This article's question is whether Spinoza understands the highest human perfection -- which he equates with both our highest good and the love of God -- as a theoretical state, consisting in having knowledge and the perfection of beliefs, or as a practical state, consisting in having virtue and the perfection of action. Consequently, the article…

This paper explores leadership learning of seven early career teachers who attended eight leadership for inclusion community of practice (LIn-CoP) workshops in the Republic of Ireland. A meta-model approach was used to inform this research drawing upon a community of practice approach using participatory action learning action research processes,…

Part Five of Spinoza's "Ethics" includes a notoriously challenging set of propositions about human perfection. Part of the difficulty in interpreting these elements of the work arises from neglecting important philosophical background for the relevant propositions, namely, medieval Jewish rationalism and Maimonides in particular. Spinoza…

This article develops the ideas of perfection and education in Spinoza and Maimonides. Both thinkers identify human perfection with intellectual knowledge and a transformation in affect. They accordingly envision education in terms of enhancing cognition and shaping the desire to know. The first steps are a critical evaluation of imagination and…

The article puts forward Theory U as a framework for developing a more holistic and embodied understanding and approach to the practice and conceptualization of transformative learning. It argues that Theory U's relational onto-epistemology, which emphasizes the collective nature of knowledge creation and transformation, provides a compelling…

Purpose: Reflective practice (RP) is a key skill for developing one's professional practice. It has, however, not been unanimously prioritised in public health (PH) competency and education frameworks. Reflection activities are often unstructured in higher education. There is also a dearth of literature on the RPs of undergraduate PH students.…

In an appeal to establish transformative learning's (TL) boundaries, Kegan (2000) implored researchers to identify "what from transforms?" As a social psychologist, I am particularly drawn to theorists who identify the self as the form that transforms; however, I argue that a model of the self that specifies how it is represented in…

Discussing issues around race and racism often leads to unproductive stances such as defensiveness, denial, guilt, blame, or dysfunctional silence. Effectively addressing these stances is crucial for productive debate and action toward racial understanding and the undoing of racism. While numerous scholarship and professional development programs…

Outdoor education in various forms has a long and rich tradition in the Czech Republic. This paper focuses on research into the benefits or return on investment of a winter travel course organised by the Department of Recreology at the Faculty of Physical Culture of Palacký University Olomouc which combines snowshoeing and camping in the snow. On…

Universities are increasingly working to better prepare students for success in the workforce and increasingly advocating high-impact learning experiences. This case study explores the short-term impacts on students who participated in a short-term service-learning study abroad program in Ireland through a lens of Transformative Learning Theory.…

If the received views on self-transformation in philosophical literature are correct, then either self-transformation (1) is caused by forces beyond oneself and beyond one's control, (2) is not rational to pursue, or (3) does not ever really happen. In this essay, James Gordon highlights the philosophical puzzle known as the…

Creative arts and performance courses at the community level for mature age individuals. Theatre and drama as education and as therapy. This article charts and reflects on several ACE arts-based courses and community theatre productions that have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the professional experiences of the teacher. Change for…

This study explored how continuous diverse reflective exercises embedded in a Community Service Learning chemistry lab support science students' meaningful learning. The findings of this study are intended for those involved in teaching natural science in higher education, as well as those interested in Community Service Learning, self-directed…

One of the leading theories of social learning today is Wenger's theory of Communities of Practice' (CoP-theory). CoP-theory reiterates basic tenets of social learning theory yet it us set apart from other theories of social learning and education not only by centering on identity-formation but by positing four key dualities as inherent structural…

In 2020, more than 560,617 female marriage migrants (FMMs) live in Taiwan. For over three decades, they have been victims of social, gender, and cultural discrimination and have been considered as an inferior group of "desirable others" from "undeveloped countries." Until today, literature about FMMs has focused on the problems…