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Transcending Curriculum Ideologies: Educating Human Beings Well

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Transcending Curriculum Ideologies: Educating Human Beings Well University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2008 Transcending Curriculum Ideologies: Educating Human Beings Well Kevin M. Cloninger University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Educational Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Cloninger, Kevin M., "Transcending Curriculum Ideologies: Educating Human Beings Well" (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 783. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/783 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. TRANSCENDING CURRICULUM IDEOLOGIES: EDUCATING HUMAN BEINGS WELL __________ A Dissertation Presented to the College of Education University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Kevin M. Cloninger November 2008 Advisor: P. Bruce Uhrmacher Ph. D. ©Copyright by Kevin M. Cloninger 2008 All Rights Reserved Author: Kevin Cloninger Title: Transcending Curriculum Ideologies: Educating Human Beings Well Advisor: Dr. P. Bruce Uhrmacher Degree Date: November 2008 Abstract The purpose of this dissertation is to consider the role of well-being in schooling. Recent advances in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and medicine have led to a reexamination of the role of well-being in society. There is a growing body of educational theory on the subject of well-being in schools that draws on these advances (Cohen, 2006; Noddings, 2003, 2006; Ruyter, 2004; Spring, 2007). The few serious treatments on the role of well-being in education consider it from a theoretical perspective. Few if any empirical research studies in the fields of Curriculum or Educational Psychology have been conducted that explore well-being in schools. This dissertation will use the Science of Well-Being (C. R. Cloninger, 2004), an emerging theory unifying many fields of science, to take a new look at alternative education to explore how schools can attend to the well-being of children and society. Specifically, this dissertation will investigate Krishnamurti Education using an arts-based qualitative research method: Educational Criticism and Connoisseurship (Eisner, 1998). I conducted research for roughly one month each at two Krishnamurti schools: the Oak Grove School in Ojai, California, and Brockwood Park in Hampshire, England. I made long-term observations of 9 teachers at these two schools. All told, this dissertation draws from 150 hours of observations and interviews with parents, teachers, administrators, and former students. By studying these two schools, I answer the following research questions: 1) How is well-being related to schooling? 2) In two ii schools dedicated to the ideas of well-being and self-awareness, what specific strategies and pedagogies are used to help students cultivate self-awareness and well-being? 3) What is the significance of theories and practices aimed at increasing well-being for public schools in general? In an attempt to compare the educational approaches of the two schools, five underlying principles or dimensions emerged, which both schools share. These five dimensions are: 1) Safety, Security, and Trust, 2) Order, Structure, and Activity, 3) Care, Affection, and Attention, 4) Intellect, Reasoning, and Meaning, and 5) The Sacred, Spirituality, and Religiosity. These five dimensions of schooling are essential to consider in the development of well-being. Krishnamurti schools, by attending to all of these dimensions, seek to reinvigorate communities of learning. Instead of relying exclusively on techniques, ideology, and methods, they seek to create relationships within a community. The three themes that emerged from this study inform this dimensional framework by helping us to see how well-being can be encouraged in each of these five dimensions. The three themes of love, freedom, and awareness emerged from the observations and interviews; they also appear frequently in Krishnamurti’s writings and correspond with research from the Science of Well-Being on the practices that lead to greater well-being and the development of character. The implications of this research for public education and teacher education are explored. iii Acknowledgments Writing this dissertation has helped me to understand one meanings of Donne’s oft-quoted line, “No man is an island, entire of itself.” I am indebted to the members of my committee Dr. Sarah Pessin, Dr. Paul Michalec, Dr. Janette Klingner, and Dr. Marty Tombari for their guidance, support, and encouragement through the years. In particular, I am very grateful to my primary advisor Dr. Bruce Uhrmacher, whose confidence and trust in me allowed me to chart my own course in this dissertation. Bruce has been a true mentor and colleague throughout my doctoral studies. Laurie Bennett gave me much valuable feedback and criticism throughout my graduate studies—her support was invaluable. Caitlin Lindquist also lent me much support in the final stages of the writing. I would never have written this dissertation nor even attended graduate school were it not for my father, Dr. C. Robert Cloninger. My father’s work figured prominently in this dissertation. This work is something of a family affair as our and family life often revolved around this endeavor—so much so, that my mother and my brother will also find their own lines in this text. All the members of and contributors (including those who are never mentioned) to the Anthropedia Foundation, especially Joseph Muszynski, Peter Hutchings, and Brian Keady, gave me the inspiration, support, and editorial guidance I needed to write this dissertation; I could have never written it without them. I would also like to acknowledge the life and work of Krishnamurti, whose penetrating vision of education helped me to take a fresh look at educational practice. The vision and elucidation of Krishnamurti and of all the positive philosophers who iv proceeded him are the soul of this dissertation. The depth and clarity with which they have written on the eternal laws that govern the world always humble me and remind me of what is most important. I only hope we find the courage to once again pursue well- being in the ways that they have in every era. I dedicate this dissertation to them and to the source of their wisdom. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE..............................................................................1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................1 Taking Well-Being Seriously..................................................................................................................3 The Current State of Affairs...................................................................................................................5 In the Kingdom of the Blind… .............................................................................................................11 Lost in Translation...............................................................................................................................13 What is the Difference Between Education and Schooling? ................................................................15 RATIONALE: WHY WELL BEING MATTERS ...............................................................................................20 Dealing with Global Dilemmas............................................................................................................21 Changing Hearts and Minds................................................................................................................22 SIGNIFICANCE ...........................................................................................................................................27 Serious Alternatives? ...........................................................................................................................28 Mental Health and Curriculum Studies ...............................................................................................30 THE PLAN OF THIS DISSERTATION.............................................................................................................31 CHAPTER II: HISTORICAL CONTEXT..............................................................................................33 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................33 WHAT IS WELL-BEING? ............................................................................................................................33 Integrating the Various Notions of Well-Being....................................................................................40 WHAT IS THE SCIENCE OF WELL-BEING? ..................................................................................................42 EXPLORING THE SCIENCE OF WELL-BEING ...............................................................................................46 Positive Views of Human Nature and Human Psychology ..................................................................46 Character Development and the Practices of Well-Being ...................................................................54
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