BAND43 Noemi Bravená
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43 ormation BAND43 This interdisciplinary book sets forth the goal of introducing and criti- F cally addressing a new paradigm of thought based on the concepts of transcending, transcendence, and overlap as well as defining these terms in reference to children, their personality, and socialization. For many readers the concept of transcendence is mainly identified with the fields of theology or philosophy. This book seeks to demonstrate that the concept of transcendence is intricately connected with psy- Noemi Bravená ocialization and chology, the philosophy of education, and general pedagogy. It aims S to discover unity in plurality and to define the term “transcendence” in relation to the educational process. The author raises the ques- tion whether transcendence (“not being con cerned o nly with one’s own self”) is a concept of cross-curricular education and whether every school subject is able to develop the transcendent dimension of children, an important dimension which the author calls the com- “Do Not Be CoNCERNED ONLY ABOUT Yourself …” petence of higher-order thinking. Here a new pedagogical paradigm TRANSCENDENCE AND ITS IMPORtanCE FOR THE is defined with the support of some Czech authors (Helus, Spilková, Patočka, Pelcová, etc.) and several quotations from the Czech cur- SOCIALIZatiON AND FORMatiON OF A CHILD’s PERSONALITY riculum; thus, a careful reflection upon this significant work will allow the reader to recognize that this new paradigm is applicable in any country of the world where the state has a primary interest in pro- moting the flourishing of human values and pursuing that which is considered good by society. Religious pedagogy is embedded in the entire array of fields aimed at developing the transcendent dimen- sion of children, and therefore it plays an equal role within the overall framework of the education of children. and Its Importance for the Transcendence ISBN 978-3-7376-0436-9 ISBN 978-3-7376-0436-9 Noemi Bravená 9 783737 604369 Beiträge zur Kinder- und Jugendtheologie Band 43 Herausgegeben von Prof. Dr. Petra Freudenberger-Lötz Institut für Evangelische Theologie an der Universität Kassel Noemi Bravená “Do Not Be Concerned Only About Yourself…” Transcendence and its Importance for the Socialization and Formation of a Child's Personality kassel university press Bibliographic information published by Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. ISBN 978-3-7376-0436-9 (print) ISBN 978-3-7376-0437-6 (e-book) DOI: http://dx.medra.org/10.19211/KUP9783737604376 URN: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0002-404370 © 2019, kassel university press GmbH, Kassel www.upress.uni-kassel.de Umschlaggestaltung: Jörg Batschi Grafik Design Druck und Verarbeitung: docupoint GmbH, Barleben Printed in Germany “Do Not Be Concerned Only About Yourself…” Transcendence and Its Importance for the Socialization and Formation of a Child's Personality Noemi Bravená This monograph is the outcome of a research activity supported by GAUK grant No. 330411: “Transcendence and Its Importance for Socializing and Forming a Child as a Personality, the Institutional Plan of the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University and the Progress Project Q01 Theology as a Way of Interpreting History, Traditions and Contemporary Society. 1 Abstract The aim of this interdisciplinary monograph concerning a child's transcending is to make the multivocal concept of educational reality more easily accessible. In the theoretical part the concept of transcendence is analyzed from the point of view of linguistics, the philosophy of education, psychology, and religious pedagogy. The influence on upbringing is also pointed out clearly. The thesis further develops the concept of the ideal homo transcendens; care and concern for the transcending of educators, children, and the curriculum is also discussed. Keywords transcendence, transcending, overlap, socialization, formation, personality, child, spirituality, interdisciplinary, turning education, child-centered education, pedocentrism of the new generation, pedagogy of “turning toward the child” 2 dedicated to Zdeněk Helus and Vladimíra Spilková Motto “Personality-developing education is the learning process which helps a student learn through his personality and develops his personality as well. It orients and guides the student toward learning as a comprehensive insight into the world and his place and personal mission in it. By widening and deepening his understanding of the world and his place in it through education, a person is able to accept both his position in the world and his shared responsibility for the world. He realizes and actualizes his mission here, attains competence here, and achieves his self-transcendence here.” Zdeněk Helus 3 Translator's Note Dr. Noemi Bravená has provided us with a very important work indeed. Her extensive research and myriad of cited sources make a significant contribution to the field of pedagogy by focusing on child-centered education and personality development expressed most clearly in the “turning toward the child” educational framework. This “turning” demonstrates a recognition of the real problems found in the current educational situation as well as the multitude of opportunities for making necessary improvements. There is no doubt that her work will make a remarkable impact and influence future considerations in a variety of educational contexts, curriculum development, approaches to teacher training, and practical dialogue in the classroom. Because her interdisciplinary work draws from a wide number of fields and subjects, some key terms may be used quite differently depending on their immediate context – whether theological, psychological, pedagogical, philosophical, etc. Although many specialized terms are interchangeable, relevant distinctions between them should still be noted (e.g, relationship or relation). For example, transcendence/transcending, crossover/crossing over, outreach/reaching out, overlap/overlapping, overcoming, exceeding, and going beyond are all related to the central idea of a person's activity of transcending. In addition, the concept of a self is often expressed as I and is normally used in the context of the relational paradigm of I and You. As each cited author used a different approach, it was hard to maintain any consistency in translating gender pronouns, so I have merely followed each author's own choice of words in using he, she, man, human being, person, etc. May the reader always remember that translators provide a great service to those who are unable to read in the original language. We are certainly not perfect, but a good translator will try his best to help the reader grasp the logos, pathos, and ethos of the author's original text. Although this work is an academic monograph, its overall style and content is very understandable. Most importantly, Bravená notes that “the inability to have personal experiences with everything justifies dialogue as a mutual sharing, co-discovery, and co-creation” (13.5.1). Thus, it is our sincere hope that this English translation will serve as an inspiration for You the reader to realize the importance of transcendence for your own personality, and that you will “not be concerned only about yourself” but seek and learn to encounter, engage in dialogue, mutually share, discover, and create together. Angelo Shaun Franklin 4 Foreword This book presents the concept of human transcendence as one of the aspects of the new Czech pedagogical paradigm – a pedocentrism of the new generation. Its contribution to the global context of thinking about child-centered education is that it offers an interdisciplinary definition of the concept of transcendence. A more expanded essay developed from the positions of various disciplines was not the intent of this book. I aimed to demonstrate that the concept of transcendence has been considered and discovered in different fields and that there is a unified idea among them, even despite the multitude of definitions. The notion of transcendence is not only a concept relegated to theology or philosophy, but it can also become an integrative element and the main goal of education in all countries. Its main idea is striving for a higher meaning and purpose and the greater good of individuals, society, and the entire planet Earth. In this sense, an interdisciplinary understanding of the concept of transcendence provides a metaparadigm which individual societies and states can fulfill through their educational content and cultural specifics. The idea of transcendence (outreach/overlap) is one of the main aspects of the pedagogical paradigm known as “turning toward the child” education, which has become a new paradigm of primary education in our country. What is transcendence and overlap? Does the child need it and how is it related to the child's education? The purpose of this book is to focus on that sphere which is beyond human beings and yet still a part of our everyday lives. This book presents a challenge for us to think about what this higher It actually is and calls us to ask pertinent questions concerning whether or not even this everyday It could possibly be something higher. I will endeavor to find the answer to the question “what is transcendence?” and how it relates to the Latin concept of transcendere. I will also investigae the idea of non-egocentricism