educational Philosophy and the String Theory,
International School Magazine, Autumn and Spring, Volume 14. Issue 2, 2012
S. Gialamas and P. Pelonis (2009) Preparing Students for the College
Experience, Academic Leadership the online Journal, April 2009
S. Gialamas, A. Cherif, S. Keller, A. Hansen (2000): Using Guided Inquiry
to Teach Mathematical Concepts, the Illinois Teacher Journal, Vol. 51,
No.1, Fall 2000

ekathimerini.com , Thursday May 8, 2014 (19:58)

--------------------------------------
June Samaras
2020 Old Station Rd
Streetsville,Ontario
Canada L5M 2V1
Tel : 905-542-1877
E-mail : june.samaras at gmail.com
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