The document presents the "SunWALK" model of education developed by Dr. Roger Prentice over 12 years. The model sees education as the storied development of meaning through wise and willing action, loving and knowing, in community. It is based on three core aspects of being human - caring, creativity, and criticality. The model aims to simplify education around nurturing these three "primary colors" of the human spirit in students.

1. ‘ SunWALK’ a new humanistic model as the foundation for holistic education and social development by Dr Roger Prentice

8. For me education is about the (reciprocal) nurturing of the human spirit, to A) help each other grow toward our perfection, and B) to contribute positively toward social enrichment & social justice. Together these = the core ethic.

11. Q. - What is the 50 word version of SunWALK? The one sentence version of The SunWALK model of spiritualizing pedagogy (learning & teaching) sees human education as the:- storied development of meaning , constructed, and de-constructed , physically, mentally & spiritually , through Wise & Willing Action, via Loving and Knowing – developed in Community through Dialectical Spiritualization processes (in all 4Cs) – all undertaken in the light of the ‘ Sun’ of (chosen) higher-order values and beliefs , using the best available, appropriate, content.

13. 1 - storied development: ‘ Narrative has been described as a primary act of mind; children construct their world through story. This process should be an active experience, involving questioning, problem solving, hypothesising and imagining.' Cox Report English 5-11, Nov. 1988 ‘ It is not enough to get the big story inside the student but we also have to get the student inside the big story.’ Parker Palmer from Courage to Teach Being human, in the world, with others, is the ‘new’ grand narrative for education.

16. 2 - the storied development of MEANING : The humanity (or lack of it) of humans lies in the meaning they make. Making meaning is the essential characteristic of being human. Teaching & learning that is rich in meaning making = happiness. By meaning I mean the fulfilling of needs through achieving purpose, significantly in Caring, Creativity, Criticality - in Community We make meaning in teaching & learning through constructing and deconstructing texts – via different forms of dialogue.

19. 5 - through Wise & Willing Action Within SunWALK, by wisdom I mean; the state of maturity in which one can think and feel and act from a ’large picture perspective’, informed by sufficient experience, and by love and knowledge, and other such virtues of heart and mind.

20. 6 - through Wise & Willing Action Will is seen as the ability to focus energy on a goal. The goal is (right) action conditioned by Wisdom. The answers to alienation are identity and purpose. Identity and purpose = having satisfactory answers to ‘Who am I’ and to ‘What is my life for’. Identity and purpose generate the will for (right) action. Spirituality is the source of the will to act morally.

21. 7 - through Wise & Willing Action Action as experiential learning. Action as service learning The goal is (right) action conditioned by Wisdom. The answers to alienation are identity and purpose. Identity and purpose = having satisfactory answers to ‘Who am I’ and to ‘What is my life for’ – and people to care for as well as vice versa. Identity and purpose generate the will for (right) action.

22. 8 – via Loving and Knowing – We are no where without love/loving. Love/loving binds us. Love/loving enables us. Love/loving makes knowing possible. ‘ Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe’. (`Abdu'l-Baha: Selections p. 27)‏ Knowledge needs to shift to knowing.

23. 9 – via Loving and Knowing – The primary need is still the shift from a narrow, male-dominated view of knowledge and knowing to knowledge and knowing that is legitimised from Caring and Creativity and Community as well as Criticality There is also the need for a shift from knowledge as ‘stuff out there’ to knowing as a state of being and doing

24. 10 – developed in community through Community contexts for learning and teaching are inevitable but still under-used and ethnocentric.

25. 11 – Dialectical Spiritualization processes all DS is the name I give to the process of multi-level dialogue used to create intensive learning in the context of moral and spiritual development.

26. 12 - all undertaken in the light of the ‘Sun’ of chosen higher-order values and beliefs We all walk the path of our life in the ‘light’ of our ‘Sun’ i.e. of our (chosen) beliefs and values. The ‘Sun’ = the internalization of all of the (positive) influences that influence us. The ‘Sun’ is the composite of internalized values and beliefs that guides us as we walk the journey of our life.

27. 13 - all undertaken in the light of the ‘ Sun’ of chosen higher-order values and beliefs Higher-order values concern deeper, or the deepest, issues of life - including issues of self-sacrifice or ultimate reality c.f. lower-order values which are mere preferences - I prefer vanilla to strawberry flavored ice-cream.

28. 14 - all undertaken in the light of the ‘ Sun’ of chosen higher-order values and beliefs People believe what they will People believe what they are I once asked a class of 12-13 year olds in a Roman Catholic school how many of them believed in reincarnation - it was about 30%! Respect is the key

29. As a single sentence one more - the SunWALK model sees integrative human education as the: storied development of meaning , constructed, and de-constructed , physically, mentally & spiritually , through Wise & Willing Action, via Loving and Knowing – developed in Community through Dialectical Spiritualization processes (in all 4Cs) – all undertaken in the light of the ‘ Sun’ of (chosen) higher-order values and beliefs , using the best available, appropriate, content.

32. Photo: Claude Renault

33. Perhaps then the beauty of the human face should be the over-riding image at the centre of education

39. Another metaphor for ‘the flow of spirit-as-the-life-force’ is that of white light.

45. We are only ever in one mode, but the other 2 are in the ‘background’ – each supports the others The Human Spirit Metaphorically seen as white light - with 3 modes or ‘primary colours Caring (Yellow?)‏ Creativity (Red?)‏ Criticality (Blue?)‏

49. The 3Cs relate to three of the Ancient Greeks’ cardinal virtues Human spirit as the 3 Cs – the 3 voices Caring – (goodness) – the WE voice – Creativity - (beauty)‏ - the I voice Criticality - (truth) - the IT voice

51. Professor Matthew Lipman developed Philosophy for Children, starting in 1969. It is the exemplary programme for the development of criticality in the SunWALK model.

53. The 3Cs relate to three domains Human spirit as the 3 Cs – the 3 voices Caring – (goodness) – the WE voice – from the moral domain Creativity (beauty)‏ the I voice – from the domain of subjectivity Criticality (truth) the IT voice – from The domain of objectivity

54. Epistemologically the 3Cs provide three forms of knowing – internalized via socialization Human spirit as the 3 Cs – the 3 voices Caring – (goodness) – the WE voice – from the moral domain – Social-knowing (internalized from Relationships)‏ Creativity (beauty)‏ the I voice – from the domain of subjectivity subjective-creative- mystical knowing Criticality (truth) the IT voice – from The domain of objectivity Objective-reasoning- scientific-knowing

57. Part II – 3) The Curriculum – Q. What goes inside what?

64. I usually like to give the last ‘word’ to a pupil (or future pupil in this case)‏

65. “ Hmmmm personally I don’t care a fig for all your philosophy!” End