It's been so long!

It's been an exhausting few days here in Bath. Lectures started at 4.30 on Saturday evening and we enjoy 7 and a half hours everyday of maths problems! It's fascinating to see how different people attack the different problems and the sharing is extremely educational.

On my drive down here I stopped for a bite to eat and to read the booklet I was supposed to read before arriving... (Well I did read it before I arrived!). On the first page was a list of assumptions that are being made about education.

Education is more than information. Education can be considered in six inter-related levels.

1. Information - basic facts and procedures
2. Knowledge - a merging of experience and information that suggests a need for relevance, interest and context.
3. Intelligence - this is cultivated when one interacts with knowledge by breaking it down and linking it together, and when one calls upon intuition.
4. Understanding - both the head and the heart are needed as understanding focuses on both community and the individual.
5. Wisdom - when understanding is complemented by ethics.
6. The possibility of transformation or change, which is a key goal of education.

(Tobin Hart, 2001, From Information to Transformation: education for the evolution of consciousness)

I thought about some of the things Matthew had been saying the previous week about how we can know about Jesus but until we come to a revelation about WHO he is and meet him as a person, we can't actually KNOW JESUS.

Looking through the list I could see how our lives can change as our education about God and Jesus develops beyond just a the information, as knowledge merges experience, as intellect is cultivated by breaking down what we know and linking it with intuition (to me this makes me think of God's call on our lives - when he is speaking to us and we gain insight into his nature and persona), Understanding when the head and the heart work together to appreciate what is going on.

Wisdom! When understanding is COMPLEMENTED by ethics! Or in the case of christians, when understanding is complemented by the Word of God.

Finally, the possibility(?) of change! How can we not change the way we live when we have allowed these different facets of education to determine how we see and interact with God?

If we read the Bible, are we being educated by it? Or are we just reading it as a good read? Are we ultimately allowing it to change our way of life?

I have to dash off, no time to speeel checkm or proff read! ( ;-) ). Another 7 hours of learning about maths education for me! Brain addled person signing off!