a] Joldersma contends that the valuing of individual students on the
basis of ‘difference’, where that ‘difference’ is seen as an
expression of God’s image, is a flawed approach. His thesis is that "the essence
of the notion of the image of God has to do with the similarities between humans
rather than their differences." In what ways does this argument confirm or challenge
your own views about the value of ‘uniqueness’ in your students?
b] Consider Joldersma’s view that "interpreting the notion of
uniqueness and the image of God in terms of difference is really the result of importing
at least two sets of ideas foreign to the notion of the image of God": what he calls
the ‘utilitarian’ and the ‘romantic’ valuations of difference. What is
the essence of each of these views, and to what extent can you identify their presence in
modern educational ideas? Can you recognize them in your own thinking? Why are they
"antithetical to the traditional notion of imaging God"?
c] Levinas’ notion of the ‘I’ is complex - but it can be
expressed in the idea that "what makes me unique is the deceptively simple idea that
I am an I." Such a conception ‘transcends’ the locating of an
individual’s value in ‘sameness’ or ‘difference’, and instead
locates it in his/her being an "irreplaceable chosen". Said another way,
"to see the student as the image of God is to accept him [/her] as irreplaceable, as
someone chosen by God to be." Reflect upon these ideas and their connection with
education, particularly in terms of the teacher-student relationship. Does Levinas’
work provide you with a new perspective on the valuing of individuals? In what ways can
you see it as ‘liberating’ the teacher-student relationship from one of
authority-subordinate or expert-novice, for example? In what ways do these ideas make
teaching and learning an ‘intensely personal’ exercise that is "first of
all an ethical enterprise rather than a technical one"? How does such a view of
teaching contrast with some of the concerns of contemporary views of teaching?
d] The model of teaching and learning proposed here is radically
different from much of our modern thinking about schooling, particularly regarding the
rich religious significance and value it ascribes to the person of both the teacher and
the student. Explore some ways in which teachers and students could be helped to make the
transition to such a framework. How might you enact this in your life?