What Is Soka Education?
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This file has been cleaned of potential threats. If you confirm that the file is coming from a trusted source, you can send the following SHA-256 hash value to your admin for the original file. 284cabed60ea3b04d009902e0db777d97675c8461aa602196f331b212ca46b9f To view the reconstructed contents, please SCROLL DOWN to next page. The 10th Annual Soka Education Conference 2014 Soka University of America Aliso Viejo, California th th February 15 - 17 , 2013 Pauling 216 Disclaimer The contents of the papers included in this volume do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Soka Education Student Research Project, the members of the Soka Education Conference Committee, or Soka University of America. The papers were selected by blind submission and based on a brief proposal. Copyrights Unless otherwise indicated, the copyrights are equally shared between the author and the SESRP and articles may be distributed with consent of either part. For permission to copy a part of or the entire volume with the use of the title, SESRP must have given approval. The Soka Education Student Research Project is an autonomous organization at Soka University of America, Aliso Viejo, California. Soka Education Student Research Project (SESRP) Soka University of America 1 University Drive Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 Office: Student Affairs #316 www.sesrp.org sesrp@soka. Table of Contents Introductory Letter SESRP 2 What is Soka Education? SESRP 3 Conference Program ---- 4 Keynote Biography Winston Langley 7 Special Speaker Biographies ---- 8 Presenter Biographies ---- 10 Workshop Information ---- 15 Soka Education and Teacher Education in India: Restructuring the Life of a Teacher Swati Raj 20 Makiguchi’s Pedagogy as Applied to English Language Education in Japan Ritsuko Rita 40 Dialogic Educational Practice for Melissa Bradford 62 Development and Becoming Cassidy Bradford Padmini Hands Realizing Soka Education – Design and Implementation Shanti Hands 84 Krishanda Williams Putting the Theory into Practice: Reflections on the Implementation of Soka Mathematics Education Ryan Hayashi 103 Creating Value Through Art in Action: A Documentary of Jennifer Hayashi Edu-Culture and Hip Hop in Ecuador 130 School on a Hill: Soka, Rural America, and the Transformative Power of Education Michael Strand 142 Designing an ESP Course for University Administrative Staff Based on the Pedagogical Framework of Kazuhiro Iguchi 161 Tsunesaburo Makiguchi Soka Education as Literary Genre Maria Sanchez 199 Fostering Global Citizenship through Dramatic Art Rekha Gokhale 209 Refugee-Migrant Education and Soka Education: A Value-Creative Takako Yoshizawa 249 Approach to Practicing Global Citizenship Education Acknowledgements SESRP 268 Introduction Dear Reader, We would like to extend a warm thank you for participating in the 10th Annual Soka Education Conference taking place on February 15-17, 2014. We have been working on realizing this conference for over a year now, so it is with great pleasure that we present these three busy days to you. This booklet that you are reading will serve as a document and reminder of our 2014 conference, a final compilation of everyone’s efforts as well as a point of departure for future inquiries into Soka Education. As you know, this year marks the 10th anniversary of Soka Education Conferences. This weekend is full to the brim with the thorough research of students, alumni, faculty, and professionals across a multitude of interest focuses. This year, presentations range from education through the art of drama, hip-hop as an agent of social change, the practice of exerting social control by banning books, and a dialogue with Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, the founder of SUA, about Dewey and Soka Education, just to name a few. In addition to the academic brilliance of this conference, it is also a celebration of the progress Soka Education has made over the decades. With every conference, we become more and more curious as to how Soka Education or humanistic education in general is being implemented in communities around the world, in both traditional and non-traditional educational spheres. As this conference marks the 10th year of providing an academic venue for people to come together to discuss Soka Education and humanistic education at SUA, we hope that this discussion will increasingly incorporate experiences of the theoretical and tangible applications of humanistic education. We hope to partake in this historic conference with you and set the tone of humanistic education for decades to come. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Winston Langley, who currently serves as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston, working to deepen the culture of research and the quality of a student-centered education. His fields of interest include human rights, international relations, religion, and international political power structures. Dr. Langley's publications on human rights have received numerous awards, including Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award and Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights Award for Outstanding Book on Human Rights in North America. We are excited to say the least to share this experience with Dr. Langley and to hear his impressions and directions of humanistic education. In addition to Dr. Langley, we will have two SUA alumni, Simon Hoffding and Gonzalo Obelleiro, join us for a special conjoined facilitation of a discussion on Soka Education, value, and creativity. Two Dewey scholars, Dr. Jim Garrison and Dr. Larry Hickman, will also be joining us to present their research on their dialogue with Dr. Ikeda. Finally, Jason Goulah will be presenting his research, called “Soka Education or Human[istic] Education: A Historical and Bicultural Analysis of Daisaku Ikeda’s Educational Philosophy and Practice.” We are so grateful to have such an amazing lineup of guest speakers alongside the SUA students and alumni. From around the corner or across the world, thank you so much for coming to the 10th Annual Soka Education Conference. We sincerely appreciate the continued support of the students, faculty, alumni, family, and community members in understanding more deeply the significance of humanistic education in today’s world. Please enjoy this booklet and all its contents. We hope to see you next year! Warmly,Soka Education Student Research Project 2 | P a g e What is Soka Education? What is Soka Education? The starting point and essence of Soka education is the spirit to treasure each student individually so that they can become happy and enjoy a glorious future. Education does not exist for the sake of the nation, for business, or for religion. The aim of Soka education is the happiness of oneself and others, as well as society as a whole, and peace for all humanity. - Daisaku Ikeda, Founder of Soka University of America Soka Education was founded by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944), a Japanese educator in the early 20th century. Emerging out of 40 years of classroom experience, Soka Education is one of the first full-fledged educational theories ever put forward by a Japanese elementary school principal. Soka (創価) is derived from the Japanese characters “sozo” (creation) and “kachi” (value), and literally means value creation. Soka education seeks to empower students to perceive value in every aspect of life. A key element of Soka Education is the quality of the relationship between teacher and student. Rather than exercise authority over the students, teachers are expected to engage in the learning process and grow together with the students. Thus, Soka education is not a mere injection of knowledge, but a humanistic process that nurtures wisdom and enables the individual's potential to bloom to the fullest. The teacher’s genuine care and concern for the student, and their efforts to nurture the unique character and potential of each learner, make up the heart of Soka education. Makiguchi established this pedagogy based on his firm belief that the happiness of children should be the purpose of education. This was a radical idea in Japanese society, oppressed under fascist militarism before and during the war. Individuals were forced to place precedence upon national prestige rather than their own happiness, and children were taught at school to serve that purpose. It was against this backdrop that Makiguchi advocated that the happiness of children be the utmost priority of education. Today Soka education is being practiced globally: in Japan the Soka education system encompasses kindergarten through university; in the United States, Soka University of America was founded in California; and there are Soka Kindergartens in Brazil, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, as well as other parts of the world. The Soka Education Student Research Project (SESRP) is a student-initiated and student-run project at Soka University of America. Project members engage in the study, research, and exhibition of Soka Education as a unique educational philosophy. The purpose of SESRP is: - To inspire individuals to embody and perpetuate the spirit of Soka Education - To create a community united in protecting the values of Soka Education - To encourage thorough and rigorous research into the meaning, possibilities, and development of Soka Education The objectives of the SESRP are: - To establish Soka Education as an acknowledged field of research - To develop a centralized source and venue for information and discussion on Soka Education To build and maintain relationships with