Bahai Education

Bahai star

Bahai Education

Sources of Guidance

This is an outline based on the collection and organization of references to education in the primary sources associated with the Bahá’í Faith. It is organized according to categories which may make it useful to parents, teachers and other educators. It is far from complete, and represents yet another attempt to collect references to this subject which have, at one time or another, been available in print in the English language.

We are inviting you to help us improve this textbook by adding relevant references and commentary.

PART 1

Introduction

1. Education in Principle
2. Curriculum
3. Pedagogy
4. Human Psychology
5. Child Psychology
6. Educational Chronology
7. Education of Infants
8. Education of Female Students
9. Counsels to Students
10. Educators
11. Educational Institutions

List of Sources

PART 2

Categorization of and Commentary on Extracts from Bahá'í Education

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Nature and Purpose of Education
  • 2.1 Financing Education
  • 2.2 Discipline, Perseverance and Order Needed
  • 2.3 Principles of School
  • 2.4 Schools Must be Established and Supervised
  • 2.5 Obligations of Spiritual Assemblies
  • 2.6 Education Promotes the Advancement and Welfare of World
  • 2.7 Education Must be Promoted
  • 2.8 Education for Girls
  • 2.9 Education of Orphans
  • 2.10 Role of Parents in Education
  • 2.11 Education is Compulsory
  • 2.12 Bahá'í Education: Foundation of Law of God and Basis for Happiness
• 3 Human Nature
  • 3.1 Prevention of Criminal or Harmful Acts
  • 3.2 Discipline
  • 3.3 Encouragement Rather Than Censure
• 4 Pedagogy
  • 4.1 Role Models
  • 4.2 Station of the Teacher
  • 4.3 Necessity of an Educator
  • 4.4 Teacher's Character and Behavior
  • 4.5 Prayer for Knowledge
• 5 Curricula
  • 5.1 Teaching about God and Religion
  • 5.2 Fear
  • 5.3 Recognition of the Manifestation
  • 5.4 Arts, Crafts, and Sciences
  • 5.5 Criterion of Usefulness
  • 5.6 Reading and Writing
  • 5.7 Auxiliary Language
  • 5.8 Melodiously Reciting Words of God
  • 5.9 Character Education
  • 5.10 Knowledge Should Lead to God
  • 5.11 Three Kinds of Education
  • 5.12 Developing Volition
  • 5.13 Kindness to Animals
  • 5.14 Universal Curriculum for All
  • 5.15 Love in the Curriculum
  • 5.16 Brief Summary of a School Curriculum
  • 5.17 Balance Mental and Spiritual
• 6 Metaphors about Education
  • 6.1 Teacher as Physician
  • 6.2 God as Educator
  • 6.3 Children as Pearls
  • 6.4 Parents as Teachers
  • 6.5 Teacher as Gardener
  • 6.6 Metaphors about Students
• 7 References

Contributors

• Peter Terry, Part 1
• Rodney Clarken, Part 2