Five classroom activities for sustaining a spiritual environment

Abstract

JoyceBellous McMaster Divinity CollegeMcMaster UniversityHamiltonOntario L85 4K1Canadabellousj@mcmaster.caThis article outlines five activities that provide an environment conducive to the wholeness of each child and the health of a group: including, attending, embracing, releasing and remaining. Including is hospitality offered to difference, so that each child shows up; attending is a just distribution of attention, so children learn meaningfully; embracing is appropriate ministrations of presence, so children become relational; releasing enables children to learn on their own; and remaining refers to faithful constancy, 'being there', dependable availability and integrity. Using these five activities, teachers create a spiritually rich environment in which all children feel they belong yet are free to be themselves. I hope to show its centrality in creating a learning community capable of meeting the deepest human needs. By carrying out these five activities-including, attending, embracing, releasing and remaining-adults create an environment that fosters spiritual growth and grow towards human maturity themselves.

Teacher, I had a dream: a glimpse of the spiritual domain of children using project-based learning

“…They are given a sense of personal satisfaction and spiritual feeling of fulfiling their personal destiny and enhancing the quality of life in all developmental domains. Spiritual education advocating diversity to flourish and allowing children to integrate and differentiate themselves within a classroom are recognised instead of estranged (Bellous 2006). Enriching spiritual experiences of children reflect the wide variety of ways they can respond to different environments (May and Ratcliff 2004).…”

Addressing religion and spirituality in educational settings.

“…A third line of reasoning purports that infusing spirituality and religion in education fosters cultural sensitivity and awareness, understanding of others, and appreciation of pluralism (Bellous, 2006;Benson & Roehlkepartain, 2008;de Souza, 2008;Tisdell, 2003). Educational practice that encourages authentic engagement across differences entails "promot[ing], among students, the traits of resilience, connectedness, compassion and meaning; and increas[ing] their chances of becoming more productive and affirmed community members in a global society that is besieged by divisiveness, violence and terrorism" (de Souza, 2006, p. 165).…”

Future Teachers’ Spiritual Worldview Formation Factors

“…Burnaev [137] gave a new explanation of concepts in his study. Bellous [138] described five types of spiritual learning activities, including participation, acceptance, embrace, release, and arrival. Teachers create a spiritually rich environment for students using these five activities.…”