NEW BOOK

A Guide to Neohumanist Education

by Kathleen Kesson

Book Review by Nikolai Afanasev

Introduction

Dr. Kathleen Kesson is a prolific researcher and professor of democratic, critical, holistic and Neohumanist education, learning and teaching. With Becoming One with the World, she sets on a monumental task of analyzing, systematizing and presenting the Neohumanist philosophy, curriculum and pedagogy for the public, parents, educators and holistically inclined individuals in a succinct and thorough way.

Neohumanist philosophy, propounded by Shrii Prabhat Sarkar, proposes to take the best insights from the Humanist tradition and worldview and apply them to what the Common Worlds Research Collective, an interdisciplinary network of researchers “concerned with our relations with the more-than-human world” (CWRC, 2020) addressed in their statement on the future of education:

That we must preserve the best of Humanism—justice—but extend it beyond the human;
That we must acknowledge that we are ecological—not just social—beings;
That we need to cease promoting human “exceptionalism,” while also accepting responsibility for the differential positioning and treatment of other species;
That we need to discard conventional individual and social developmental frameworks in favor of fostering collective dispositions and convivial, reparative human and more-than-human relations;
That we must learn to become with the world, not stand apart from it;

In other words, Dr. Kesson sets out in her book to present how Shrii P.R. Sarkar’s philosophy can provide a curriculum and pedagogy with an alternative view of a human being, offers us a new understanding of what it means to be human and the importance of student-teacher relationships, and presents insightful solutions to many social, ecological and environmental problems.

In this review, I will outline basic contents and chapters, and in conclusion I will provide a personal commentary on the relevance of Becoming One With the World.

Contents Overview

In the first section, “The Foundations of Neohumanist Education”, Kesson reviews the origins and background of Neohumanist education, and presents its definition and spiritual foundations. According to Kesson, it addresses questions such as:

What does it mean to be human?
What is the purpose of life?
What is knowledge and how do we come to know?

She systematically describes the components of Neohumanist education: ontology, epistemology, axiology. Then, she overviews influential educational philosophies such as perennialism, behaviorism, romanticism, pragmatism, critical pedagogy, humanism and holistic education. Neohumanist philosophy is an amalgamation of the best practices. While it aligns closely with some (holistic education, critical pedagogy) it is more critical of others (behaviorism).

In “The Development of a Neohumanist Educator”, Kesson addresses vital components of what it means to be a Neohumanist educator, which include: pedagogical arts, knowing the learner, understanding social context, self-knowledge and self-development, the call to teach, the dimensions of the self (the Yogic view of human structure as a seven-layered mind), care of the self, balanced emotions, social competence, inspiring the intellect, cultivating creativity, moral development and developing intuition.

In “Reconceptualizing Child Development”, Kesson discusses the key elements of child development through the perspective of Eight-limbed (Ashtanga) Yoga. She also overviews the limitations of conventional child development theory.

In the Science of Learning, Kesson conceptualizes how science sees Yoga help the brain and emotional development, highlights what science is learning about the effects of Yoga on brain development and the emotions, discusses brain-based learning; and overviews the theory of multiple intelligences. She also reflects on how each of the major educational philosophies (perennialism, behaviorism, etc.) see learning. Kesson finishes this chapter by providing a list of core elements of Neohumanist learning, some of which include:

- The search for meaning should be at the heart of all educational activity. Seeking information must arise from genuine questions that young people have about the world and their place in it.

- Learning activities should be balanced between the extroversial (external knowledge) and the introversial (inner knowledge), integrating these elements in creative ways

In “Healing the World: Decolonizing Education”, Kesson writes that “Neohumanism resolves the apparent tension between universalism and cultural pluralism by emphasizing the importance of sustaining local languages, and by including learning about the histories and cultures of non-dominant groups” (Kesson, p.137, p. 79). She explains how decolonizing education is a healing process of rethinking and addressing many issues in Western education that were have been taken for granted for certain before that.

In “Contemplative Inquiry: The Art of Knowing the Child”, Kesson proposes to use phenomenological inquiry as the means to understand the child better, and she points to different categories which may help a teacher “see” the whole child.

In the second section, “Pedagogy and Practices of Neohumanist Education”, Kesson describes what a Neohumanist curriculum is and discusses theories behind curriculum formation through different social lenses. Kesson outlines its core elements: goals, objectives, essential questions, content understanding, literacy understanding, learning skills, application and dispositions. She also addresses the elements that constitute a lesson plan. She discusses assessment and the art of teaching in Neohumanist education.

In subsequent chapters, Kesson describes arts-based learning at the center of Neohumanist pedagogy and the roles of language and story, visual arts, music, creative movement and creative drama in Neohumanist education. Further, Kesson describes teaching Yoga to Children, Studying the Social world, Science, Technology, Ethics, Arts, and Math (STEAM), Science and the Postmodern World, and concludes the book by commenting on the relevance of Neohumanist curriculum and pedagogy for a bright future.

Commentary

It is July 2024, and I am currently taking the last two courses on the pathway to completing my Masters in Education in Curriculum, Pedagogy and Learning at University of Toronto’s OISE. I enrolled in the program in hopes to advance Neohumanist education’s practices, curriculum and pedagogies to enrich children, teenagers and adult learners’ experiences. Being an immigrant from Russia, feeling lost, confused and unadjusted into the Canadian society in 2018, I embarked on the Yoga and meditation journey through one of the Neohumanist online projects – the “Meditation Steps” YouTube channel. Learning from the e-course has changed a trajectory of my life for better. The meaning of life, self-identity, the deep understanding of meaning and my place in the universe started to emerge as my overall self-esteem and mood improved. My dream is that people of all countries, nationalities, social, economic status, and of all ages may get proper exposure to, and understanding and of, the utilities of the importance of Neohumanist education for their wellbeing and all-round progress.

Dr. Kesson has generously allowed me to read her final edit of the book that is ready for prior to publishing. It has given me practical knowledge and helped me systematize my knowledge on curriculum design and delivery. This book by Dr. Kathleen Kesson presents concrete, thorough and relevant explanations, perspectives, summaries, practical tools for guardians, parents, and educators on how we can learn and apply Neohumanist curriculum, pedagogy and wisdom to benefit our local and global communities. As a young Neohumanist educator, reading and reflecting on this book has filled me with the optimism, hope and knowledge to help create learning environments for students of various backgrounds and communities. New Neohumanist learners of holistic and Neohumanist education may find this work provides a foundation for their research and practice.

References.

Common Worlds Research Collective (2023).

Learning to become with the World: Education for Future Survival.

Decolonizing Education for Sustainable Futures, 49–66.

https://doi.org/10.1332/policypress/9781529226089.003.0003

Available from Information Age Publishing at infoagepub.com