It's a Start. . .

Well, I've just finished reading the first 42 pages of this book--for the second time! And I'm still trying to find my focus and direction for this blog. Nothing is coming to me, so I'm just going to start writing and hope that it flows. . .

A brief background on Taoism -- a philosophy, rather than a religion. The tenets of this philosophy can be found in the Tao Te Ching, often ascribed to Lao Tzu (Laozi), but which is a composite text written and rewritten over centuries with varied input from multiple anonymous writers (Hansen, 2008).

The word tao can be rougly translated into English to mean "the way" or "the road". Roads guide us and facilitate our arrival at a desired destination, which is what the author, Greta Nagel, PhD, intends to do in this book. The concepts discussed reflect many of the ideas cultivated in the AET courses I've experienced thus far: learner-centered practices, holistic views, interdisciplinary instruction, and constructivist education. Nagel (1998) outlines 81 chapters, which is reflective of the 81 chapters found in the Tao Te Ching. In addition to exploring the various virtues (compassion, moderation, humility, patience, etc.) discussed in this book of wisdom, Nagel provides examples of current teaching practices as exemplified by three anonymous (yet very real) individuals who represent teaching at the primary, middle, and high school levels.

The opening lines of Tao Te Ching are roughly translated as "The tao that can be named, is not the tao." In essence, the tao must be lived to be experienced. Nagel attempts to offer us a glimpse at how to live the tao while teaching.

For a brief, introductory explanation of the philosophy of Taoism, I recommend the following video presentation by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbh0DW6RhCs&feature=related


Tomorrow: some examples of Nagel's wisdom. . .



References:

Dyer, W.W. (2008). "Living the wisdom of the tao" by Hay House Publishing. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbh0DW6RhCs&feature=related

Hansen, C. (2008). Taoism. In E.N. Zalta (ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Winter 2008 ed.). Retrieved from <http://www.blogger.com/%3Chttp://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2008/entries/taoism/%3E>

Nagel, G. (1998). The tao of teaching. New York: Penguin Group.