PHENOMA practical book for schools 2019 PHENOMA practical book for schools 2019 | Page 73
The project The Educational Philosophy for a New Generation developed its ideas based on
the best educational practices’ We have explored the theories and examined practical methods
and techniques in order to find out the best ways to educate teenage students of today. In our
search of meaningful concepts and thoughts, we have wandered to ancient times. We got
fascinated by the thoughts and philosophy created by Greek philosopher - the father of
Philosophy Socrates. Although he lived many centuries ago, his teachings continue to impact
us today. His ideas are used in modern schools all over the world. His philosophy of
education rests on a few simple principles, one of which - self-awareness is the quintessence
of Socratic Method. Through this method, students are posed a question. Once they answer it,
the questioner challenges them to prove or support their answer. In the end, the student gains
insight into their thoughts, exceptions to their beliefs, and validation of their ability to defend
their views.
During our project activities we had many opportunities to explore ideas this way. We have
observed that discussions run in small groups involve all participants. Presented with
challenge, the mind starts operating at a deeper lever of thinking. A new deeper thinking
causes the brain to build connections between neurons, simultaneously replacing others and
generally changing its structure. As it is commonly said we ‘broaden our mind..
Inspired by the ancient concepts we came across Mortimer J. Adler and its Paideia Principles
from 1982 formulated by a group of school educators led by Mortimer Adler. Paideia is the
Greek word for the nurturing of children. The Paideia Group was dedicated to providing a
powerful public education for all.
The original Paideia Group gave way to the National Centre for the Paideia Programme.
Thy claim
that all children can learn;
that, therefore, they all deserve the same quality of schooling, not just the same
quantity;
that the quality of schooling to which they are entitled is what the wisest parents
would wish for their own children, the best education for the best being the best
education for all;