UNJ students investigate philosophy, ethics

Susan J. Natih , Contributor , Jakarta | Sun, 02/10/2008 12:57 PM | Discover

The great theoretical physicist Albert Einstein once posited: "There is only one question that all of science and philosophy seek to answer: 'Is the universe a friendly place?'"

For today's teachers and aspiring teachers in Indonesia, such a philosophical question has an immediate and very real application: "Is my school a friendly place?" or "Is my classroom a friendly place?"

Invited by Professor Conny Semiawan to engage postgraduate students from one of Indonesia's foremost teachers' training universities, Jakarta State University (UNJ), in a series of workshops on ethics and philosophy, I had the pleasure and privilege to work with a group of young educators whose enthusiasm for learning, creativity and passion for teaching, were exemplary.

The workshops were also a part of the Central Sevilla schools' founding philosophy of national service and, it is hoped, a small contribution to teacher training in the country.

The students involved in the semester-long program represented different stages of learning, from early childhood to upper primary. While some brought years of teaching experience to the sessions, others brought a youthful spirit of inquiry.

It was a dynamic and bubbly mixture of educators who also represented the different communities of this vast nation.

The participants set the enjoyable task of learning about and from each other. In the process, we touched upon some of the world's most oldest philosophies and came to grips with our understanding of what is most worthwhile for children to know, think and do in the pursuit of goodness.

For example, American philosopher Martha Nussbaum said that while the point of medical research is cure, "the whole point of philosophy is human flourishing".

At this time of great concern about climate change and the urgent need to facilitate the vigorous growth of Indonesia's rainforests, it is also the time for schools, teachers institutes, families and communities to make road maps that enable our children to thrive, prosper and be successful.

Virtue ethics is not a new phenomenon, and can be traced back to some of the world's most ancient civilizations in Greece, India and China.

While the code of virtue ethics evolved uniquely in each country, they shared the basic concept that goodness comes from practicing virtues and eschewing vices.

Greek philosopher Aristotle taught that if it is our goal to see good people acting rightly in a just society, we must create and maintain virtuous settings at home, at school, at work, in government and other key social venues.

It appears that these very same goals exist among today's educators for the children in our care, these goals also appear to define the contemporary concept of sustainable development.

In exploring the possibilities of how teachers create cooperative classrooms where children are highly motivated, workshop participants looked to the virtues of respect and responsibility.

This involved finding out about each other in small groups, trusting others, learning individual life values and coming to a consensus on the fundamental virtues needed for a child's journey through school and life.

When children and teachers come to school, they each bring with them a rich storehouse of family and community values -- to be shared or simply respected as part of diversity.

As the UNJ postgraduate students demonstrated, learning can be optimized when children and teachers stand on the same platform, feel a shared commitment to rules that have been created together and respect for each other's ideas and beliefs.

To complete the workshop series, searching for the ultimate medium for engaging children in virtue ethics, participants turned to the ancient art of storytelling.

Selecting their own favorite stories, students worked in groups to demonstrate how stories offer a way through which children could make sense of their everyday lives while creating links between home and school.

The exercise was cooperative learning at its best, with each student responsible for a different aspect of the story, looking into educational theory, multiple intelligences, cross-curricular functions and the use of information technology and music.

It is worth noting that each group independently selected a story involving animals and the environment.

They demonstrated their understanding, as teachers, of the power of animals to fascinate and to engage children of all ages in learning. Furthermore, they showed the wisdom that it is through involving children in learning about animals and ecosystems around them that climate change and other great challenges such as poverty eradication may be addressed.

-- The writer is a founder and adviser of the Central and Sevilla schools

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