The Guerrand-Hermès Foundation (GHFP) is collaborating with the Department of Education within the University of Sussex's School of Education and Social Work to offer an innovative focus on the study of Person-Centred Education (PCE) leading to an MA in Education Studies. Study is part-time and designed to accommodate candidates who have busy working and family lives.
What is Person-Centred Education?
PCE involves three basic principles:
- The individual should not be treated merely instrumentally, but rather respected fully as a person.
- The priority aim of education ought to be the development of the individual as a human being.
- Education should be directed to the development of the person as a whole.
It is based on the premise that learning is an active search for meaning and understanding, through engaging in a set of positive human relations within a community. PCE is realised not only through an academic programme, but also through a transformative process of encounter, participation, dialogue and inquiry.
Download a copy of the PCE leaflet [PDF 6.69MB] here.
Why study Person-Centred Education?
PCE is increasingly being recognised as a philosophy and as an intellectual framework in both mainstream and alternative education. There is a growing need for research and for building a knowledge base in this area of education and concerns about how to conceptualise whole-person learning and education, its pedagogical implications, and how to integrate the values of person-centredness in day-to-day educative encounter. Opportunities are scarce at postgraduate level for in-depth investigations, critical reflection and innovation in diverse approaches for engaging learners in person-centred ways.
The MA in Education Studies is designed for teachers and educators who have a need to reflect upon and deepen their understanding of learning and, thereby, develop critical thinking and ideas for educational innovation. Participants who are part of the PCE cohort will explore the notion of person-centredness in depth - in terms of the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings, the educational pedagogy and the practice. Study is structured so that participants can learn to integrate PCE in their own teaching, learning and ways of being, and be empowered to make a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge and understanding of PCE. This will be achieved through processes of dialogue, critical reflection and empirical investigation.
Cohort activities
In addition to the usual tutorials and seminars offered on the MA in Education Studies, students who are part of this cohort will be offered additional activities by the GHFP. These include a once-a-term intensive group study weekend, twilight study sessions, guest speakers, a supportive and committed learning community, and the use of a Virtual Learning environment. The PCE programme is itself intended to be person-centred in its values, approaches and intellectual content. In so doing, it is grounded in a community in which learners and facilitators relate to each other as 'persons rather than role occupants' (Fielding 2000:52). The programme draws on the commitment of each participant to a dialogic process of inquiry and shared meaning-making.
Distinctive features
Main features include:
- Study that strives to integrate person-centred values into its intellectual intentions and into its own educational approaches
- No pre-determined syllabus, so participants will determine their own learning trajectories based on personal, professional and institutional background and needs
- Study which encourages independent work as well as group-based inquiry
- The use of individual learning biographies to identify learning goals and develop a learning plan
- Key approaches involving dialogue with peers and educators and one-to-one supervision with a tutor who has expertise in the participant's area of interest
- A range of seminars and study sessions, most of which take place on weekday evenings or at weekends
Participants
The programme provides opportunities for participants' professional advancement and for enhancing the quality of learning within their institutions. Persons likely to benefit from the programme are those who are interested in whole-person education and personalisation in learning and other innovative pedagogical approaches.
Scholarships
The Guerrand-Hermès Foundation has a number of grants for participants who have difficulty in paying the full fees. The grant, which would need to be applied for, is intended to help with tuition fees.
How to apply
See MA in Education Studies web page.
For further information about Person-Centred Education please contact:
Dr Scherto Gill
Tel: +44(0)1273 555022
Email: s.r.gill@sussex.ac.uk
Dr Angie Jacklin
MA in Education Studies Programme Leader
Department of Education
School of Education and Social Work
University of Sussex
Falmer
BN1 9QN
T: +44 (0)1273 877649
E: a.jacklin@sussex.ac.uk
