The following is a
model to help our
community
create our own covenant, it will apply in the Spirituality: The Eyes of
the Unknown program while we create
our
own.
This covenant
comprises the learning guidelines
and tenants
of the program: Spirituality: The Eyes of the Unknown
The paramount
objective of the program is to
create a community of learners. To that end:
· Spirituality: The Eyes of the Unknown
is a program based on equal
commitment and responsibility by both the faculty and the
students.
·
As Spirituality: The Eyes of the Unknown exists within the larger
community of The Evergreen State College, all members of the community
are subservient to the guidelines
set forth in the TESC Social
contract.
·
The goals of this community are to provide
an environment rich in learning opportunities, facilitation of
learning, a sounding board for self-paced learning objectives, and
hopefully to sparkle a personal liberation process in each participant.
·
Community members are expected to pursue a
tract of learning objectives for their own personal improvement.
·
As community is one main objective, a
cumulative presentation is the sole requirement for successful
completion of the program and cooperation in the community. A
presentation or publication shared with the learning community of the
class ensures not only commitment to the community but also commitment
to the fostering of knowledge .
·
It is understood that the activities of one
individual sometimes override the needs of the community. As such
attendance is encouraged but not mandatory.
.
Conflict
and
grievances should be dealt with between the parties
themselves and solved within the community.
. Participants will emphasize a complete shift
towards a student-centered approach to their own education.
·
Each faculty will emphasize a *Freirian liberatory education approach
by:
- Becoming a collaborator and ally
of the students, not supervisors.
- Encouraging that the subject Spirituality: The
Eyes of the Unknown must
be the lives of the students,
reflected back to the student as a problem or source of contradiction.
- Facilitating a goal which must be not
just to change the student but to work with the students to change
their
world.
- Practicing a process that must be
rational and cognitive, rather than affective, involving critical
thinking, natural learning process, problem-posing, looking for
contradictions, and using
metacognition.
Adapted from the Recognition program
Covenant.
(*)From Embracing Contraries, Peter Elbow.
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