[gu-l] A thought on how to create a new culture of the 21st century
Tak Utsumi
utsumi@columbia.edu
Sat, 7 Jul 2001 16:51:59 +0000 (GMT)
<<July 7, 2001>>
Archived distributions can be retrieved by clicking "Correspondence" in our
home page at <http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/>.
For those after 2/27/01, see or bookmark:
<http://www.friends-partners.org/pipermail/gu-l/> and click on "Date," for
example. The most recent archives are the bottom line.
Dr.B.K.Passi <passi.bk@kmutt.ac.th>
Dr. Hong Tao Tze <tjm@taijimen.org.tw>
Dear Dr. Passi:
===============
(1) Many thanks for your very interesting msg (ATTACHMENT I).
You depicted well, succinctly and vividly the difference between the
Eastern and Western cultures, and how to create new culture of the
21st century with the spirituality of the East and the high-tech of
the West.
(2) You may be interested visiting my ""World Love and Peace" -- Slide
show presented at the World Citizens Assembly (WCA) 2001, Taipei,
Taiwan (April 1, 2001) -- Revised on 6/19/01" -- particularly its
slide #12 "Hierarchy of Information and Ethics" at
http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/WCA_Taipei_4-1-
01/L+P_Rev_2/Love_and_Peace_Rev.htm
Dear Dr. Hong:
==============
(3) I highly suggest that you may consider to invite him for your Global
Peace Assembly in Taipei, Taiwan from August 13 to 19, 2001, if you
will have sessions on discussing how to forge ahead the realization of
your vision of the world peace and love with global e-learning.
(4) Dr. Passi was the UNESCO Chair at the Indira Gandhi National Open
University and now also the President of the All India Association of
Educational Research.
Best, Tak
****************************************
ATTACHMENT I
Subject: china wall - happy man education
Date: Saturday, July 7, 2001 9:11 AM
From: Dr. Passi bk <passi.bk@kmutt.ac.th>
To: passi hotmail bk <passibk@hotmail.com>
CREATIVE EDUCATION FOR HAPPINESS
>From Beijing
Great Wall of China
Prof. B.K.Passi
1. I start with a proposition by saying that the goal of life and hence of
education' is systematic enhancement of happiness [mental] and physical
comforts. These two can be attained concurrently. Different systems of
education will be deployed to achieve these goals.
2. I add the second proposition that the current contextual changes like
increased globalization, emergence of new technologies, depletion of natural
resources, end of cold war, and sophisticated brain research are influencing
the operational part of our education.
3. I add the third proposition that Macro-micro interactions [global-local]
are all pervasive. The interdependence of global-local thinking' and
global-local actions' will influence the contents and the processes of
education.
4. I add the fourth proposition that everyone is talking of creative
societies but many are not implementing creativity in education'. Perhaps,
implementation requires the knowledge of ground realities and that of
transforming creative ideas into actions. Further, we must know the art of
creating the interfaces between creative thinking, subject mastery and ground
realities. This task is easier in physical sciences but difficult in social
sciences. The situation in social sciences is much more complex where the
subjects can exercise their freewill.
5. There are many stakeholders who must change their mindsets, beliefs and
perspectives for directing education for a creative society. We need to
orient our teachers, learners, parents, administrators, media experts,
employers, and gatekeepers of higher education. These persons continue to
influence all the three systems of education like informal, non-formal, and
formal. These persons must be guided by a common goal of creating this new
society. The cognitive tools of new technologies can be used for mass scale
orientation of the people.
6. Once we agree to move for a creative society, we will be confronted with
a question "creative society for what?" We would find an answer that creative
education should create a happy man' and a comfortable environment operating
in a 'sustainable ecology'. How do we use the instrument of creative
education for a happy man as described above? We have to develop the full
potentials of 'this man'. The full potentials are available in all the levels
of consciousness and multiple intelligences.
7. This type of creative education aiming to produce a happy man must lead
to deliberate planning. This planning has to be articulated. Perhaps, the
principles of constructivism have to be given due importance in this
education. The over-emphasis on behaviorism and cognitivism has to be
curtailed. We design new models of education that are "low-cost but high-
quality" by looking into their relevance.
8. Over-use of scientific method in education has been questioned by post-
positivists. There is a need to look into its implications for quality
education.
9. Three views- Alpha, Beta, and Gamma should be co-examined. The Alpha
view says "Same education for all". Beta view says "Same education for some".
Gamma view says "Unique education for unique". The first view demands
attempts of uniformity and the last one demands diversity and amplification
of uniqueness.
10. There is a difference between education for information
[information collection], education for knowledge [information processing],
and education for wisdom [information collection, processing, using with head
and heart]. The support for "education for wisdom" has to be expedited into
action. However, we have to go beyond "education for wisdom" and reach the
levels of insightful state of the mind.
11. While designing this system of education, we need to reconcile
with a dilemma resulting from application of the Confucius principles of
eastern societies and the available research findings from the west. The
western research findings are demanding the creation of decentralized-
democratic and friendly environment in the classrooms and the Confucius
Culture is emphasizing authoritarian environment. We should note that a very
high level of productivity in economy and higher grades in the field of
achievement have been shown by Confucius societies. The new hypothesis of
warm-authoritarian environments coupled with an emphasis on memorization, and
meaningful reflections could be examined for creating quality education.
12. The search for the paths of creative education will be
continuous and evolving from the ground actions. Therefore, we need to take
all types of educational research. The strategy of action research' by
students and teachers must become an integral part of new policies for
quality education. However, we need to demystify the domain of action
research at the earliest.
13. Competitions are required for excellence. Cooperation is
required for interdependence amongst groups. Solidarity is required for unity
of action and commitment to the purpose. All the three without the exclusion
of any have to be built for the education of a whole individual and a
productive humanity.
14. Critical and creative thinking have to be the hallmarks of new
education. We re-emphasize that the four pillars of education would mean:
learning to learn differently, learning to do differently, learning to live
differently, and learning to be differently.
****************************************
Distribution List
Dr.B.K.Passi
Senior Expert in Education
School of Industrial Education (Building-3)
King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
91 Prachauthit Road (Suksawad 48)
Bangmod Thung Kharu District
Bangkok 10140, THAILAND
(662) 4708504
Fax: (662) 4278886
passi.bk@kmutt.ac.th
passibk@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/passibk2000
http://www.geocities.com/aiaer15
Dr. Hong Tao Tze
Shih-Ho Seng
Zhang Men Ren of Tai Ji Men
President, Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy
Director, World Citizens Assembly (WCA) 2001
Honorary Vice President, Association of World Citizens (AWC) UN/NGO
President, Association of World Citizens in Taiwan UN/NGO
President, Federation of World Peace and Love
No. 136, Keelung Rd. Sec. 2
Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C.
Tel: 011-886-2-2736-5188
Fax: 011-886-2-2736-8789
TEL: (626) 286-0989 U.S.A.
FAX: (626) 286-7008 U.S.A.
tjm@taijimen.org.tw
http://www.wca2001.org.tw
http://www.taijimen.org
www.fowpal.org
**********************************************************************
* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA *
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.) *
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education *
* Founder of CAADE *
* (Consortium for Affordable and Accessible Distance Education) *
* President Emeritus and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of *
* Global University System (GUS) *
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-3998, U.S.A. *
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Fax: 718-939-0656 (day time only--prefer email) *
* Email: utsumi@columbia.edu; Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676 *
* http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/ *
**********************************************************************