Active participation of learners has been viewed as the key to the learning process. To constructivists, challenging materials and cooperative activities where students participate and become engaged are essential in classroom instruction. In comparison, classrooms in Chinese heritage culture classrooms, where lectures are the main form of…

The nature of the New Policies in China (1901-1911) has been hotly debated for decades. While scholars doubt the sincerity of the Qing government in their pursuit of constitutional reform, there is a general agreement on the high quality of their educational reform. Some even consider their educational innovations as "genuine reform" but…

In contrast to the continued decline of liberal arts education in the US, there has been a revived interest in liberal arts education in Asian countries in recent years. Grounded in a comprehensive understanding of the central tenets of liberal arts education in the West, this paper looks into the struggles Asian countries face in their…

This paper examines the challenges and possibilities facing democratic citizenship education in China. It starts by taking on the increasing political repression under Xi's regime and how it is marginalizing or silencing democratic discourses. Then it examines the rising economically-driven populist nationalism in China, and how it complicates the…

This article expounds on a neo-Confucian approach to mindfulness by drawing upon the writings of Zhu Xi. I argue that Zhu Xi's notion of mindfulness is encapsulated in the concept of 'jing' that refers to the single-minded and reverential attention to self-cultivation through 'gewu' (investigation of things). The desired outcome of mindfulness is…

This study investigates the educational thought of Confucius with focus on the educational relationship in the "Analects," which is a historical text that defines the foundations of Confucianism. The first part of the investigation examines Confucius' concept of the educational relationship and how it is characterized with a dialogical…

Symbiosis is a biological phenomenon in which two dissimilar organisms coexist for mutual subsistence. The concept of symbiosis can be employed to foster mutual learning. In this paper, the idea of symbiotic learning is explored. To achieve this purpose, the concept of symbiosis is interpreted from a philosophical perspective, which is primarily…

Situated within research and practice on intercultural communication education, this paper suggests an urgent inclusion of dialogism and ethics in the ways it is dealt with around the world. Supranational institutions such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Council of Europe, treat intercultural…

The purpose of this article is to investigate the happiness principles and the educational aims of Confucius and Thomas Aquinas. To discuss this study logically, three research questions are addressed. First, what are the principles of happiness of Confucius and Thomas Aquinas? Second, what are the aims of education of Confucius and Thomas…

In this article, we argue that virtues can emerge from contemplation which can lead us to attunement with the Dao thereby realizing our inner goodness and intrinsic traits. This requires us to persist in doing inner and outer work. Inner work involves meditation and reflective practices to awaken ourselves and others. Outer work involves engaging…

Today China witnesses a renaissance of classical studies and Confucian Academies across the nation. With an estimated 10 million children attending Confucian kindergartens, classes, and schools, cultural heritage has increasingly become a new marker of social distinction. At the same time, Confucian tradition is often associated with excessive…

This paper compares the educational thought of Paulo Freire and Confucius on what it means to be more fully human. Both Freire and Confucius object to the dehumanisation of human beings through the banking concept of education and other oppressive practices. They argue for the ontological vocation of becoming more fully human through humanisation…

Purpose: First, the article offers a critical examination of the Deweyan conception of "common faith" in the context of climate change. Second, the article explores the conceptual linkages among the Confucian conception of the human-nature unity, the Buddhist doctrine of "no-self," and the Deweyan conception of common faith.…

The paper begins with a brief vignette of Angkor Wat in Cambodia as a great center of learning, and then highlights the traditions of Indian monastic institutions which had deeply influenced its development. It then turns the main features of the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism, showing how they created a space for women's scholarship to flourish.…

This article examines the current narrative of Chineseness in the context of higher education in Southeast Asia. We hypothesise that the concept of Chineseness at the macro-level has shifted beyond historical, ethnic, and cultural to include geopolitical, socio-political and economic considerations. At the meso level, we focus on unpacking…