Learning is in our Nature. Think about it. Every person is a learner, all the time, regardless of age, class, GPA, race, gender, physical ability, and manifold other illusory labels.
Though we all share some common experiences and potentials, each individual learner has a unique mixture of passions, visions, interests and gifts that they may wish to cultivate, at different times in their life.
Therefore, in a liberatory and empowering approach to education, the curriculum simply cannot be fixed and standardized, but rather must be as dynamic and customized as possible, responding in real time to the natural ebb and flow of passion and focus.
It is a living document, a true curriculum vitae: composed and revised regularly by student and mentor, it reflects the cycles of vision, intention, and manifestation across the various elements of human potential. It need not be merely a formal list in 12 pt Times New Roman on white paper -- indeed, one's curriculum map can take many physical forms and structures.
Upon contemplating this document, a student may uncover synergies and connections between their accomplishments and desires, which may inspire new directions and learning experiences.
For example, in my last year of undergraduate study at Williams College, I undertook coursework in the theory of computation, artificial intelligence, and general relativity, while at the same time training in the martial art of Aikido. Immersing myself in this challenging intellectual-spiritual melange primed my mind for a fourth course that explored the relationship between religion and science, and out of the combination of all of these taken together emerged an experience of profound learning that would not have come from the courses taken separately. It was also an exhausting amount of work and took a toll on my GPA, but it was well worth it.
While it is true that each learner's curriculum is unique, it is also true that there exists at any particular point in time, a fluid collection of learning experiences and entire fields of study that are generally relevant to adapting and thriving within one's greater social-economic-spiritual context. This fact allows for some elemental curricular recommendations which can be useful for introductory explorations of a field of study.
Furthermore, these introductory experiences can be excellent points of convergence for social learning, where diverse groups of learners can connect with those who share their interests and learn from those who pursue different particularities within a field of study.
However, in many conventional schooling settings, these general curricular recommendations have morphed into requirements (at times devised by politicians, not by learners and educators!) which have taken the place of the individualized curriculum, and the beautifully organic and non-linear journey of educating one's whole self has been reduced to "getting my credits".
Indeed, many educational institutions have curricular requirements that seem more appropriate for the 18th century than the 21st. There is undeniable value in certain aspects of a true classical education, but in order for the student to be self-motivated, the content (i.e. the classics) and the methods of teaching and learning must be adapted and relevant to the lived experiences of the students themselves, not to some abstract ideal.
In a forthcoming Part 2 of this essay, I will share some of my humble recommendations for studies relevant to living resiliently in a 21st century, post-industrial context.
In future essays, I will elucidate the key principles of my educational methodology, share example course and lesson plans, and relate my experiences working with clients.
