A Curriculum of Becoming

• In Event: Hope and Joy in Curriculum Studies: Engaging With Daisaku Ikeda's Thought

Abstract

Notions of self are fundamentally germane to education. Consider how central the pursuit of the question “Who am I?” has been throughout human history, as mythology, religion, theology, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and the arts all reflect efforts to operationalize, express, deconstruct, and explore what this “self” is. It’s no wonder then, that educational scholarship has long alluded to the self of the learner. Ikeda’s work, and that of his predecessors, Josei Toda and Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, offer a strong accompaniment to this discourse. Drawing upon Buddhist and humanist philosophies, their scholarship offers a compelling argument for the purpose of education: It should focus on the cultivation of the learner’s self—for the sake of happiness. Other benefits include the care of our global human community and natural environment. Happiness is the result of value-creation (sōka) pedagogy. Ikeda (2010) succinctly explains that, “put simply, value creation is the capacity to find meaning, to enhance one’s own existence, and to contribute to the well-being of others” (p. 54). There’s a lot more to unpack within these terms and ideas, but I want to suggest that happiness is realized through a process of human becoming. It’s about the personhood of the student.

Author

• D. Joe Ohlinger, Purdue University - Fort Wayne