November 14th, 2016: In a global environment increasingly troubled by conflict and unrest, a new research report suggests that the education of the heart can have a transformation role in creating a tolerant, healthy society.
‘The Benefits of an Education of the Heart in a Competitive World’, written by Dr. Franziska Apprich, Assistant Professor at Canadian University Dubai (CUD), discusses how nurturing individual talents and promoting success based upon good citizenship rather than good grades can help to bring us closer to a well-balanced society.
The paper has been selected for presentation at the 2017 Innovation Arabia Annual Congress, being hosted in Dubai next March. The event will bring together education stakeholders, researchers and practitioners to debate the latest innovations and trends in the field of teaching and learning.
Drawing upon research that demonstrates the negative impact of competition rather than collaboration in education, Dr. Apprich reveals, “Ivy League education represents one of the most popular and expensive education systems of our time and has a proven track record of success stories. Nevertheless, its suicide rate is shocking. Excessive expectations and pressure can poison the development of any student.
“While academic critics reinforce the sense of competitiveness in education as being healthy, in reality the relationship between competing against others rather than competing with yourself on your own projects is the breeding ground for anxiety.”
Dr. Apprich goes further to explain how this trend impacts upon society at large. She continues, “Nowadays, if you ask a kid what he or she wants to become in the future, they simply say: ‘Rich!’ Money seems to have replaced goals or talents. It is a vicious cycle with no end in sight. A very unhealthy society driven by greed, money and success measured by income. The financial crisis is the result of such greed.”
The antidote to this, Dr. Apprich argues, is the education of the heart – an education that nurtures self-esteem alongside academic endeavor and reflects an individualized rather than ‘one size fits all’ approach. She reasons, “Academically strong students will not necessarily achieve the most exciting results. They often confine within the academic structure. The free thinkers are the ones who question and create.”
Dr. Apprich also suggests that defining different measures of success can have a greater positive impact upon society. She says, “True success does not mean to put others out of business or practice unethical behavior to achieve goals. True success means to come up with innovations that can cater to the needs of our world and society. Success should not only be evaluated by income but by how it can improve our own lives and the lives of others.”
While Dr. Apprich acknowledges that there is some way to go in mainstreaming this approach, she firmly believes that it can hold the key to a healthier and happier society. She concludes, “It comes as no surprise that the practice of the education of the heart within an extremely competitive world results in fierce critical confrontation. Nevertheless, it is up to us to see it as a serious answer to the ever-increasing instances of anxiety, depression, suicides, eating disorders, divorces and unethical business practices.
“Education’s very nature is in a constant state of evolution and the informed critical and practical response to this evolution will, I believe, result in an extension of the artistic palette of the educational practitioners, and bring us closer to the essence of how education can be used not only as a demanding but also a giving and inspiring platform.”
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