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Personhood as used here is the underlying mental perspective, mental skills, and knowledge a person has and uses.
Teaching by osmosis, (read essay "A Good Example is the Best Teacher - NOT" ) is a rather "iffy" method. This method relies upon the student figuring out on their own (from simply being exposed to surface action and surface result), what are the underlying principles. In the personhood curriculum, we want to impart a deeper and conscious understanding of functions and thought patterns which SHOULD underlay and guide so much of what we do.
When explanations and reasons are solidly understood and locked in, the learning is much more complete and much more permanent.
The writer will attempt to define the teaching goals for the several themes in this curriculum. It should be understood that at this early stage of curriculum development, that there will be a lot of changes and shifts in the future.
Much of what is written below and in the lessons will likely seem rather obvious to a mature adult. It is just common sense. But we must not forget that at one time these ideas were completely unknown to us. We had to either learn them from others or discover them by ourselves. In today's society, most children will not figure them out for themselves.
For more information, see Philosophy of Education Contents.
The Fundamental Personhood curriculum is designed to strengthen the child's mind to become better attuned with what should be his (enlightened!) self interests. This general theme is carried all the way through the 8th grade, but the foundation is built during the 3rd through 5th grade.
Understanding of goals (The typical kind with which most of us are familiar.)
Understanding Life-Goals (The special kind involved in molding WHO WE ARE.)
Life-Rules (Used to reach Life-Goals.)
Guiding the children to select and establish within themselves a good set of Life-Goals and Life-Rules. Aid students in locking them in and in applying them.
Student
Skills Teaching Goals
(grade 6)
If you are building a house, you need some basic tools. Hammer, saw, level, square, chalk line, Etc.
If you are helping someone build themselves, you need to be sure they have some basic tools. Because the tools they need are mental tools, we call them skills. Skills like:
The student skills theme in Personhood Building is a set of lessons designed to help students understand the importance of these tools, to impart them to the students, provide opportunity to practice them, and encourage them to use them in school and elsewhere.
Advanced
Personhood Teaching Goals for Motivation
(grade 6)
Tie Life-Goals and Life-Rules into self-motivation.
Advanced
Personhood Teaching Goals for Thinking
(grade 7 &
8)
It provides thinking tools and philosophies which can be applied to all sorts of decisions a person must make in his lifetime, and situations with which he will be faced. Here we begin to teach critical thinking. It runs during 7th and 8th grade.
Much emphasis is placed upon the egocentric thinking style. This style is common for small children, but is often carried forward through a person's whole life. Until it is overcome, other thinking errors will not even be recognized by the person manifesting them. For this reason this author believes egocentric thinking is the most important thinking error, therefore he devotes a lot of energy to understanding and correcting it.
GOAL: Understanding Egocentric (and Sociocentric) Thinking Style.
GOAL: Understanding Hypotheses and Theories, and how they impact us.
GOAL: Learning from our mistakes. Understanding being criticized, and how to criticize others.
GOAL: Understanding Problem Solving
Advanced
Personhood Teaching Goals for Wisdom
Expanding the Self-Interest Horizon (Teaching teachers how to motivate.)