Spiritual education as a subspecies of relational education?

Abstract

Though the promotion of spiritual 'development' is statutory in statemaintained schools in England and Wales, it is neither clear what spirituality is nor how schools might educate in this area. In the literature, one finds an array of divergent conceptions of spirituality and spiritual education. There is, indeed, lack of agreement regarding whether spiritual education has any place in schools other than those of a religious character. Some argue that spirituality is beyond definition. I reject the notion that spirituality, and hence spiritual education, is beyond definition. I defend and develop Michael Hand's 'education in a spiritual activity'. I argue that spirituality concerns connectivity, or relationship, with the transcendent. This relational understanding of spirituality resembles existing accounts of spirituality as relational and underpins an account of spiritual education as relational education -again resembling existing accounts. However, I distinguish between relational education which concerns a wide range of relationships and spiritual education as a subspecies of relational education which specifically concerns relationship with the transcendent. I argue that reserving the term 'spiritual' for relationship with the transcendent would enable teachers and pupils to make the kinds of distinctions which are important in both spiritual education and the wider relational education.

The Educator as a Subject of the Spiritual Development of Student Youth

“…Consequently, Ivan Bech defines spirituality as a mental-aesthetic and moral phenomenon 13 , while Hryhoriy Filipchuk underscores that the concept of spirituality encapsulates the essence of national values, identity, and the spiritual freedom of the individual. 14 Jo Fraser-Pearce (2022) 15 argues that in contemporary academia, the concept of 'spiritual education' is often associated with 'religious education' , aligning with the perspective of David Hay (2007), 16 who employs the term '[…] spirituality [as] equivalent to relational consciousness. ' The scientist proves the necessity for the formation of spiritual consciousness at school to promote the development of students' morality and social cohesion.…”

“…Therefore, spirituality is defined in different contexts -as a feature of religion, as autonomy, and as a quality of personality or extra-human quality. '[…] the term 'spiritual' for the relationship with the transcendent would enable teachers and pupils to make the kinds of distinctions which are important in both spiritual education and the wider relational education' , 22 which in a certain way justifies the use of the concepts of 'spiritual education' , 'spiritual development' , 'spiritual formation' of a young person in state educational institutions. 23 Laura Jones notes: '[…] spirituality is not religion, a public institution that facilitates access to a power greater than ourselves, nor is it ethics, the study of rightness and wrongness in human conduct' .…”

“…In the book 'Present-Day Spiritualities: Contrasts and Overlaps' , 8 Elizabeth Hense identifies six fields of recent research in spirituality, including spirituality in education. Nowadays, when irreversible processes of globalisation are taking place, educational paradigms are being constantly changed, 9 and the latest technologies of teaching and learning are being introduced. The significance of the humanities, as highlighted by Lech Witkowski, 10 is notably expanding, with pedagogy being a particularly crucial component in this growth.…”

Pedagog jako subjekt duchovního rozvoje studentské mládeže

“…V důsledku toho Ivan Bech definuje spiritualitu jako mentálně-estetický a morální fenomén 13 , zatímco Hryhoriy Filipchuk zdůrazňuje, že koncept spirituality zahrnuje podstatu národních hodnot, identity a duchovní svobody jednotlivce. 14 Jo Fraser-Pearce (2022) 15 tvrdí, že v současné akademické sféře je pojem "duchovní výchova" často spojován s "náboženskou výchovou", což je v souladu s perspektivou Davida Haye (2007), 16 který používá termín "[…] spiritualita [jako] ekvivalentní vztahovému vědomí." Vědec dokazuje nezbytnost formování duchovního vědomí ve škole k podpoře rozvoje morálky a sociální soudržnosti studentů.…”

“…V knize "Present-Day Spiritualities: Contrasts and Overlaps" 8 Elizabeth Hense identifikuje šest oblastí současného výzkumu spirituality, včetně spirituality ve vzdělávání. V dnešní době, kdy probíhají nevratné procesy globalizace, se neustále mění vzdělávací paradigmata 9 a zavádějí se stále novější technologie výuky a učení. Význam humanitních věd, jak zdůraznil Lech Witkowski, 10 výrazně narůstá, přičemž zejména pedagogika je klíčovou součástí tohoto vývoje.…”