From the Japanese word meaning ''to create value,'' this book presents a fresh perspective on the question of the ultimate purpose of education. Mixing American pragmatism and the Buddhist philosophy of respect for all life, the goal of Soka education is the lifelong happiness of the learner. Rather than offering practical classroom techniques, this book speaks to the emotional heart of both the teacher and the student. With input from philosophers and activists from several cultures, it advances the conviction that the true purpose of education is to create a peaceful world and to develop the individual character of each student in order to achieve that goal. This revised edition contains four new chapters that further elaborate on how to unlock self-motivated learning and how to empower the learner to make a difference in their communities and the world.

This volume brings together marginalized perspectives and communities into the mainstream discourse on education for sustainable development and global citizenship. Building on her earlier work, Sharma uses non-western perspectives to challenge dominant agendas and the underlying Western worldview in the UNESCO led discourse on global citizenship education. Chapters develop the theoretical framework around the three domains of learning within the global citizenship education conceptual dimensions of UNESCO--the cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral--and offer practical insights for educators. Value-creating global citizenship education is offered as a pedagogical approach to education for sustainable development and global citizenship in addition to and complementing other approaches mentioned within the recent UNESCO guidelines.

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi is best known as the founder of Soka Gakkai, the association of lay members of the Nichiren Shoshu sect of Buddhism that has grown to number more than ten million followers throughout the world, including some 200,000 Nichiren Shoshu of America adherents in the United States. But Makiguchi had spent a lifetime as an educator, developing his "value creating" educationai philosophy, before he founded Soka Gakkai. In the 1930s he proposed educational reforms that were fully as revolutionary as those advanced by his American counterpart John Dewey. He is one of Japan's most significant yet perhaps least recognized educators. Makiguchi said that Japan's educational system was haphazard, unplanned, fragmented, and useless. Convinced that the pursuit and creation of values are the ultimate purpose of life, he proposed a "value creating" educational system. Defining the three greatest values in life as goodness, beauty, and gain, Makiguchi held that through education people should increase their ability to create values and thus find happiness.

Today, more people want to know how to make a meaningful difference to what they care about. But for that, traditional approaches to learning often fall short. In this book, we offer a theoretical and practical way forward. We introduce the concept of social learning spaces for developing both new capabilities and a sense of agency. We provide a rich framework for focusing on the value of social learning spaces: how to generate this value, monitor it, and learn iteratively through the process. The book is a useful extension and refinement of 'communities of practice' for those familiar with the theory. For those who are not, the chapters will lay out a new way to approach learning. This volume is written to serve the needs of readers across fields, including researchers, educators, and leaders in business, government, healthcare, and international development.

This new selection of writings on education—many previously published under the title Soka Education—comes from some five decades of works by Buddhist philosopher and founder of the Soka schools system, Daisaku Ikeda. From educational proposals and university lectures to personal essays, the writings not only delve into the meaning of soka (value-creating) education but offer a hopeful vision of the power of education to bring happiness to the individual and peace to the world.

Offering a pivotal reference point and a wide range of global perspectives of teaching experiences on value-creating education (VCE), this book is a timely spotlight on contemporary issues of globalisation that many educational institutions around the world may encounter. It contributes to the originality of constructing new knowledge in the field of VCE, a forward-looking framework, and an ethical and educational imperative that can be understood in different ways, from diverse theoretical orientations. The chapters written by experienced international educators explore the following questions: How do educators understand the role of VCE? What pedagogical approaches to VCE do educators employ in their classes? How do educators support the values and knowledge of VCE in all curricular areas? What do educators see as the key essential values and knowledge that students should develop through VCE? It offers valuable insights and applied pedagogical practices for postgraduate students, researchers, educational policy makers, curriculum developers, and decision-makers in higher education institutions and non-governmental organizations (e.g., UNESCO, OXFAM).

Students, parents, and educators at all levels are increasingly frustrated, demoralized, burned out, and discontented with education and schooling today. At no previous time has it been more necessary to revitalize hope in the promise of education or to reestablish joy in teaching and learning than the current moment. In this timely and inspirational volume, authors from diverse disciplines consider and affirm the many places across curriculum and context where hope and joy are or can be strong and vibrant. Drawing on the life-affirming ideals of renowned education philosopher and school founder Daisaku Ikeda, Hope and Joy in Education will reenergize educational research, theory, and practice. Featuring contributions from such luminaries as Theodorea Berry, Cynthia Dillard, Walter Gershon, Francyne Huckaby, Johnny Lupinacci, and Anita Patterson, this book reminds readers that the classroom is still a magical space, brimming with the brilliant and creative energy of young people. “This is a necessary text at a necessary time if we are to revitalize hope in the promise of education.” —From the Foreword by Cynthia B. Dillard, University of Georgia “A beacon of light toward desirable collective futurities in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and vulnerability.” —Ming Fang He, Georgia Southern University “These essays are just what we need in these turbulent, uncertain times: a thoughtful focus on hope and joy as the path to educating for a more just, equitable, relational, and peaceful state of being.” —Denise Taliaferro Baszile, Miami University “This insightful book urges educators to center hope and joy in our work—not by turning away from the despair of the moment, but by fostering dialogue, seeking connection, and always remembering that the true aim of education for teachers and students alike is to become more fully human.” —Gregory Michie, Chicago public school teacher

This edited volume focuses on the life and work of Makiguchi Tsunesaburo (1871-1944), a Japanese elementary schoolteacher, principal, educational philosopher, author, activist, and Buddhist war resister who has emerged as an important figure in international education. Makiguchi is the progenitor of value-creating (soka) pedagogy that informs practice in the Soka schools network, which includes two universities (in Japan and the U.S.), a women's college (Japan), two secondary schools (Japan), three elementary schools (Brazil and Japan), and six Kindergartens (Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore), as well as one of Japan's largest correspondence education programs. In addition, thousands of educators worldwide incorporate Makiguchi's ideas in their own curriculum and instruction, and Brazil has instituted the Makiguchi in Action Project, which has provided literacy training and teacher development for nearly a million people. This edited volume is the first in the Anglophone literature to theoretically and empirically examine the nature and global application of Makiguchi's influential educational ideas. The book was originally published as a special issue of American Educational Studies.

How can you effectively stand up for your values when pressured by your boss, customers, or shareholders to do the opposite? Drawing on actual business experiences as well as on social science research, Babson College business educator and consultant Mary Gentile challenges the assumptions about business ethics at companies and business schools. She gives business leaders, managers, and students the tools not just to recognize what is right, but also to ensure that the right things happen. The book is inspired by a program Gentile launched at the Aspen Institute with Yale School of Management, and now housed at Babson College, with pilot programs in over one hundred schools and organizations, including INSEAD and MIT Sloan School of Management. She explains why past attempts at preparing business leaders to act ethically too often failed, arguing that the issue isn’t distinguishing what is right or wrong, but knowing how to act on your values despite opposing pressure. Through research-based advice, practical exercises, and scripts for handling a wide range of ethical dilemmas, Gentile empowers business leaders with the skills to voice and act on their values, and align their professional path with their principles. Giving Voice to Values is an engaging, innovative, and useful guide that is essential reading for anyone in business.

Three experts collaborate in this passionate and rewarding dialogue on the legacy of the great American philosopher and educator John Dewey (1859 1952). Focused on growth and the creation of value within the context of real life, Dewey s pragmatic philosophy shares much with humanistic Buddhism. These similarities, which arise throughout the book, add richness to a dialogue already overflowing with faith in our capacity to find common ground and expand human well being in our rapidly globalizing world. For Dewey, individual and social potential alike are unlimited. Readers will come away ready to embrace rather than fear the increasing complexity of our world."