We’ve attached the invitation here. Invitation to SEC2013

Thank you for your support and interest!

We will put our best effort to provide you with an inspiring and informative Soka Education Conference.

Click!

SESRPnewsletter#4.1

The content are:

• Peace Week 2012
• Soka Education Week 2012
• translating theory into practice (Ryan Hayashi)
• Update on 9^th Soka Education Conference 2013 (Tentative schedule included)

Please submit your proposal by 11:59pm (PT).

Soka Education Conference Proposals 2013

Driving Directions:

From the North on Interstate 405: (TOLL FREE)

1. Take the southbound 405 to southbound Interstate 5
2. Go to Oso Parkway exit and turn west  (right if you are southbound)
3. Oso becomes Pacific Park Drive
4. Travel about five miles on Pacific Park Drive – turn left on Wood Canyon Drive
5. After one mile, turn right on University

From the North on Interstate 405: (TOLL)

1. From Interstate 405, take the southbound State Route 73 toll road
2. Travel 11.8 miles on the 73 to the Glenwood Exit (right)  Glenwood Drive changes its name to Pacific Park – stay on it.
3. Turn right on Wood Canyon Drive
4. After one mile, turn right on University
   Note: State Route 73 is a Toll Road costing up to $5 to use.

From the East on State Route 55: (TOLL FREE)

1. From State Route 55, take the southbound 405 to southbound Interstate 5
2. Go to Oso Parkway exit and turn west  (right if you are heading south, left if you are coming north)
3. Oso becomes Pacific Park Drive
4. Travel about five miles on Pacific Park Drive – turn left on Wood Canyon Drive
5. After one mile, turn right on University

From the East on State Route 55: (TOLL)

1. From State Route 55, take the southbound State Route 73 toll road
2. Travel 11.8 miles on the 73 to the Glenwood Exit (right).  Glenwood Drive changes its name to Pacific Park – stay on it.
3. Turn right on Wood Canyon Drive
4. After one mile, turn right on University
   Note: State Route 73 is a Toll Road costing up to $5 to use.
   

From the West on Pacific Coast Highway: (TOLL FREE)

1. From Pacific Coast Highway, take Laguna Canyon Rd. (SR133) north
2. Travel 3.2 miles on Laguna Canyon Rd. to El Toro Rd. – turn right on El Toro Rd
3. Travel 1.3 miles on El Toro Rd. to Aliso Creek Rd. – turn right on Aliso Creek Rd
4. Travel 2.6 miles on Aliso Creek Rd. to Glenwood – turn right on Glenwood.  Glenwood Drive changes its name to Pacific Park – stay on it.
5. Travel to Wood Canyon Drive – Turn right on Wood Canyon Drive
6. After one mile, turn right on University

Parking:

For Pauling Hall: Park in Parking Lot C, take the stairs or elevator up to the campus green.  Pauling Hall is directly to the left of the Student Center and Soka Bistro dining hall (where tables and chairs are out front).

Include the 7th SEC, a dialogue with Laval University scholars, report on the Parker School symnposium, and so forth. It also introduces the new SESRP leadership for 2011-2012.

The symposium opened with welcoming words by Dr. Jason Goulah, Assistant Professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education at DePaul University, who was the organizer of this event. Among the four educators to whom this symposium was dedicated, Daisaku Ikeda is the only one alive; thus, DePaul University and Francis W. Parker School had invited Mr. Ikeda to this symposium. Because he could not be there, Mr. Richard Yoshimachi, the President of Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue in Boston, was there to represent Mr. Ikeda. Mr. Yoshimachi himself being the first class of Soka High School and Soka University, he shared his experience of receiving “human education” directly from the Founder Mr. Ikeda at Soka schools.

Next was a presentation by the students at Francis W. Parker School who took a course titled “Schools across borders, Schools across time.” This was a course focused on studying the educational philosophies of Parker, Dewey, Makiguchi, and Ikeda and was co-taught by Dr. Jason Goulah and Dr. Andy Kaplan. Most of them came to this course without knowing what to expect, but all of them said that it was a meaningful and valuable experience. One student stated that, through studying Soka education, he learned the philosophy of the Founder, Francis Parker, and discovered the roots of his own school. Another student who did not know at all about Makiguchi, Ikeda, or Soka education was so inspired by their philosophies that he decided to apply to Soka University of America and was accepted as the class of 2015. As an SUA student studying Soka education, I was very inspired by these students at Francis W. Parker School seriously and enthusiastically studying Soka education and was also impressed by the quality of their study.

The first panel was titled “Convergences in Educational Ecology.” The first presenter was Dr. Jim Garrison, Professor of Philosophy of Education at Virginia Tech University and past president of the John Dewey Society, and presented a paper titled The Parker, Makiguchi, Ikeda, and Dewey “Reunion” as a Response to Spiritual Nihilism. Dr. Garrison argued that although each of the four possessed different religious beliefs, they all address the importance of spiritual education to enhance society’s spirituality. This includes both self-awareness and other-awareness, and it is a continuous expansion one’s own life to actualize one’s unique potential. He concluded that this self-actualization can overcome nihilism. The next presenter was Dr. Larry Hickman, Director of the Center for Dewey Studies at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and past president of the John Dewey Society. His paper was titled Context and Quantification in Education, East and West, and addressed the importance of “context” which includes peer, one’s prior experiences, cultural norms, geography, and history. He claimed that what Makiguchi and Ikeda calls “happiness,” Dewey “growth,” and Parker “growth of moral character” can only be achieved by quality education. Although current educational systems are clearly leaning toward quantification of achievement (such as standardized testing), Dr. Hickman concluded that as long as we have quality education, quantity should naturally follow. Dr. Takao Ito, Associate Professor and Director of Center for Dewey Studies/Soka Education Research Institute at Soka University in Japan was supposed to present a paper titled Geography for Global Citizens: Dewey, Makiguchi, Parker, he was not able to come due to the influence of recent earthquake in Japan. The panel was followed by a 15-minute open discussion among the audience and a Q&A session with the presenters.

Following lunch break was a Korean drum performance by an SGI-USA Youth Korean Drum group. SGI is a lay Buddhist organization dedicated to peace, culture, and education. In July 2010, the youth of SGI-USA held a cultural festival called Rock the Era and collectively made a vow create a just and peaceful world. This ideal of humanism resonates with the aim of this symposium, and their performance left the strong and steady beat of humanism in the hearts of the audience.

The second panel was titled “Urgencies of Citizenship for the 21^st Century.” Dr. William Schubert, Professor of Education and University Scholar at University of Illinois, Chicago, and past president of the John Dewey Society, made a presentation titled Cultivating the Transcending Spirit of Education in Dewey, Parker, Makiguchi, Ikeda, and Others. He opened his presentation by stating that urgency of citizenship starts from me, from each individual, and extends to all humanity. Focusing mainly on Dewey, he argued that education should pursue interest in the child, cultivate democracy for peace and loving relationships, and address the problem of acquisitive society. We must look beyond testing and national competition, and question what is worthwhile and how children can live a happy life. Dr. Schubert concluded that central themes in Parker, Dewey, Makiguchi, and Ikeda point to education that transcends many extant globalizing forces and that a key issue is how to cultivate such transcendence. Mr. Gonzalo Obelleiro, SUA class of 2005 and Doctoral Candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, presented Wisdom, Courage, Compassion, and the Moral Ideal of Democracy. In the current globalizing and increasingly interconnected world, Ikeda believes that democracy must be achieved by education for global citizenship. Using the three elements of global citizens (wisdom, courage and compassion) identified by Ikeda, Gonzalo explained that global citizenship or cosmopolitanism is to find the common humanity when encountering with differences. From his experience of being a student at SUA, Gonzalo shared that SUA is a place to understand who you are, your place in the world, and your connection with others. He concluded his presentation by referring to the earlier Korean drum performance, stating that although the drum beat of humanism might be quiet right now, if we keep it steady and relentless, there is hope. The panel was again followed by open discussion and a Q&A session with the presenters.

The last panel was titled “Dialogue as the Education of Humanism.” The first presenter was Dr. Ming Fang He, Professor of Curriculum Studies at Georgia Southern University. Her presentation was on East Meets West in Cultural Humanism in Confucius, Makiguichi, Ikeda and Dewey, which explored cultural humanism in education in the works of Confucius, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Daisaku Ikeda, and John Dewey. Some of the main themes she identified in these works were “天人合一” (nature-human interconnections), “仁” (benevolence), and joy of learning/happiness of living. She also mentioned that the idea of fostering individuals capable of value creation in Makiguchi and Ikeda is similar to the idea of “君子” (man of noble character) in Confucianism. The second presenter was Dr. Theresa Austin, Professor of Language, Literacy & Culture at University of Massachusetts Amherst, who presented Communities in Dialog: Teacher Education for Critically Understanding Radical/Alternatives in Education. She argued that in times of certain values are deeply entrenched in society, new values or ideas are often seen as “radical” or even “dangerous.” All four of the educators addressed at today’s symposium were seen as “radical” or “dangerous” by those who hold the traditional values. Dr. Austin emphasizes the importance of dialogue in these moments of two or more values competing against each other in order to bring shift and transformation in society. She further argued that it is also crucial to bring students in these discussions. The final presenter was Mr. Andrew Gebert, Doctoral Candidate at Waseda University and a translator and researcher at the Institute of Oriental Philosophy in Tokyo. His presentation focused on Makiguchi’s life and how his personal experiences shaped his philosophy. First, he stated that the questions that have already been settled by the nation or authority figures always remained open for Makiguchi. For example, the national curriculum on geography decided that the most important thing children should know is where each prefecture exists, what is the capital of each prefecture, etc. However, Makiguchi kept questioning what kind of connection our lives have with the nature and how geography relates to our lives. Mr. Gebert concluded his presentation by encouraging everyone that the way (of humanistic education) is not already there for us, but is created by our next step forward. This concluded the entire symposium.

Throughout the event, I was very inspired by the passion and care for our education and the world possessed by both presenters and the audience. The audience actively engaged in dialogue with the presenters by asking questions and offering comments. Many of the audience were community members and in-service teachers, but not scholars. It revealed that many people are seeking humanistic philosophies that they can base their lives and careers on.

It was also very inspiring to see so many prominent scholars to gather in one place at the same time to engage in dialogue and discussion. I was able to make personal connections with some of the presenters. I hope we can invite some of them as a keynote speaker for our annual Soka Education Conference. I also wish to see a symposium like this taking place at SUA in the near future and SESRP establishing connections with many others who are enthusiastic about studying Soka education. I believe that the first step is to start connecting with the teacher and students taking the course “School across borders, School across time” at Francis W. Parker School. If more students from this course apply and come to SUA, I believe that our pedagogical foundation will be much stronger. As they said at the symposium, studying other educational philosophies help connect to one’s own roots. I hope SUA students can also learn about the educational philosophies of Parker and Dewey (and others) from them, and establish a firm connection with our own roots of Soka education.

Although I was the only current SUA student at this event, I saw many SUA alumni attending the symposium. It reminded me that the quest for Soka education does not stop when we graduate from SUA, but continues for the rest of our lives. As Soka graduates, we carry the label of “Soka education” wherever we go and whatever we do. Through this trip, I deepened my appreciation for SUA alumni who are representing Soka education and paving the path for humanism and world peace in their respective fields.

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation for the Pacific Basin Research Center that supported me in attending this symposium.

Written by Nozomi Inukai (SUA Class of 2011)