COVID-19 and religious education reimagined: discovering a reflective space through Hannah Arendt’s concept of thinking

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its rapid spread around the world, the normality of people’s lives was disrupted. Education was not immune from this. In many countries, to limit the spread of the infection, students were required by the government to study remotely. This social isolation in a limited space generated concerns among educators about the quality of learning, notably through virtual platforms. However, this crisis also brought with it an opportunity for change for the better. Social distancing could allow for a ‘reflective space’ that extended students’ learning beyond the physical space. This research paper explores how the disruption of the normality of our lives and the provision of reflective space might enrich religious education, both in terms of curriculum and pedagogy. I will analyse this issue philosophically in light of Hannah Arendt’s concept of ‘thinking’. This thinking refers to the quest for meaning which occurs when we withdraw ourselves from inter homines esse (being among humans) into a solitary realm. Drawing on Arendt’s ideas, I argue that the reflective space enables us to reimagine religious education such that it better prepares students from across the cultural and religious spectrum for a democratic society

Reflecting on Teacher’s Authority through Hannah Arendt’s “The Crisis in Education”

Child-centered education has become pervasive due to its emphasis on freedom, which is highly valued in modern society. This progressive approach has brought an inquiry into the teacher’s authority which is viewed as traditional and irrelevant for students today. This essay aims to step back and to explore the concept of the teacher’s ‘authority’ more deeply through Hannah Arendt’s writing entitled “The Crisis in Education”. It begins by analyzing what Arendt means by the ‘crisis’ in education, particularly in the American context. Then, by departing from the progressive interpretation, I re-examine the concept of ‘authority’ and its relation to ‘freedom’, based on ancient Greek and Roman understandings. Drawing on these analyses, Arendt asserts that teachers play a significant role because they prepare students to love and care for the world (amor mundi). Nevertheless, I argue that a teacher’s authority must also include attention to the private realm that continues impacting students’ learning at schools. Only in this way are students genuinely prepared for their responsibility as political agents in our society.
 Abstrak
 Pendidikan yang berpusat pada anak menjadi kian populer karena sangat menekankan kebebasan, sesuatu yang sedemikian dijunjung tinggi oleh masyarakat modern. Pendekatan progresif ini membuat otoritas guru lantas dipertanyakan, karena dianggap terlalu tradisional dan tidak relevan lagi. Artikel ini ingin menelusuri konsep ‘otoritas’ guru secara lebih mendalam melalui tulisan filsuf Hannah Arendt yang berjudul “The Crisis in Education”. Pertama, akan diselidiki makna ‘krisis’ dalam konteks Pendidikan di USA. Kedua, sedikit menyimpang dari tafsiran progresif dan dengan menimba inspirasi dari pemahaman Yunani dan Romawi kuno, artikel ini hendak menilai kembali makna ‘otoritas’ dan relasinya dengan ‘kebebasan’. Ketiga, berdasarkan analisis makna ‘otoritas’ tersebut, Arendt menegaskan bahwa guru memainkan peran krusial karena merekalah yang menyiapkan siswa untuk mencintai dan peduli kepada dunia sekitarnya (amor mundi). Penulis berpendapat lebih lanjut bahwa otoritas guru harus memperhatikan dimensi privat yang sangat memengaruhi proses pembelajaran siswa di sekolah. Hanya dengan demikian siswa dapat sungguh siap untuk kemudian memikul tanggung jawab sebagai aktor-aktor politis dalam masyarakat.
 Kata-kata kunci: otoritas, kebebasan, pendidikan-berpusat-pada-anak, dimensi privat, dimensi politis, amor mund

A ‘learning community’ as a social justice model for Catholic education in Thailand

Inspired by Paul VI’s Octogesima Adveniens regarding the Church’s urgent response to social issues, in his speech to Jesuit alumni in Valencia in July 1973, Fr. Pedro Arrupe reflected on the concept of ‘social justice’ and its implications for Jesuit schools. He spoke about how Jesuit education could assist students to become ‘men and women for others’, men and women who can bring about change for the better in their societies. Since then, promoting ‘social justice’ has become one of the Jesuit educational priorities and has brought about significant reform within Jesuit educational institutions worldwide. This includes the newly established institution of a ‘learning community’ that addresses educational inequality for poor indigenous students in Thailand. This research paper reflects on how this institution can be a model that promotes justice in education and forms our students to become ‘agents of change.’ This paper begins by revisiting Fr. Arrupe’s concept of ‘social justice’ and philosophically analyses the learning formation of a new Jesuit institution, called the Xavier Learning Community (XLC). Drawing from this analysis, I argue that the model of ‘learning community’ may also inspire other Catholic schools to address common social issues in Thailand based on the Christian values of continual conversion, fraternal and sororal relationship, and discernment

Understanding Learning Paradox through Abduction and Dialogue for Effective Teaching in Multicultural Schools

Learning paradox, an ancient inquiry found in Plato’s MENO, has widely been discussed in education through the present day. It focuses on the puzzle of how students acquire new understandings out of the knowledge they already possess. One of several views is Richard Prawat’s concept of 'abduction' or the use of metaphor by teachers as a means for students' learning. But the question is whether this 'metaphor' would be effective in multicultural schools where students have different cultural backgrounds and understandings. The utilisation of a fixed 'metaphor' that only some students comprehend can limit the learning opportunities for others. This research attempts to address this concern through Nicholas Burbules’ concept of 'dialogue' as an integral part of the abductive process. This dialogue discloses the greater mutual understanding of learning counterparts despite their diversity and opens up the possibilities of other relevant metaphors. Consequently, the integration of dialogue in the abductive process assists students in acquiring new knowledge more equally and enriches their learning more holistically and meaningfully