Ruth Wills

The magic of music: a study into the promotion of children’s well‐being through singing

This paper considers the spiritual nature of music making and in particular the activity of singing. As a music teacher for children aged 5–11, I have recently observed a change in the behaviour and self‐esteem of certain children in school since they joined the choir. This has also inspired them to flourish in other areas of school life. This study focuses on three aspects of spirituality and well‐being in relation to the experiences of corporate music making: transcendence, connectedness and ‘flow’. I note how these contribute to the transformational nature of the musical processes. A theoretical framework focuses on the concepts of ‘signals of transcendence’, ‘connectedness’ and ‘flow’ whilst empirical data illustrates how these theoretical propositions are reflected in the reality of the Primary school situation. Recommendations are made for practice.

Beyond obedience and abandonment: toward a theory of dissent in Catholic education

between specific therapeutic practices and the arts. However, one drawback I found was the imbalance in the spread of countries. There were five chapters that were more general in their focus, seven chapters devoted to China, two to Korea, two to Japan, two to Thailand and one each to India, Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines. However, while I would like to have seen more attention given to some of the other Asian countries, and perhaps this will happen in another volume, Art Therapy in Asia remains a highly interesting and informative book for academics, practitioners and the general reader alike.

Beyond relation: a critical exploration of ‘relational consciousness’ for spiritual education

This paper takes a philosophical view of the spiritual concept ‘relational consciousness’ first proposed by Rebecca Nye in 1998. I will consider the relational aspect of spirituality through the ontology of Heidegger and the dialogical relationship ‘I and Thou’ of Martin Buber, examining the problems that contingency and mediation within consciousness bring particularly to a child’s notion of ‘God’. Through two writings of Hegel, I will introduce a speculative model where learning takes place within the ‘middle’ of human and transpersonal relationships and will present this as a basis for critical and political spiritual education.

Challenging ‘the they’: an Heideggerian reflection on the impact of power figures in children’s spiritual lives

Through the lens of Heideggerian’s Being and Time, this paper examines the world of ‘the they’ for twenty-first century children, highlighting perceived power figures in their lives. Exploring philosophically how the falling of a child’s Dasein from its primordial state into ‘the they’ culminates in an inauthentic presentation of self, it will then describe how spiritual educators might encourage a turning of the tide, allowing children to be critically aware of contingent influencers and to act upon them from a position of authenticity.

Can learning about the Holocaust be spiritual? Reflections on a teaching and learning experience with Primary School children.

Abstract In April 2017, I spent a week in Poland researching the Holocaust in Europe. Most notably, I visited the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. Following the visit, I facilitated three History lessons with 10- and 11-year-old children on the role of Auschwitz in the Second World War. As the sessions unfolded, the spiritual themes of meaning, identity and remembering emerged from the children’s responses; therefore, this article forms a reflection on how the lessons impacted the children’s spiritual lives. It also considers how the History curriculum might include a critical dimension to pedagogy. In particular, it explores how issues such as theology, morality and the role of representation open up a space for critical questioning. I suggest that such questioning is also spiritual. Thus, the self-awareness and criticality inspired might contribute to transformation – of both the teachers and learners and the world around them.

Exploring the ethics of agency through the lens of Bildung

Abstract Experiencing something of a renaissance, the German pedagogical idea ‘Bildung’ has recently been reconsidered for contemporary education. Historically proposed by von Humboldt, Bildung’s interplay represents a relational movement between a learner and the world that aims for personal freedom and growth. It is also identified as a means by which learners might become aware of their personal capacity to develop responses to daily experiences. Thus, it attends to agency and has resonance with children’s spirituality. Whilst such a notion of learning might be promoted as an alternative to a functionalistic educational paradigm, this paper highlights ethical concerns regarding pedagogical freedom. It highlights philosophically the illusion of freedom and considers critically the place of power in learner-led methods. Finally, the paper proposes how a nuanced, Kierkegaardian application of Bildung might address the ethical concerns raised and proposes how a re-considered understanding of the notion might be valuable for education today.