The Characteristics of Jesuit Education

(Bruce Bradley S.J.)

The Characteristics of Jesuit Education was published in 1987 as the charter for Jesuit schools. Composed by an international commission, which met over four years and consulted worldwide, it is based on the life and writings of the Jesuit founder St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), on the history of Jesuit education since the first school was founded at Messina, in Sicily, in 1548, and on best contemporary practice. What follows, including the headings, is an attempt to express the essence of the ‘characteristics’ in summary form (February 2004).

1. THE WORLD IS GOD’S CREATION

‘The world is charged with the grandeur of God’ (G.M. Hopkins SJ). God is at the heart of his creation, which shares in his mystery, and God is at work in human culture and human history. This is the world which forms the object of our study and the context of our lives. Jesuit education is therefore conducted in a spirit of reverence and from a radically religious perspective: facilitating the discovery of and encounter with God is its core-value. We seek to transcend false dichotomies between religious and secular, sacred and profane, and the religious dimension permeates all aspects of life in the school.

2. ‘CURA PERSONALIS’

Jesuit education sees the human person, understood in the context of his eternal destiny, as the central focus of the enterprise and insists on individual care and concern for each one (curapersonalis). Relationships and pastoral structures reflect this focus. Through the curriculum, co-curricular activities and the environment of the school, our mission is to help him/her to grow holistically and lay the foundations for life-long growth, liberated from ignorance and the other forces which inhibit growth, learning to think for himself, developing his diverse competencies, finding his own distinctive ‘voice’, becoming ever more fully his unique self.

                                            3. MORAL VALUES

4. JESUS CHRIST AS MODEL

For Jesuit education, Jesus Christ is at once the human face of God and the model of all human life, responding totally to the Father’s love. He is our conscience incarnate, the pattern of authentic humanity, the centre of history. His way of compassionate love is not a way but the way. This conviction is reflected in the provision of pastoral care for all involved, aimed at encouraging spiritual growth and the development of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is also reflected in the practice of communal prayer and worship and the celebration of the sacraments as constitutive parts of the school’s rhythm of life. Service programmes are consciously promoted as a way of imitating Jesus Christ, the Man-for-Others, in his complete self-dedicaton, and of helping to build the Kingdom of God

5. FAITH THAT DOES JUSTICE

Jesuit education is intended as a preparation for a life of active social commitment. Jesuit students are encouraged to understand their own ‘place’ in the world, in terms of educational and socio-economic opportunities, and to use these opportunities in compassionate service of others, especially those whose opportunities have been less than theirs or who are the victims of poverty and injustice. In the Spiritual Exercises, the map of his own conversion which Ignatius composed for the guidance of others in their journey to God, he taught that ‘love is shown in deeds’. Religion is deeply personal but not private: faith which does not express itself in love for others and the passionate quest for justice lacks authenticity. We aim to facilitate the emergence of young women and men who will exercise leadership in terms of these values and seek to be agents of change, not more or less passive upholders of the status quo.

6. PART OF THECHURCH’S MISSION

Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus – and Jesuit schools – as part of the Church’s mission, to which he was intensely loyal. This mission is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and, in this way, to build the Kingdom by serving and humanising the world and giving glory to God. Living by the Gospel is not a merely individual pursuit. Jesus founded a community, called his followers into community, and committed himself to the imperfect structures and institutions of communal human living. We need community in order to be sustained, inspired and guided in faith and in the high ideals of the Gospel in a world which is indifferent or hostile to the Christian vision. The Christian community, in turn, needs our service, our witness and our active participation so that Christ may be present in the world.

7. STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE

Ignatius discovered his own need of education, when he was already an adult. He eventually found the best education available in the world of his time in the Sorbonne in Paris. The first Jesuits were all fellow-students there. Ignatius insisted on the highest standards for the formation of young Jesuits and applied the methods of the Sorbonne (the modus Parisiensis) to achieve this. The desire to share such standards led to the foundation of the first Jesuit schools and the rapid development of a network of schools all over Europe. The commitment to excellence – in terms of intellectual rigour and all aspects of the enterprise - is at the heart of Jesuit educational philosophy. The Jesuit motto is ad maiorem Dei gloriam (God’s greater glory) – Ignatius was always seeking ‘the magis’ (‘the more’). The approach of the Ratio Studiorum, a pioneering ‘plan of studies’ drawn up in 1599 and based on the best practice then current, presupposed a central place for study of the classics and a largely uniform and pre-scientific culture. This is no longer feasible or appropriate. But Jesuit schools today continue, in the spirit of the Ratio, to promote excellence and best practice and seek to uphold the highest standards and most authentic values in education in whatever system they form part of, precisely by identifying and nurturing the ‘characteristics’ described here

8. WORKING AS A COMMUNITY

As Ignatius came to grasp God’s love revealed through Jesus Christ and began to respond by giving himself to the service of the Kingdom, he shared his experience and attracted companions who became ‘friends in the Lord’. Jesuit schools are intended to be communities of life, work and worship. Staff, Jesuit and lay, collaborate in service of shared values, a common task and an overarching vision, as reflected in the Characteristics. Pupils are encouraged to respect and care for one another as friends and companions, in the spirit of the Gospel. The community of the Jesuit school embraces not only all those within it – pupils, teachers and members of the wider staff – but also, very particularly, parents, along with board-members, past pupils, and others associated in any way with its operation.

9. ADAPTABLE AND OPEN TO GROWTH

In the course of his conversion, Ignatius learned discernment, the capacity to reflect prayerfully on his experience at the most profound level and learn from it. The habit of reflection is part of the Jesuit approach to education, as to everything else. Hence the Characteristics document itself and the process which produced it: reflection on experience worldwide, extensive consultation to share best practice wherever it was to be found, and dissemination of the fruits of this deliberation to all Jesuit schools. In the same spirit of constant self-improvement, each school is called to adapt and develop in the light of our shared wisdom and the local circumstances in which each one operates, and members of staff are encouraged to avail of opportunities for their own continuing formation.

 

 

 

JESUIT EDUCATION

The next section describes some key documents and terms relating to Jesuit education.

Ratio Studiorum (1599) (Plan of Studies) is a handbook designed to help teachers and administrators in Jesuit schools. It contains a series of rules and directives that were used to operate Jesuit schools. The Ratio was gradually developed over the first half century of Jesuits involvement in education. The Ratio is the product of the early Jesuits reflection on their experience in education. The finalised version published in 1599 became the handbook of Jesuit education for many subsequent centuries.

Prelection is one of the traditional Jesuit teaching methods described in the Ratio. Prelection in its traditional form involves the teacher's previewing of the homework assignment for students. During the preview the teacher notes the particular areas that students should pay careful attention to. The teacher may also use the prelection to set us the focus and method of studying a particular assignment. For a fuller discussion of prelection see Four Hallmarks of Jesuit Pedagogy.

Repetition is another traditional Jesuit teaching methodology. Repetition is the time afforded to reviewing a subject. Repetition, however, is not simply review or rehashing already learned material. Repetition always carries with it the idea of deeper appropriation and understanding of the material already learned. In the Ratio there are five times and levels of repetition: immediately after the prelection, the next day, weekly, monthly and yearly. The Ratio also stipulated a period of time for repetition before any major examination. For a fuller discussion of repetition see Four Hal/marks of Jesuit Pedagogy.

The Characteristics of Jesuit Education is the English version of the 1986 document on the characteristics of Jesuit education written by the International Commission on the Apostolate of Jesuit Education (ICAJE). There are ten sections containing twenty-eight characteristics of Jesuit education. The ten organizing themes of The Characteristics are:

*  Belief in God and the Goodness of Creation

*  Concern for the Personal Growth of Each Individual

*  Growth in knowledge and Freedom

*  Commitment to Faith in Jesus Christ

*  Promotion of Justice in the World

*  Service of the Church

*  Excellence in All Things

*  Collaboration in Community

*  Discernment

*  Ignatian Spirituality and Jesuit Pedagogy

Some key Ignation Terminology from The Characteristics

Cura Personalis (Personalized Care and Concern) One of the essential characteristics of Ignatian education, it derives from Ignatius' belief that the Spiritual Exercises must be adapted to the age, needs, and talents of the individual making them. It becomes important in Ignatian education because it is the starting point for working with students where they are and not necessarily where a teacher might wish them to be. The primary educational focus is on the individual needs of the student.

Active Learning  Active learning as a characteristic of Jesuit education derives from Ignatius insistence in the Spiritual Exercises that the person making them must be actively involved in the process. Simply reading about or listening to someone talk about the Spiritual Exercises will not accomplish their purpose. In Jesuit education the student needs to be actively engaged in the learning process rather than passively receiving knowledge.

Reflection  Reflection is one of the more critical mental processes used in the Spiritual Exercises. Ignatius teaches many different ways of reflection for the retreatant in his Spiritual Exercises. The Characteristics repeatedly stresses the importance of reflection as an essential element in the Ignatian educational process. There are eleven instances where Go Forth and Teach emphasises reflection as a crucial element in Jesuit education.

Faith that Does Justice The goal of Ignatian education is to create students who live a faith that recognises the obligation to work for justice in the world. This idea is captured by the famous phrase of Fr. Pedro Arrupe (Superior General of the Society of Jesus, 1965-1983), "Men (and Women) for Others." This phrase captures an essential characteristic of Jesuit education -the creation of men and women who live their lives in service of others, especially those most in need.

Preferential Option for the Poor This characteristic of Jesuit education stresses that Jesuit education always has as a main priority the service of the poor and the disadvantaged.

Apostolic Instrument in the Service the Church This characteristic of Jesuit education stresses the importance of Jesuit education as a means to promote service in and for the Church.

Excellence Jesuit education has always stressed excellence. Traditionally, the emphasis on excellence applied to academic excellence. The Characteristics stress that excellence applies to all aspects of Jesuit education and should not be limited to academic excellence.

Magis (The More) This Latin phrase derives directly from Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises where he asks the retreatant the question: "What more can I do for Christ?" The Characteristics note that magis needs to be considered within the context of the individual's gifts and abilities rather than against some absolutized ideal. The goal is to help all the members of the educational community develop all their God given talents to their fullest extent.

Collaboration This is a key new characteristic of Jesuit education emphasized in The Characteristics Collaboration stresses the mutual cooperation, interaction, and respect of all those involved in Jesuit education: Jesuits, lay, other religious, students, parents, Boards, Trustees, etc., to accomplish the goals of Jesuit education.

Ignatian Pedagogy: A Practical Approach is the 1993 document written by the International Commission on the Apostolate of Jesuit Education (ICAJE) and promulgated by Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Ignatian Pedagogy provides a fuller development on Ignatian Pedagogy which is briefly described in the tenth section of The Characteristics. Currently, Jesuit educational works worldwide are in the process of implementing this model known as IPP, the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. The opening paragraph of the document describes its purpose well:

This document grows out of the 10th part of The Characteristics of Jesuit Education in response to many requests for help in formulating a practical pedagogy, which is consistent with and effective in communicating the Ignatian worldview and values presented in the Characteristics document. It is essential, therefore, that what is said here be understood in conjunction with the substantive Ignatian spirit and apostolic thrust presented in The Characteristics of Jesuit Education.

There are five main components in this paradigm, which are explained below. The central part of the paradigm is the experience, reflection and action components. These three always take place in a context and conclude with some type of evaluation, the other two components of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm.

Context refers to the entire context in which Jesuit education occurs. Particular emphasis is given to the context of the student and the various elements which affect that context from the political situation within a country to the individual's strengths and limitations. Ignatian education always begins with this understanding of context because it is the starting point which Ignatius insists on for the making of the Spiritual Exercises. The Spiritual Exercises are always adapted to the characteristics of the individual making them.

Experience is the second element of the paradigm. Experience means all that the student brings to learning by way of experience and lack of experience. The teacher helps the student comprehend fully and understand completely what it is he already knows as well as assists in broadening his experience. Experience not only includes facts but also the feelings, values, etc., associated with the facts and the higher level thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Reflection is the third element in the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. Through reflection the student comes to better comprehend and understand his experience and its implications in his life. Reflection is the pivotal point in this paradigm to help the student move from experience and action. Reflection in the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm always calls for some kind of action. Reflection frequently is lacking in the educational process, yet its importance is regularly stressed in general educational circles today.

Action is the fourth component in the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. Action means that as a result of reflecting on an experience the student is moved to some type of action. That action may be different given the particular content and elements within it, but the implicit idea is that action is always a step toward greater service of one's fellow persons based upon a love of God. These actions may be quite small and not immediately lead to radical transformation, but they should be pieces in that process.

It is important to note that while these three central elements of the paradigm are analysed separately for discussion that they can be working simultaneously. Ignatian Pedagogy comments upon this:

(29) The continual interplay, then, of EXPERIENCE, REFLECTION and ACTION in the teaching-Iearning dynamic of the classroom lies at the heart of Ignatian pedagogy. It is our way of proceeding in Jesuit schools as we accompany the learner on his or her journey of becoming a fully human person.

Evaluation is the fifth component in the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. Evaluation refers not only to academic evaluation but to fuller types of evaluation where the student and teacher reflect upon the broader spectrum of personal growth and commitments. The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm stresses that the evaluation includes some type of systematic analysis of how a student is growing in becoming a "person for others".

    

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