Values and the Search for Self.' Reinhold Niebuhr
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DOCUMENT-RESUME' ED 110 435 SP 009 425 AUTHOR Bellanca, games A. TITLE Values and the'Search for Self. INSTITUTION National Edfication Association, Washington,' D.C. PUB DATE' 75 NOT 110p. , AVAILABLE FROM National Education Association, 1201 Sixteenth Street, a,W., Washington, D.C. 20036 (Stock No. 1356-5-00, no Ofice quoted) ss EDRS PRICE MF-10:76 PLUS POSTAGE. HCNNot Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Effective Teaching; Interpersonal Competence; Interpersonal Relationship; *Personal Values; *Relevance (Education); *Self Concept; Self Esteem; *Self Evaluation; ,*Values IDENTIFIERS *ExperientialI,earning ABSTRACT # P The purpose of thisThook is to help the reader to become a more effective facilitator of learning. Based on the assumption that the most valuable learning is founded in self-knowledge lind a resultant knoiledge of others, the book presents a view of teaching as helping and caring withl'a supportive yet flexible, structure. It states that the goal of each individual is the ability to direct his/her own learning. Such an ability involves a five step process of (a) exercising personal control,(b) assessing needs,(c) setting up goals,(d) ,using resources, and(e) evaluating outcomes. The ideas, suggestions, models, and strategy outlines contained in the text are designed to help the reader toward a self-knowledge that will enhance his/her knowledge of individual learners, in such a way that those learners may ultimately be made as fltdependent and Self directing as possible. The book progreSsesifrom an initial examination of the reader's personal values and positions on key questions to suggestions and strategies that may help the reader lead others toward-the self-knowledge and the development,of effective relationships with others that togethel constitute the measure of relevance. This book contains,many valuing-forms to be thought over and filled in, metaphors to be reflected upon, activities, and simulations. (RC) ********************************************************************* Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality *" * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available *. * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is. not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions *\ * supplied by EDPS are the best that can be made from the original. *********************************************************************** 'or , iihes the JI O by Jaws A.Bellanea V 1 DEPARTMENT OF MEAL T14 EDUCATIONS. wELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION DOCUMENT HAS BEEN RE PRO ()urn) EXACTLY AS PE(ErvE0 LPOM PERSON OR ORGANIZATION JPO,N ,N0 IT PCHNTS OF vIEA, OP OPINIONS ',ALEC) DO NOT NECESSARILY PEPPL NT Orr ICIAL NATIONAL INST111111 DI FO TrONPOS,01,4OR 001 C1 I Rd. National Education Association Washington, D.C. Previously published material used in this book may The publisher gratefully acknowledges permission to use the pronoun "he" to denote an abstract indi- repent from the following vidual, e g. ''the student We have not attempted to alterthismaterial,although we currentlyuse From "The Hollow Men'" in Collected Poems, "she/he" to such instances. 1909-1962 by T S. Eliot Reprinted by permission of NEA Publishing Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc From I Seem To Be a Verb by R Buckminster Fuller with Jerome Agel and Quentin Fiore. By permission Copyright 1975 of Bantam Books National Education Association of the United States From "Breath in My Nosinls" by 1,ance Jeffers from When I Know the Power of My Black Iland,© 1974 by Stock Non 1356 500 Broadside Press. By permission of Broadside Press. From The Medium Is the Massage by Marshall tvIcLuhaii and Quentin Fiore(t.') by Marshall Mc- Luhan Quentin Fiore, and Jerome Agel. By permis- Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data sion of Bantam Books From Religion and Freedom of 'Thought tw Perry Mil, Bellanca, James A 1937 - ler, Robert L. Calhoun, Nathan M. Pusey and Values and the search for self.' Reinhold Niebuhr. Doubleday & ComOnyinc it 1954 by the Union Theological Seminary By permis- 1 Moral education 1.Title. sion of Doubleday & Company. Inc LC268.B13 370 11'4 75-12724 From On Becoming a Person A Therapist's View of ISBN 0-8106-1356-5 Psychotherapy by Carl R. Rogers. (4.) 1961. By pemus= sion of Houghton Mifflin Company From Seven Arrows by Hyemeyohsts Storm,Ilarper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1972. By permission of Harper & Row From The Pursuit of Loneliness 1, 1970 by Philip E. Slater Reprinted by permission of Beacon Press From Learning for Tomorrow by Alvin Toffler, editor. Reprinted by pennission of Random House. From The Art (,f Loving by Erich Fromm « 1956 by Erich Fromm By permission of Harper & Row Dub- lishers Inc. From De;atli of a Salesnum by Arthur Miller 1949 by Arthur Miller. Reprinted by permission of The Viking Press, Inc From "Four Songs of Life by Ray Young Bear. 1971 by South Dakota Review By permission of South Dakota Review 77/ , Table of Contents Chapter Page Preface 5 An Introduction 7 1 Searching For Identity 9 2 , Beginning The Process 20 3 Assessing Needs 31 - 4 Getting In Touch 39 5 Questioning Assumptions And Beliefs 46 6 Perceiving Relationships 52 7 Deciding so 8 Setting Goals 68 9 Finding Resources 74 10 Controlling Learning 81 11 r Evaluating 89 12 Facilitating The Learning Process 95 13 Creating Personal Structures 102 It. 14 Changing 109 Preface teacher-facilitator also helps individuals func- tion effectively in groups by guiding them to The purpose of this book is to help the reader engage in smergetic effort the cooperative especially the classrbom-teacher .to become use of their individual skills toward., s ific a more effective facilitator of learning. Based on goals agreed on by the group. By buil, ng a the assumption that the most valuable learning support climate, the facilitator can lead stu ents is founded in self-knowledge and a resultant to an understanding of the difficult roles indi- knowledge of others, the book presents a view viduals play in a group and how to vary those of teaching as helping and caring within a sup- roles for effective action. Related to this is the portive but flexible structure. In this view, the idea that exploratory thinking to help tb, mind goal of each individual teacher or student is the generate alternatives enables an individual to ability to direct heilhis own learning. Such an "make something from nothing" I an ability ability involves a five-step process of exercising that is in the truest sense creative. It is clear that personal control, assessing needs, setting up this very ability is vitally needed at a time when goals, using resource, and evaluating out- our future both immediate and distant re- comes. quires not only realistic prediction, but also in- Being a good teacher-facilitator necessitates a genious problemsolving that may not have knowledge of one's own attitudes, teaching much in the way of tradition to support it. style, and skills, and a willingness and ability to The movement of the book, then, is from an evaluate oneself. In fact, self-knowledge and initial examination of the reader's personal:val- self-evaluation are essential to the role ofues and positions on key questions to sugges- teacher-helper. For this reason, the ideas, sug- tions and strategies that may help the reader gestionsnodels,,,, and strategy outlines con- lead others toward the self-knowledge and the tained it tfieext are designed to help the readerdevelopment of effective relationships with toward a self- nowledge that will enhanceothers that together constitute the measure of her/his knowlee of individual learners, in relevance. Teacher and student become change such a way that the learners_miy ultimately agents with the ability tq direct events, rather be made as indepennt-ind sell-directing as than submit to the unstructured chaos so many possible., people fear may overtake our society. Few of us would deny that valuing is one of Whether the reader wishes to read the book the cornerstones of self-knowledge. Building on straight through, from cover-to-cover, or to dip this major social belief, the author helps the into it at random wherever words or phrases reader explore the interrelationships of valuing, seem particularly relevant or tempting, the ac- thinking, and feeling that make self-directed tivities simulations, to be learning possible for both teacher and learner; thought over and_filledin,in, metaphors to be re- In accepting the premise that what one values .flected on will be invitations to a participation. determines the choices that one makes, the au- with the author in a creative quest. Such par- thor also accepts the corrolary belief that choices ticipation can lead to the satisfaction and pleas- or decisions only have value if they are carried ure that come from a sudden, increasing illumi- into action., ' nation not only that of expanded personal In developing the idea of process, the authorknowledge but also that of a constantly deepen- leads the reader to realize that, in addition toing knowledge and appreciation of other helping the learner function independently, the human beings._ i An Introduction myself as a helper, a facilitator, a giver of sup- port who has mastered certain skills and tech- V5 niqtles which work for me in certain circum- Writing this introduction highlights certain stances but not always. I can no more direct ambiguities I have had since I began writing the you by providing magic formulas orabsolute first pagesof this book. On the one hand, I hesi- recipes than I can waste students' time with a tate to dilute an experience, especially the ex- moralizing lecture. In ,this spirit, I have used perience I have wanted to create, by describing Strategies and methods, adapted to print-form, in the expository mode what that experience which I feel will help you discover yourself, should be; on the other hand, I must realize that your values, and your stance on key issues.