Leveraging Students’ Spirituality for Meaningful Learning

1. Leveraging Students’ Spirituality for Meaningful Learning Dave S. Knowlton, Associate Professor Department of Educational Leadership dknowlt@siue.edu 650-3948

2. What is Spirituality? • “Direct verbal description [of spirituality] in a sober, cool, analytic, ‘scientific’ way succeeds only with those who already know what you mean, i.e., people who [can] feel or intuit what you are trying to point to even when your words are quite inadequate in themselves.” • Abraham Maslow, 1976, Religion, Values, and Peak-Experiences, p. 84

3. What is Spirituality? • Maslow’s “peak-experiences” and aiming for “self-actualization” • Csikszentmihaly’s “flow” • Cameron’s “artistic recovering” • Dyer’s “intention” • Knowlton & Hagopian’s “Ego Engagement”

4. What is Spirituality? • Lived experience, rather than empirical • Generative, rather than receptive • Artisanship, rather than technique alone • Synthesizing, rather than separating • Creates engagement, rather than a grade

5. Applications • Assignments that allow students to pursue spirit • Assessments that allow for insight into spiritual connections

6. Assignment Design & Implementation Some Heuristical Questions for Consideration

7. The nature of spiritual activity • “In our studies, we found that every flow activity . . . provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness. In short, it transformed the self by making it more complex.” Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008), Flow, p. 74

8. Opposite of regurgitation (i.e., memorization) The nature of spiritual activity • “In our studies, we found that every flow activity . . . provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness. In short, it transformed the self by making it more complex.” Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008), Flow, p. 74

9. The nature of spiritual activity • “In our studies, we found that every flow activity . . . provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness. In short, it transformed the self by making it more complex.” Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008), Flow, p. 74 Discipline-specific Process for idea generation & refinement

10. Novel & Useful to reorder consciousness The nature of spiritual activity • “In our studies, we found that every flow activity . . . provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness. In short, it transformed the self by making it more complex.” Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008), Flow, p. 74

11. The nature of spiritual activity • “In our studies, we found that every flow activity . . . provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness. In short, it transformed the self by making it more complex.” Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008), Flow, p. 74 Their experiences, beliefs, ways of thinking

12. Opposite of "non-aggression pact" The nature of spiritual activity • “In our studies, we found that every flow activity . . . provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness. In short, it transformed the self by making it more complex.” Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008), Flow, p. 74

13. Iterative cycles of "doing" and "reflecting" The nature of spiritual activity • “In our studies, we found that every flow activity . . . provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness. In short, it transformed the self by making it more complex.” Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008), Flow, p. 74

14. The nature of spiritual activity Intellectual, Aesthetic, Emotional • “In our studies, we found that every flow activity . . . provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness. In short, it transformed the self by making it more complex.” Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008), Flow, p. 74

15. The nature of spiritual activity • “In our studies, we found that every flow activity . . . provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness. In short, it transformed the self by making it more complex.” Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008), Flow, p. 74

16. Complexity of Self • “When we develop [and teach] the skill of learning how we know what we know, . . . we help students sample the rigors and delights of the examined life. When we ask students to learn to think for themselves and to understand themselves as thinkers—rather than telling them what to think and have them recite it back—we help foster habits of introspection, analysis, and open, joyous communication.” • Takacs (2003, p. 28)

17. Assessment Approaches Thoughts on Criteria & Grades

18. A Quick Argument • If spirit is unique within each student and . . . • if students’ spirit is engaged while interacting with content and ideas, then . . . • that content and those ideas are no longer common to all students in all situations; and thus, . . . • objective assessments are irrelevant, while “professional judgment” is a more useful construct.

19. Brave Risky Uncomfortable Provocative Thought-provoking Evocative Novel Innovative Evidence of “grappling” Virtuosity Artistic Nuance Intrigue Presence Unique to you Vulnerability Equilibrium Intellectual Clarity & Continuity Subjective Applications of Criteria

20. Symbolic Markings + √   Qualitative Language Not indicative of college-level work Poor Fair Good Excellent Superior Subjective Applications of Grading

21. The Ball is in Your Court Questions? Comments? Reactions? Dave S. Knowlton * dknowlt@siue.edu * extension 3948 * cell: 618.977.8260 *

22. References • Cameron, J. (1992). The artist’s way: A spiritual path to higher creativity. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc. • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper Perennial. • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: Harper Perennial. Dyer, W. (2006). Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling. Carlsbad: Hayhouse, Inc. • Dyer, W. (2004). The power of intention: Learning to cocreate your world your way. Carlsbad: Hayhouse. • Knowlton, D. S. (2010a). Zen and the art of ghost busting within a radical classroom milieu. Teaching & Learning: The Journal of Natural Inquiry and Reflective Practice, 25(1), 15-31. • Knowlton, D. S. (2010b). Take out the tests, and hide the grades; add the spiritual with all voices raised! Professor explications and students’ opinions of an unconventional classroom milieu. Critical Questions in Education, 1(2), 70-93. • Sperber, M. (2000). Beer and Circus: How Big Time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education. New York: Henry Holt • Takacs, D. (2003). How does your positionality bias your epistemology? Thought & Action, 29(1), 27-38.