Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy

Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation

Laura I. Rendón

• Publisher: Stylus Publishing
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9781579228538
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Higher Education

"Vital reading for anyone seeking to create more inclusive institutions for students and teachers alike."--Diversity & DemocracyShe offers a transformative vision of education that emphasizes the harmonic, complementary relationship between the sentir of intuition and the inner life and the pensar of intellectualism and the pursuit of scholarship; between teaching and learning; formal knowledge and wisdom; and between Western and non-Western ways of knowing.

1
Prelude to a New Pedagogical Dreamfield

If we can see it is our agreements which rule our life, and we don’t like the dream of life, we need to change the agreements.

—Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz (1997), a healer and teacher who studied indigenous teachings of the Toltec in Mexico, said that the mind dreams 24 hours a day. When the mind is awake, we dream according to the framework of what we have been taught and what we have agreed to believe. When the mind is asleep, we lack this conscious framework and the dream changes constantly. In the awakened state, we function according to society’s Dreamfield—a collective, holographic reflection of our shared beliefs. Ruiz elaborates on the concept of human dreaming:

NOTE: TWO shorter versions of this chapter appeared in 2005 in the journal Religion and Education and in the newsletter Spirituality in Higher Education, a project of the National Study of College Students’ Search for Meaning and Purpose headquartered at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The dream of the planet is the collective dream of billions of smaller, personal dreams, which together created a dream of family, a dream of community, a dream of a city, a dream of country, and finally a dream of the whole humanity. The dream of the planet includes all of society’s rules, its beliefs, its laws, its religions, its different cultures and ways to be, its governments, schools, social events and holidays. (p. 2)

Origins of the Agreements

Ruiz provides additional examples: For instance, when we were born we were given a name and we agreed to the name. When we were children we were given a language and we agreed to speak that language. We were given moral and cultural values. We began to have faith in these agreements passed on to us from the adults we were told to respect and to honor. We used these agreements to judge others and to judge ourselves. As long as we followed the agreements, we were rewarded. When we went against the rules we were punished, and pleasing others became a way of life, so much so that we became not who we really are, but a copy of someone else’s beliefs. As we became adults we tried to rebel against some beliefs, which we began to understand made little sense or were inflicting harm. For example, some of us may have been told we were dumb, fat, or ugly. In our educational system, some social rules have created inequalities and injustices, such as belief systems that view women and people of color as lacking in leadership as well as having limited intellectual abilities. But many of us became afraid of expressing our freedom to articulate a different truth because we feared punishment for going against the prevailing belief system, even when we had no role in creating it. The dominant belief system is powerful, entrenched, validated, and constantly rewarded by the social structure that created it—so much so that when even when we begin to see that some of the agreements in the belief system are flawed and in need of change, we find it very difficult to challenge them. Ruiz (1997) notes that we need “a great deal of courage to challenge our own beliefs. Because even if we know we didn’t choose all these beliefs, it is also true that we agreed to all of them. The agreement is so strong that even if we understand the concept of it not being true, we feel the blame, the guilt, and the shame that occur if we go against these rules” (p. 11).

Like Ruiz (1997), I believe that a group of people can theorize to develop a set of agreements to guide a transformational change. For instance, a core group of higher education faculty and administrators can consciously begin to hold the same thoughts that represent a newly formed vision of teaching, research, leadership, and service. A small but critical mass of individuals can create what Gladwell (2000) cal ls a tipping point, a boiling point when an idea, trend, or social behavior, like an epidemic, bursts into society and spreads like wildfire. In higher education, our shared beliefs about teaching and learning constitute the agreements that guide our present pedagogical Dreamfield. This Dreamfield is fraught with some powerful, entrenched agreements that, though shared by many, are in need of revision because they do not completely honor our humanity and our freedom to express who we are and what we represent. In the next section, I expose the privileged agreements that govern teaching and learning in higher education. In doing so, I join the many existing voices of educational transformation to contribute to the generation of a new tipping point—a movement that wishes to create a new dream of education. The foundation of this dream is a more harmonic, holistic vision of education that honors the whole of who we are as intellectual, compassionate, authentic human beings who value love, peace, democracy, community, diversity, and hope for humanity.

I fully understand that attempting to change entrenched agreements can be met with great resistance. Arrien (1993) stated:

When we are too attached to something, we often lose our objectivity about it, and thus our ability to do right by it. In a state of detachment, however, we carry the capacity to deeply care from an objective place. It is important to remember that wisdom is always flexible and seldom rigid. As we increase our capacities for flexibility, we increase our ability to express our wisdom and to let go of our attachments. (p. 122)

Arrien (1993) also offers hope:

Across many cultures, the spirits of our ancestors literally stand behind us to support us in our life dream and purpose. Native people believe that what we do in this generation will affect seven generations to come. Anytime we don’t act, the effect is the same. (p. 114)

As the ancestors stand behind us, they wonder, “Oh, maybe this will be the one to bring the good, the true and the beautiful in our nature. Maybe this will be the one to break harmful family and culture patterns. Oh, maybe this will be the one” (Arrien, 1999).

Maybe we will be the ones.

Privileged Agreements Governing the Present Pedagogical Dreamfield

To create a new teaching and learning Dreamfield that is intellectual (i.e., includes high standards of academic achievement, allows students to engage in problem solving and critical thinking, engages multicultural perspectives, etc.) and spiritual (i.e., honors our humanity; instills a sense of wonder, sacredness, and humility in our college classrooms; respects and embraces alternate cultural realities; involves social change and healing; and connects faculty and students in meaningful ways) requires an examination of at least seven agreements that are firmly entrenched in the academic culture of the academy. They are

1. the agreement to privilege intellectual/rational knowing

2. the agreement of separation

3. the agreement of competition

4. the agreement of perfection

5. the agreement of monoculturalism

6. the agreement to privilege outer work

7. the agreement to avoid self-examination

The Agreement to Privilege Intellectual/Rational Knowing

It is one of the teachings of wisdom that the merely logical mind—when it is cut off from the intrinsically higher human feelings of wonder and the sense of the sacred—inevitably becomes a plaything of the external senses, convincing us that only what is perceived with these outward-directed senses is real.

—Jacob Needleman, The American Soul

The agreement to privilege particular cerebral abilities connected with intellectual/rational knowing, such as verbal, scientific, and mathematical ability, not only praises but puts on a pedestal what Gardner (1993), who developed the theory of multiple intelligences, calls linguistic and logical-mathematical forms of intelligence, which we typically use to measure our IQ. IQ is linked to our faith in the scientific method, leading us to prize and reward outer knowing (intellectual reasoning, rationality, and objectivity) at the expense of inner knowing (deep wisdom, wonder, sense of the sacred, intuition, and emotions). Even fields such as religion and philosophy—disciplines we think might allow the inclusion of ritual, practice, and reflection as a part of college teaching and learning—tend to keep inner learning at arm’s length and usually retain an intellectual, theoretical orientation. Paying attention to our inner life, such as meditating, praying, analyzing dreams, observing rituals, and reflecting on one’s purpose and the meaning of life, is often considered anti-intellectual by traditional educators who prefer a focus on outer knowing. Moreover, inner work is closely associated with spirituality, and spirituality can be an explosive, taboo topic with many definitions espoused by some fanatics and frauds invoking spirit for their own dubious purposes.

Some individuals may be pro-religion and antispirituality. Some may consider themselves spiritual but not religious. Others view spirituality in conflict with Judeo-Christian values. Even faculty and administrators who engage in inner work tend to do it without fanfare and with little support or recognition from their colleagues. Reflection and spiritual pursuits are seen by many as “soft” kinds of activities and associated with terms such as New Age, cult, and even occult. Many educators tend to dismiss group meetings and retreats focusing on the connection between inner and outer knowing as touchy-feely events where participants inevitably wind up singing, “Kumbaya.” Amusing and light as these observations might appear to be, there are deep, serious fears and tensions associated with anything that smacks of spirituality. Some faculty and administrators who embrace inner knowing are often afraid to “come out of the spiritual closet” because they are not sure how they will handle the consequences of their “disobedience” to the agreement to privilege mental knowing. These faculty know full well that they may be targets of ridicule, become associated with having low standards, lose their colleagues’ respect, and even be evicted from the academy itself. These perceived consequences are unfortunate and create real harm in the form of fear and anxiety about revealing who one really is and what one holds dear.

Why should we be concerned with overprivileging one form of knowing? Needleman (2003) posits that pure mental knowledge, without the corresponding education of our emotions and instinctual life, can bring no objective truth. Instead, a one-sided perspective leads us into fundamental errors about our own place in the universe and about the laws of nature itself. A number of theories point to the notion that human intelligence is multifaceted and that a unitary view of knowledge must be challenged and replaced. These are paraphrased below.

Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Gardner’s (1993a) theory of multiple intelligences is predicated on seven different ways of knowing, and he describes them in practical forms in his book Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice. The intelligences Gardner identified are

1. Linguistic—ability to use language. Poets and writers exhibit this ability in its highest form.

2. Logical-mathematical—logical, mathematical, and scientific ability. Mathematicians and scientists have this ability.

3. Spatial—ability to form a mental model of a spatial world and to function employing the model. Sailors, engineers, surgeons, sculptors, and painters have high degrees of spatial intelligence.

4. Musical—ability to compose music. The broad range of musicians, from classical to jazz, salsa, reggae, and hip-hop, as well as indigenous drummers, may be considered to have high degrees of musical intelligence.

5. Bodily-kinesthetic—ability to solve problems or fashion products using the body. Dancers, athletes, surgeons, and people who create crafts have this intelligence.

6. Interpersonal—ability to understand other people, such as what motivates them and how they work cooperatively. Salespeople, politicians, teachers, clinicians, and religious leaders have high degrees of interpersonal intelligence.

7. Intrapersonal—ability to “form an accurate, veridical model of oneself and to be able to use that model to operate effectively in life” (p. 9). People who regularly engage in forms of contemplative practice to draw in one’s own desires, fears, and capacities to regulate one’s own life are likely to exhibit this kind of intelligence.

Gardner believes that linguistic and logical-mathematical forms of intelligence may get a student into college because college entrance tests, such as the SAT, prize verbal and mathematical abilities. But what receives less attention is that college academic achievement and success in life depend on all intelligences, and Gardner (1993a) stated that “all seven of the intelligences have an equal claim to priority” (p. 8).

Gardner (1999) considered four more intelligence candidates. Naturalist intelligence refers to the ability to be attuned to the environment, its flora and fauna. Environmental activists, farmers, and botanists exhibit this intelligence. Gardner cautiously discussed spiritual intelligence, as he was aware of the controversial aspects of spirituality within the scientific and academic world. He noted three distinct senses of spiritual. The first is a desire to know about experiences and cosmic entities that are not readily apprehended in a material sense. The second is spiritual as achieving a state of being by such means as meditation, trance states, transcendent envisioning, or being in touch with psychic, spiritual, or noetic phenomena. The third is spiritual as a type of effect on others either through a person’s activities or sheer being. While noting the problematic aspects of accounting for a spiritual intelligence, Gardner found it less of an issue to speak of an existential intelligence:

The capacity to locate oneself with respect to the furthest reaches of the cosmos—the infinite and the infinitesimal—and the related capacity to locate oneself with respect to such existential features of the human condition as the significance of life, the meaning of death, the ultimate fate of the physical and the psychological worlds, and such profound experiences as love of another person or total immersion in a work of art. (p. 60)

Gardner (1999) also questioned whether there was a moral intelligence, cautioning, “unless we can establish with some precision the relation among knowledge, actions and values, recognizing a moral intelligence harbors significant risk” (p. 67).

Along with intellectual pursuits, we need an education that is broadly defined and that addresses the notion that we are multifaceted human beings. Our education should assist us to develop not only our intellectual capacities, but our ability to be creative and reflective, as well as to work with and understand other people. Arrien (1993) stated:

As we move into the twenty-first century, it is the work of all human beings to attend to the health of both our “inner” and “outer” houses: the inner house of our selves, the limitless world within; and the outer house of the world in which we live our daily lives. Many people in contemporary society feel little or no connection between these two worlds, a state that indigenous, land-based people of the earth, whose cultures reach back thousands of years, would find not only sad but incomprehensible. (p. 3)

Education should help us turn inward as we learn to appreciate who we are and develop a philosophical orientation to engage in life work.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Goleman (1995) referred to emotional intelligence as EQ, and discusses its connection to neural systems in the brain linked to cognitive skills and knowledge. According to Goleman (1998), “Our emotional intelligence determines our potential for learning the practical skills that are based on its five elements: self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, empathy, and adeptness in relationships” (p. 24). Goleman noted that EQ is far more important than IQ for job performance and leadership. It is also important to note that brain researchers are making an important link between cognition and emotion. Damasio (1994) and Greenspan (1997) give neuroscientific research findings showing that reason and emotion are not separate and irreconcilable. In fact, the absence of emotion can impair rationality, making wise decision making almost impossible. Drawing from an extensive review of research in psychology and anthropology, as well as from the writings of philosophers, writers, and musicians, Nussbaum (2001) asserts that emotions form a part of our system of ethical reasoning. Brain research is also informing how we manage ourselves and how we handle relationships. Goleman (2003) pointed to scientific experiments conducted by Richard Davidson and Jon Kabat-Zinn that document the benefits of mind-fulness training in which the meditator views passing thoughts as an impartial and nonjudgmental observer. Meditation was found to affect brain activity in the left prefrontal cortex, which is associated with positive moods, such as being enthusiastic and energized, and low levels of anxiety.

Spiritual Intelligence (SQ)

Zohar and Marshall (2000) review scientific evidence carried out by neuropsy-chologist Michael Persinger and neurologist V. S. Ramachandran and his team at the University of California that there is a spiritual intelligence located among neural connections in the temporal lobes of the brain. This “God spot” allows the brain to ask profound questions of meaning and value. Zohar and Marshall also review the research of Austrian neurologist Wolf Singer that shows there is a neural process in the brain that gives meaning to our experience. As further evidence for the basis of SQ, Zohar and Marshall discussed the work of neurologist and biological anthropologist Terrance Deacon on language as a meaning-centered activity that coevolved with development in the brain’s frontal lobes and indicated that “Deacon’s whole research programme for the evolution of symbolic imagination and its consequent role in the brain and social evolution underpins the intelligence faculty we are calling SQ” (p. 13).

To paraphrase Zohar and Marshall (2000), a highly developed SQ includes the following characteristics: flexibility, self-awareness, capacity to face and use suffering, capacity to face and transcend pain, capacity to be inspired, reluctance to harm others, ability to see connections among what appears to be different, tendency to ask why or what if, field independence, and ability to work against conventional thought. Similarly, Wolman (2001) defines the characteristics of spiritual intelligence. Wolman developed the PsychoMatrix Spirituality Inventory (PSI). After carefully studying the responses of more than 6,000 men and women, Wolman identified seven factors that make up human spiritual experience and behavior: Divinity, Mindfulness, Intellectuality, Community, Extrasensory Perception, Childhood Spirituality, and Trauma.

Heart Intelligence (HQ)

Recent research, though controversial and not thoroughly conclusive, is pointing to the notion that our hearts are also sites for intelligence. For example, studies being conducted through the Institute of HeartMath Research Center in California are attempting to provide a scientific basis to explain how the heart affects mental clarity, creativity, emotional balance, and personal effectiveness (2004). Research points to the heart’s having a self-organized processing center that communicates with and influences the cranial brain in four major ways: “neuro-logically (through the transmission of nerve impulses), biochemically (via hormones and neurotransmitters), biophysically (through pressure waves) and energetically (through electromagnetic field interactions). Communication along all these conduits significantly affects the brain’s activity.”

Pearsall (1998), a psychoneuroimmunologist, employs theories and research of scientists contributing to the field of energy cardio...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword Mark Nepo
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 Prelude to a New Pedagogical Dreamfield
• 2 Learning From Another’s Story
• 3 Refashioning the Dream
• 4 Refashioning the Dream
• 5 The Courage to Chart a Different Path
• 6 Sentipensante (Sensing / Thinking) Pedagogy
• 7 Sustaining the Soul That Embraces a Different Truth
• Appendix
• References
• Permissions
• Index