Transforming K-12 Educational Institutions: The Global Morfosis Paradigm (gMp)​

Transforming K-12 Educational Institutions: The Global Morfosis Paradigm (gMp) Stefanos Gialamas and Peggy Pelonis K-12 academic institutions hold the power to transform the world.

They can play a leading role in shaping and preparing young people to cope with and be productive members of an increasingly global society.

Assuming such a role requires continuous attention to being aware of the tremendous influence institutions have on students and the responsibility that accompanies the relevant mindset. As we have previously stated (2008) the educational experiences students receive in K-12 schools are closely linked to their learning outcomes and to the opportunities they have, but they are also closely linked to their ability to interact with the world around them. As educators we must ask ourselves, what should education address today that is different from the past? It is a question that we address in the present article.

To begin with it would be a grand omission to neglect reference to the work of John Dewey. ‘For Dewey, the purpose of education is to develop agents for social reform’ (Livingston, 2003 p.9). Education therefore must reconsider experiential learning and socialization. Socialization refers to the individual’s acting for the community in ways that are useful for society. (Childs 1967). Dewey was not a strong advocate of theoretical knowledge, focusing instead on practical ‘action’ via class projects that would ignite student’s ‘social spirit’ (Rand 1971). John Dewey (1933) advocated the role of teachers as Action Researchers and active reflectors of their work so that they engage in problem solving across the school rather than only in the classroom and thus become example citizens for students.

Grounded in the traditional work of John Dewey, the well known Humanistic Psychologist, Abraham Maslow, developed a widely known theory of human behavior and motivation based on a Hierarchy of Needs largely because of his dissatisfaction with pathology based theories.

Instead he expressed an optimistic view of human beings as capable of knowing right from wrong, guided by a higher good and capable of

International Schools Journal Vol XXXVII No.1 November 2017

23

expressing values such as love, truth and beauty (1943a, 1970a). Maslow was interested in what was right with individuals not with what was wrong. The idea of holism is central in Humanistic Psychology with emphasis on subjective experience, freedom of choice and responsibility (Meyer et al, 2003). Maslow (1970b, p.88) described humans as ‘perpetually wanting animals’ because as ‘one desire is satisfied, another one pops up’.

I wanted to prove that human beings are capable of something grander than war and prejudice and hatred (Maslow, Psychology Today, 1968 (2), p.55).

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs addresses firstly the basic needs for human beings. Humans have the need to be safe, to belong, to be loved, the need for self-respect, the need to know and understand and ultimately the need for self-actualization. Self-actualization cannot ever be achieved if basic needs are not first met. Self-actualization refers to each individual’s ability to reach their full potential. Every individual has this potential at birth but it is often thwarted by conditions and circumstance, such as poverty and war, particularly in early childhood. Maslow’s theory has been extensively used in the field of psychology since the 1940s but in the 1060s the theory gained popularity within the business sector as well (Steers and Porter, 1987). In relation to this article, one of Maslow’s significant contributions is his idea of an Eupsychian society. Greek in origin, the word means Eu, (good/euphoria) and psych (mind or soul). Maslow discussed the Eupsychian society as ‘the Good society’, which would be made up of ‘psychologically healthy or mature or selfactualizing people’ (Lanchman, 2013). ‘Once people satisfy their basic needs, they are capable of reaching optimal health or being fully human.’

Likewise, the psychologist Alfred Adler describes self-actualizers as having deep feelings of identification, sympathy and affection, despite negative feelings such as anger, occasionally. These feelings manifest themselves in a desire to help others because of a strong sense of belonging to one family – the world (1977). Adler stands by the idea of holism and stresses the unity of the personality (rather than fragmented, divided parts) asserting that optimal functioning of the individual is closely related to the unique environment in which they belong. In essence, however, there is interdependence between the individual and the environment. Therefore, psychological health cannot be separated from the health of the society in which the individual exists (Ansbacher, 1956). For Adler, Social Interest or ‘Gemeinschaftsgefuhl’, translated from German as ‘community feeling’ is closely associated with mental health. To have social interest means to healthily engage with the 24

International Schools Journal Vol XXXVII No.1 November 2017

world. It presupposes an acknowledgment that one’s own wellbeing is intertwined with the wellbeing of everyone and therefore includes feelings of both self development and co-operation with others. There is a reciprocal relationship between the individual and the community/ society and therefore no conflict between the two. Adler emphasized that when we contribute to others and generally to society we can reach our full potential (Barlow & Durand 2002).

Social Interest can be encouraged by the environment within which the individual finds one self. Such a primary environment, no doubt, is the family. Second to that however, is the school that a youngster attends.

We believe, as stated in previous publications (Gialamas and Pelonis, 2013), that a continuum of developing levels of Social Interest can be embedded in school culture. These stages of Social Interest development are as follows: Social Interest mindset development: Adler considered Social Interest an aptitude, which deems one responsive to social situations (Adler, 1981). Social Interest may include interest beyond people (animals, the environment, the entire universe). Social Interest is an extension of one’s self into the community.

To this we add two more stages: Social Engagement: The ability to put interest into practice by first becoming aware and becoming interested in a social condition; continuing to develop an interest towards improving a social situation; figuring out ways and planning to engage in bettering a condition and thus taking responsibility for part of the solution.

Social Devotion: Committing to and actively participating in the betterment of a situation or the improvement of a person’s life. This way of thinking and behaving becomes a way of life for individuals as they develop a positive mindset towards improving as many aspects of society as possible.

Going back to the question of what should education address today that is different from the past? A devotion to developing Social Interest in each individual student to the degree possible due to the varying circumstances of the individual’s life and dedication to developing a holistic personality with ethos are necessity for today’s global citizen.

Education and educational leaders are in the unique position to contribute to morphing or moulding aspects of individual students’ personality, interests, and mindsets. Part of that involves teaching students to respond to multiple societal changes lest they be usurped by such changes. The ability to respond to change effectively but also to navigate change and to initiate change is very important in today’s very demanding, fast changing society so that individuals avoid becoming International Schools Journal Vol XXXVII No.1 November 2017

25

overwhelmed with change. Being overwhelmed and unable to cope effectively puts one in the mindset of survival; trying to take care of basic needs such as safety and belonging, thus blocking the ability to devote time and energy to forming community bonds. All energy is focused internally in an effort to survive from perceived or real threats with little or no energy devoted to developing relationships which could be intricate in moving through the phases of Social Interest, engagement and dedication. Solely internally focused movement can result in individuals becoming organizational drones trained for specific jobs perhaps, but lonely, ill adjusted and indifferent human beings. Sergiovanni (2007) says it well in the following passage: As students, teachers, parents, and administrators are more firmly connected to themselves, each other, their work and their responsibilities higher levels of academic and civic engagement will be observed. This engagement provides the framework for improving student performance as well as levels of civility, increasing the quality of parental participation, and enhancing teacher professionalism. (p.4) Gellar (in Hayden, Thompson and Walker, 2006 p.31) purports that we live in a small and fragile world, the citizens of which are increasingly dependent on one another. Thus knowledge of school subjects is not enough. It is also important to mention at this point the Aristotelian influence on what education should be about. Aristotle advocated a strong belief in the idea that a ‘philosophy of education must be infused with a clear philosophy of life. There has to be a deep concern for the ethical and political. We have continually to ask what makes for human flourishing. From this we should act to work for that which is good or ‘right’, rather than that which is merely “correct”’ (Barnes, 1982 p.1).

There is strong emphasis on a well rounded, balanced individual, who is able, along with academic development, to train, play music and debate so that the body is formed along with the mind and the soul. He insisted that education become a habit thus, the best type of learning is learning by doing.

Naturally the Global Morfosis Paradigm (gMp) philosophy evolved and has been influenced by educators from ancient Greece to modern day. It is thus fitting, that we call this educational philosophy and educational paradigm Morfosis (Μορφωση) from the Greek word meaning to morph or shape. The Morfosis paradigm has been a cornerstone guiding model in assisting ACS Athens, a reputable K-12 academic institution in Athens Greece to move from success toward gradually achieving significance.

26

International Schools Journal Vol XXXVII No.1 November 2017

Global-minded schools consider it their ethical responsibility to promote universal values and ensure, to the degree possible, that these are taught to the students within these schools. Curriculum focus is on the interdependence of cultures and nations through teaching world history and world literature. Most challenging for such institutions is the ability to instil, more than ‘knowledge’ in the students minds, to instil the wisdom to use knowledge effectively in a world constantly changing.

Student’s ability to discover creative solutions to societal challenges will be a barometer for measuring wisdom. This can only be accomplished within a culture that cultivates innovation, respects differences and is strongly committed to universal principles and values. In such institutions faculty are student advocates, not enabling, but empowering students by providing challenging and fulfilling educational experiences firmly grounded on innovation to promote learning experiences.

How can an academic institution be transformed to adopt the mindset of serving humanity? Firstly, an institution must be healthy and successful in order to move toward serving humanity. The dictionary definition of success is ‘a person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity’.

Secondly, the institution must work toward instilling in students, faculty, leaders, parents and the entire community the mindset of serving humanity. Thus a successful institution achieves its mission, vision, beliefs and goals successfully and the strategic goals set by the institution’s leaders are met. For example if the goal of the institution is to increase enrolment then the measure of success is the number of students attending the institution. Success could also mean number of programs offered, college placement or teacher retention. Institutions that decide to go beyond success, on the other hand, do two things: 1. Sustain excellence while fulfilling the mission, vision, commitments and goals for all stakeholders; students, faculty, staff, administration, board members, parents and alumni.

2. At the core of the commitments is the continuous action to serve humanity, be it the immediate community, the region or the nation, through action. The institutional members are actively engaged in metamorphosis: transforming the community for the benefit of all members, not just the privileged; for by contributing to those less fortunate or improving a social condition there is the power to transform fear mindsets to flourishing mindsets. This then contributes to a healthy society, which ultimately benefits all.

International Schools Journal Vol XXXVII No.1 November 2017

27

Serving Humanity is the ultimate goal through the progression in mindsets and movement in the continuum of Social Interest to Social Engagement to Social Devotion and this can be achieved via the gMp (Gialamas, Avgerinou, Tsoukaia, 2014) comprised of three interrelated parts: The Morfosis Educational Philosophy, I2flex delivery methodology and Aristeia Leadership.

1. The Morfosis Educational Philosophy has been previously defined by the authors as a Holistic, Harmonious and Meaningful educational experience guided by ethos (Gialamas, Pelonis, Medeiros, 2014) 2. I2f lex delivery methodology is a teaching and learning approach comprised of face-to-face and non-face-to-face teaching and learning. The non-face-to-face learning includes independent, inquiry based student learning guided by faculty.

While the face to face component includes student and faculty engagement within or outside of the classroom in an interactive form. This highly interactive learning experience is focused on the intellectual skills of analysis, evaluation and creation based on the Revised Version of Bloom’s Taxonomy of learning (Gialamas, Avgerinou, 2016) 3. Aristeia leadership is the continuous act of effectively engaging all members of an organization, or community, as well as utilizing their differences, their authentic energies, creative ideas, and diverse qualities primarily for the benefit of their constituencies. (Gialamas, Cherif, Pelonis, Medeiros 2016) It is comprised by three interrelated, inseparable, and interconnected components: a. The establishment of an Authentic Leadership Identity (ALI) b. The creation of a Collective Leadership-Partnership Approach (CPA) c. Service to Humanity In order to raise awareness and empower today’s students and tomorrow’s (global) citizens to truly understand today’s global challenges, poverty, famine, population displacement as well as to equip individuals with affective tools to find solutions we must bring the problems to our doorstep. The following example will be used to illustrate this point: The current refuge/migration crisis has posed tremendous challenges for Greece. It is natural for national and international schools in the

28

International Schools Journal Vol XXXVII No.1 November 2017

region to rush to the rescue, by donating time, money and goods toward alleviating the suffering of the people involved. This was the case with ACS Athens as well. But what began as a project of the most privileged helping the less fortunate evolved into an educational experience meaningful in magnitude for those who could give as well as those receiving. The faculty and the leadership of ACS Athens responded to requests for offering charity with challenging questions, key note speakers, workshops and research projects aimed at answering these questions some of which included the following: why do we want to give? Who are these people? What do you know about them? Where do they come from? Why are they here? What does displacement mean?

What does home mean to you? What does it mean to lose a home? How does history repeat itself in relation to this issue? The projects resulted in a school-wide program voluntarily organized by ACS Athens leaders, faculty and students called ‘Make a Child Smile, Keep the Hope Alive’.

The program took on many facets resulting in the ‘adoption’ of four refugee children to attend ACS Athens free of charge. Following these events the ‘Youth to Youth’ program was developed in association with a local non-profit organization which houses unattended refugee minors.

Refugee children were paired with ACS Athens students to attend a series of classes including language (fundamental Greek and English), music therapy, sports activities and mathematics. The aim of the program was to assist in the integration of such children within their new ‘home’ and to help them develop skills useful for their survival. The outcome was astounding. Refugee children, anonymously reported higher levels of self esteem, confidence and renewed feelings of hope. Most significant findings indicate their perception that someone cares enough to help in meaningful ways therefore ‘we must try to succeed’ and the desire to succeed so as to help others as a result of the experience. What was most promising and particularly enlightening however, was the response of the ACS students who reported such things as: ‘it was the most significant experience of my life’, ‘I have learned so much from this experience and I want to continue to help in any way I can’, ‘I have a much better understanding now of what is really happening’, ‘I am determined to make a difference now’, ‘I came to know these people, who I can now call my friends, and I realize that they are just like me in many ways’, ‘I realize how privileged I am and that I have a huge responsibility to give back to those whose lives were disrupted because they happen to live in that region of the world’.

Whether such learning experiences will have everlasting impact remains to be seen but we are convinced that this has been a significant starting International Schools Journal Vol XXXVII No.1 November 2017

29

point for promoting awareness and instilling the desire to impact change.

Uneducated children, without Morfosis can be easily manipulated and taken advantage of and can become tools to dangerous movements encouraging conflict and violence. Offering students an educational experience that creates positive mindsets and instils the foundation for them to become tomorrow’s leaders with ethos and responsibility, helps people move from feeling victimized to gaining some kind of control of their environment. This can produce leaders capable of giving back to society by becoming catalysts for making innovative, educational experiences available to more and more students, free of national biases, religion fanaticism and race discrimination. Programs such as the above can help prevent isolation and can be vehicles for re-integrating children and youth into society. Ultimately, even if few lives are changed, it can only benefit the community and the society at large. It is in moments such as the above, when students speak from the heart, that the idea of world peace and an Eupsychian Society seems a tiny bit closer.

The Global Morfosis Paradigm (gMp) is designed to assist in the transformation of K-12 educational institutions to create a mindset of serving humanity. It requires a strong commitment to morphing the minds of young people to do what is right not simply what is correct.

It requires awareness and participation in local and global issues. It requires developing a high degree of Social Interest, Engagement and Devotion. But if not our youth, then who will change the world? And if not educational leaders, then who will teach them to believe they can?

If we all desire it intensely, if we organize all the visible and invisible powers of earth and fling them upward, if we all battle together like fellow combatants eternally vigilant – then the universe might possibly be saved.

Nikos Kazantzakis References Adler, A. (1977): Maslow’s need hierarchy and the adjustment of immigrants, inInternational Migration Review, 11(4), pp.444–451.

Ansbacher, H. L. & Ansbacher, R. R. (eds) (1956): The individual psychology of Alfred Adler: A systematic presentation in selections from his writings. New York: Harper & Row. Avgerinou, M. & Gialamas, S. (eds.) (2016): Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through the I2Flex Blended Model, Chapter 9 Barlow, V. M., & Durand, D. H. (2002): Abnormal psychology: An integrative approach, 3rd Ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Group.

Barnes, J. (1982): Aristotle, Oxford: OUP. Childs, J., (1967): John Dewey, Lectures in the philosophy of education: 1899, in Studies in Philosophy and Education, 5(1), pp.60-76.

30

International Schools Journal Vol XXXVII No.1 November 2017

Dewey, J. 1998 [1933]: How we think: a restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Gialamas, S., Cherif, A., Pelonis, P., Medeiros, S. (2016): Aristeia Leadership in Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through the I2Flex Blended Model. Ch. 9 Gialamas , S. and Pelonis, P. (2013): Providing Exceptional Educational Experiences to Students with Financial Need: A modern challenge for International K-12 Schools, in International Schools Journal, Volume XXXlll, No. 1, November 2013 Gialamas, S., Pelonis, P. and Medeiros, S. (2014): Metamorphosis: A Collaborative Model to Promote Educational Change, in International Schools Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 10 Number 1, 2014 Gialamas, Avgerinou, Tsoukaia (2014): I2Flex Digital Systems for Open Access to Formal and Informal Learning, Chapter 20.

Livingston, J. (2003): War and the intellectuals: Bourne, Dewey, and the fate of pragmatism, in The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 2(04), pp431-450.

Lynchman, G. (2013): The Caretakers of the Cosmos: Living Responsibly in an Unfinished World. Floris Books.

Maslow, A. H. (1943a): ‘A Preface to Motivation Theory’, Psychosomatic Medicine, 5, pp.85-92 Maslow, A. H. (1970a): Religions, values and peak experiences. New York: Viking Meyer, W., & Moore, C. (2003): Personology, in W. Meyer, C. Moore, & Viljoen, H. (Eds.) Personology: From individual to ecosystem (3rd ed.), pp.2–21 and pp.126–151).

Johannesburg, South Africa: Heinemann.

Sergiovanni, T. (2007): Rethinking Leadership. A collection of Articles. Corwin Press.

Thousand Oaks, CA. Second edition.

Steers, R. M. and Porter, L. W. (1987): Motivation and Work Behaviour. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Dr Stefanos Gialamas is President and Dr Peggy Pelonis is Dean of Student Affairs at The American Community Schools of Athens.

International Schools Journal Vol XXXVII No.1 November 2017

31