Integral Theory on Education

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WINTER 2006 21

After all, what would be the value of thepassion for knowledge if it resulted onlyin a certain amount of knowledgeablenessand not, in one way or another and to theextent possible, in the knowers straying

afield of [them]selves? There are times inlife when the question of knowing if onecan think differently than one thinks, andperceive differently than one sees, isabsolutely necessary if one is to go onlooking and reflecting at all.

Michel Foucault

Three kinds of education:

Conventional, alternative, and integral

here is one to learn

how to think and per-

ceive differently? Cer-tainly, education in

some of its contempo-

rary alternative expressions offers stu-

dents ways to stray afield of their own

embeddedness in particular modes of

being and knowing. These alternative

approaches provide important ways to

transcend the prison of the life not

reflected on. Yet conventional education

also cultivates important capacities for

thinking and perceiving. Moreover, con-

ventional education encompasses the

ground from which tradition itselfsprings, signifying the practices by

which the status quo guarantees its per-

sistence. Thus, both conventional and

alternative educational approaches valu-

able to accomplishing inquiry to change

the knower. Adherents to these two

approaches are often wary of one anoth-

er. How can educators artfully integrate

the best of conventional and alternative

approaches to education: honoring each

and yet transcending the limits of both?

This article explores that question in the

context of one approach to integral edu-

cation inspired by the work of Ken

Wilber and his colleagues.A number of substantive approaches

to alternative education find their expres-

sion in the schools of today, including

those informed by the metaphysical per-

spectives of philosophers such as

Rudolph Steiner, Alfred North White-

head, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and Sri

Aurobindo. A growing number of

schools along the entire spectrum of edu-

cation (from elementary school pro-

grams to doctorate degrees) provide var-

ious expressions of alternative education

in action. These approaches are oftenreferred to as holistic and are associat-

ed with the educational approaches of

individuals like John Dewey and Maria

Montessori. There are also the transfor-

mative learning approaches connected to

the research of Jack Mezirow.

As a result of focusing on many

aspects of an individual (for example,

emotional, moral, interpersonal, and

spiritual) and culture (ecological, glob-

al, and so on), alternative, holistic, or

transformative education are often con-

trasted with the more mainstream, con-ventional, or traditional forms of educa-

tion, which tend to focus on the

acquisition of knowledge, development

of cognitive skills, and individual

achievement. This division in educa-

tional approaches has many sources and

a long history (Crain 2000; Forbes

2003; Miller 1997).

Both mainstream and holistic app-

roaches toward education have positive

Sean Esbjrn-Hargens

W

effects. It is unfortunate that most of alter-

native education pits itself against tradi-

tional education, often overlooking the

strengths of traditional models and failing

to see its own blind spots. Likewise,mainstream education often views itself

immune to any insight from the holistic

approaches and refuses to admit its own

limits. Consequently, we are left with two

fragmented, partial approacheseach

equally incapable of providing a meta-

perspective on education. What is needed

is an educational approach that honors the

strengths and limits of both the main-

stream and alternative and is more capa-

ble of situating these general philoso-

phies, and their many derivatives, into a

fair and more comprehensive framework.Over the past decade, more integral

approaches have begun to emerge at all

levels of education. In this article, I will

focus on a particular approach to integral

education, providing examples from a

graduate program in integral psychology.

This unique approach to integral educa-

Sean Esbjrn-Hargens, PhD, is an assistant pro-fessor and program director of integral psychologyat John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill,California. He is director of academics at IntegralInstitute, codirector of the Integral Ecology Centerat Integral University, and the executive editor of

AQAL: Journal of Integral Theory and Practice.Dr. Esbjrn-Hargens is a leading scholar-practi-tioner in integral studies. He has published integralexplorations on the topics of sustainable develop-ment, ecology, intersubjectivity, science and reli-gion, consciousness studies, and play. His articleshave appeared in the Journal of ConsciousnessStudies,Journal of Bhutan Studies, World Futures,andAQAL. He coedited Ken Wilbers recent bookThe Simple Feeling of Being and is currently writ-ing a book with environmental philosopherMichael Zimmerman on integral ecology.Copyright 2006 Heldref Publications


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22 R e V i s i o n VOL. 28 NO. 3

tion is based on integral theory. Integral

theory is a post-metaphysical approach

to knowledge synthesis that relies on the

AQAL (all-quadrant, all-level) frame-

work, its five elements, and integral

methodological pluralism (IMP) (Wilber

2000e, 2003, forthcoming). Integral the-

ory provides a comprehensive means of

integrating the four dimension-perspec-

tives of objectivity, interobjectivity, subjectivity, and intersubjectivity (and their

respective levels of complexity) with the

major methodological families (phenom-

enology, empiricism, structuralism,

hermeneutics, and systems theory) in

such a way that avoids postulating preex-

isting ontological structures. In other

words, integral theory is interested in the

participatory relationship between the

multiple ways of knowing the myriad of

dimensions of reality as it reveals itself

through various methods of inquiry. As a

result, when applied to education this

approach offers an effective means to

combine the best of both conventional

and alternative approaches.1

A central goal of this article is to out-

line how the five elements of integral

theory can provide a useful and com-

prehensive approach to education. To

accomplish this goal, I will briefly out-

line these elements and demonstrate

how they inform integral education and

support the development of teachers

and students alike. I will also depict thepossibilities of integral education by

drawing on examples from the masters

of arts in integral psychology (IP) pro-

gram at John F. Kennedy University

(JFKU), which is explicitly based on

integral theory. This article serves as an

invitation to other educators and stu-

dents to explore how elements of inte-

gral theory might support their own

efforts towards more inclusive, compre-

hensive, and integral education. One

does not have to use all of its distinc-

tions to benefit from the approach.Components of integral theory can ben-

efit any approach to education by caus-

ing the educator to reflect critically on

missing elements of the curricula and

expanding the pedagogical modalities

in the repertoire. Even a partial imple-

mentation of its ideas can result in edu-

cational experiences that allow students

and teachers to see and feel more of

reality in the classroom and in life.

Integral theory

Todays academia is characterized by

disciplinary turf wars and clashes

between traditional, modern, and post-

modern perspectives. Integral theory is

the result of more than thirty years of

cross-cultural and transdiciplinary

scholarship and application (Wilber

1999ad, 2000af).

2

As a result of itsapplicability across, within, and between

disciplinary boundaries, integral theory

has received an embrace from individu-

als associated with a variety of fields,

including art, business, ecology, medi-

cine, finance, consciousness studies,

religion, correctional education, crimi-

nology, education, psychology, health-

care, nursing, politics, sexuality and

gender studies, social service, future

studies, and sustainability.3

The acronym AQAL often represents

integral theory. All-quadrants, all-levelsis shorthand for the multiple aspects of

reality recognized in an integral approach

(Wilber 1995, 2003). At least five recur-

ring elements comprise this approach:

quadrants, levels, lines, states, and types.

These five components represent the

basic patterns of reality that reoccur in

multiple contexts. Excluding an element

in any inquiry or exploration leads to a

less comprehensive understanding or

reduced participatory engagement. By

including these basic elements, an inte-

gral practitioner considers all of the mainaspects of any phenomena: quadrants,

levels, lines, states, and types.

The first element, all-quadrants,

refers to the basic perspectives one can

take on reality: the interior and exterior

of individuals and collectives, which is

often summarized as the following four

dimensions: experience (I; subjectivi-

ty), culture (We; intersubjectivity),

behavior (It; objectivity), and systems

(Its; interobjectivity)4 (Wilber 1995,

1997). Each of these perspective dimen-

sions is irreducible and has its own

validity claim (for example, truthful-

ness, justness, truth, and functional fit)

and mode of investigation (figure 1).

The quadrants provide a particularly

helpful lens for educators to understand

their own role in the classroom. For

example, a teacher has the I of his or

her perceived embodied self, the We

of the intersubjective relationships

between him- or herself and the stu-

dents, the It of his or her own actionsand behaviors in class as well as the

activities he or she has students engage

in, and the Its of the educational sys-

tem with its rules, regulations, policies,

and institutional dynamics.

The next four elements of the integral

model are in each of the quadrants: all-

levels refers to the occurrence of com-

plexity within each dimension (for

example, the levels of physical com-

plexity achieved by evolution in the

behavior quadrant);5 all-lines refers to

the various distinct capacities thatdevelop through each of these levels of

complexity (for example, cognition,

Self and Consciousness

Interior-individualExperiences

Subjective

Truthfulness

I

Brain and Organism

Exterior-individualBehaviors

Objective

Truth

IT

WE

Interior-collective

Justness

Intersubjective

Cultures

Culture and Worldview

ITS

Exterior-collective

Functional-fit

Interobjective

Systems

Social System and Environment

UPPER LEFT UPPER RIGHT

LOWER LEFT LOWER RIGHT

FIGURE 1. Some aspects of the four quadrants.


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WINTER 2006 23

emotions, and morality in the experi-

ence quadrant); all-states refers to the

temporary occurrence of any aspect of

reality within the four quadrants (for

exmple, the occurrence of weather

states in the systems quadrant); and all-

types refers to the variety of styles that

aspects of reality assume in various

domains (for example, types of festivals

in the cultural quadrant).Integral theory posits that if an

approach to education excludes any of

these components, it falls short of a truly

integral approach, because each element

is part of every moment. It assigns no

ontological or epistemological priority

to any of these elements because they

co-arise and mesh simultaneously.6

While integral theory provides a particu-

lar way of including these five elements,

it recognizes that other approaches to

education can achieve this without

adhering to the AQAL model.7

Integral (AQAL) education

The integral model facilitates the ability toengage in any topic of study, any dialog,any experience, more intelligently. Byintelligently, I mean in a more nuancedand deeper fashion. In one sense, themodel is a beam of light that has allowedme to see much further into the future andpast, which, in turn, is in service of myricher understanding and experience ofthe present moment. In another sense, themodel is a framework that represents our

best understanding of how it all fitstogether. Even though the model itself istrue but partial, it makes intellectual aswell as intuitive sense. This is what isimportant for me. It doesnt require blindfaith to operate, and it doesnt require acomplete understanding to begin to expe-rience it.

Chris Lindquist (third year IP student)

Over the past decade, a number of

milestones have occured in using inte-

gral theory to develop integral educa-

tion.8 In 1995, integral theorist Ken

Wilber published his groundbreakingwork Sex, Ecology, Spirituality, which

ushered in the integral approach. With

its publication, individuals began apply-

ing the AQAL model to many fields and

disciplines, including education. The

integral model provides educators with

a viable way of bringing together the

best aspects of both conventional and

alternative approaches, as well as high-

lighting the limits of each. No longer is

there a need to choose between main-

stream or holistic education programs

or to try and assemble piecemeal

aspects of both. The AQAL model pro-

vides a comprehensive and effective

way to create an integral education.

One of the more substantial applica-

tions of integral theory to education

began in the summer of 2002, when

founding members of the Integral Insti-tute (Vernice Solimar, Ray Greenleaf,

and myself) established an accredited

master of arts in integral psychology at

JFKU in Pleasant Hill, California. This

program is part of the integral studies

department at JFKU, which also contains

a holistic health education program and a

consciousness and transformative studies

program. Both draw on integral theory to

inform their curriculum, courses, evalua-

tion, and pedagogy. Consequently, JFKU

is a pioneer in integral education by pro-

viding an entire department and three

programs that are informed by integral

theory and applying its principles.

Integral education attempts to com-

bine the best of traditional approaches

with the insights of alternative ones,

providing academic rigor that develops

the rational mind for critical inquiry and

connecting students to their preverbal

body and transpersonal spirit for experi-

ential and collaborative inquiry. Where-

as conventional approaches tend to

emphasize the objective dimension ofempirical science and rationality and

holistic approaches tend to highlight the

subjective dimension of expression and

self-inquiry and the intersubjective

dimension of collaboration and mean-

ing-making, an integral approach

includes and values all three dimen-

sions: objective, subjective, and inter-

subjective.9

Consequently, one of the key princi-

ples of integral education is the recogni-

tion that these three dimensions can be

seen in how the teacher, students, andclassroom all co-arise and develop

together. If one of these components

receives substantially less attention than

the others, ones attempts at an integral

education will fall short of the AQAL

ideal. Integral teachers should strive to

simultaneously attend to: (1) their own

subjectivity and the hard work of verti-

cal transformation through such prac-

tices as self-inquiry, meditation, shadow

work, and embodied exercises; (2) their

students intersubjectivity with them

and amongst each other through such

practices as reflective dialogue, collabo-

rative exercises, perspective taking, and

providing presence while others speak;

and (3) their classroom through such

practices as arrangement of seats and

tables, use of space, opening windows,

structure of each class, use of visualaids and handouts, assignments, and

length of breaks.

To be an integral educator, one

develops the discipline to recurrently

attend to these three dimensions: open-

ing oneself to being continually shaped

as an integral teacher (I); supporting

and challenging students to be integral

students (We); and recreating class

structures into an integral classroom

(It/s). Each of these spheres has the

capacity for vertical development.

Teachers (and students) can individually

develop worldcentric and postrational

capacities within multiple lines of psy-

chological development (cognitive,

emotional, interpersonal, moral, and

kinesthetic).10 Students in a course or

program create a culturea we

spacethat can also develop along a

continuum from egocentric narcissism

(We are not going to do what the

teacher says!) to ethnocentric herd

mentalities (We will do what the

teacher expects or what our parents orfriends think we should do.) to expres-

sions of worldcentric perspectivalism

(We will keep many perspectives in

mind and do what serves our and oth-

ers growth within multiple dimen-

sions.).11 Classroom structures can

also develop along a spectrum that sup-

ports and correlates with the vertical

transformation of individuals and the

group. On one end, you have authori-

tarian structures (rigid rules, teachers

with unilateral power, and teachers

serving as expert), and on the otherend, you have Torberts (1991) liberat-

ing structures that support group reflec-

tivity through multiple feedback loops.

You can have an integral classroom but

lack integral students; you can be an

integral teacher but not have an integral

classroom. Thus, you need to coordi-

nate and attend to all three, which in

turn will help create the conditions of a

dynamic, transformative space for all.


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This triadic approach is relevant to

education in a myriad of contexts and is

currently being applied to every level of

education from kindergarten to graduate

school.12 To further illustrate an integral

approach to education, I will examine it

in light of the five elements of integral

theory, providing concrete examples of

what an integral teacher should be aware

of in cultivating integral students andcreating an integral classroom. As men-

tioned above, there are many ways to

include these five elements; what fol-

lows is to serve as an illustration, not a

paradigmatic example. Also, the inclu-

sion of these five elements is scaleable

and can be simple and straightforward or

complex, ambitious, and detailed. This

scalability is what makes the integral

model so successfulit is extremely

adaptable to various contexts.

The experience at JFKU has shown

many of its teachers and students how the

integral model provides an effective tem-

plate to design pedagogy, classroom

activities, evaluations, courses, and cur-

riculum. Drawing on the five elements of

quadrants, levels, lines, states, and types,

an instructor can include more essential

aspects of educational space than most

current approaches. These elements can

generate an integral analysis so that

instructors can quickly assess them-

selves, their students, and current courses

more effectively. Admittedly, integral the-ory provides an ambitious template and

there are many ways of accomplishing it.

One does not even need to utilize this the-

ory to accomplish an integral education.

While it is ambitious, a growing number

of educational programs exist like those

in the integral studies department at

JFKU that are striving to successfully

include and apply integral theory to edu-

cation. To illustrate one model of integral

education, I will now focus on four

aspects of the integral psychology pro-

gram at JFKU.

Integral awareness practice

Indeed, I have witnessed in myself and inclassmates a profound unfolding ofhuman potential, precisely because theintegral psychology program has taken toheart integral theorys call to yoga orpractice. Both inside and outside of theclassroom, students are encouraged toengage in self-inquiry, embodied reading,reflective dialogue, shadow work, multi-

ple perspective taking, daily meditation,and so on. The result of such integralawareness practice is not perfection butrather increasingly healthy and wholehuman beings, individuals capable ofeffecting positive change in the world.

Jordan Luftig (third year IP student)

One defining characteristic of inte-

gral education is its emphasis on trans-

formative practices that connect the five

elements of integral theory to peoples

lived experience, direct awareness, and

embodied presence. Both teachers and

students can engage in a variety of prac-

tices to exercise, strengthen, and culti-

vate their own integral awareness.

Every moment in and out of class can

be used to deepen ones own embodi-

ment and transformation.

I use the following ten practices in

my courses at JFKU to support the

development of integral awareness inmyself and my students. Students are

expected to use them in every class as

well as at home. Class time is often set

aside to hear about students experi-

ences with the practices and to give

additional instructions on them. These

ten practices also interface with the five

elements.

Embodied Reading: When you read

the weekly assignments, read with

your whole body. Be attentive to

somatic states and reactions andnotice your desire to read more or not

read at all.

Engaged Reading: When you read

the weekly assignments, read with

your whole mind. Be attentive to

what excites you. Take notes, under-

line, identify questions, and outline

key points and arguments.

Presence: When you are listening to

others speak, be present and fully

attentive; do not use others talking as

a chance to collapse into your own

world. Remain open to the mystery ofthe person talking. Feel your body,

open your heart, and clear your mind.

Reflective Dialogue: When you want

to speak, reflect on how your contri-

bution will deepen the conversation.

Do not just talk to make a point or to

have your idea heard. Be willing to

not raise your hand and to raise it.

Notice how long you talk.

Shadow Work: Be aware of your

tendency toward projection, splitting

things into all good and all bad,

and other defenses such as rational-

ization and intellectualizing.

Inquiry: Continually inquire into

your own experience and reflect onhow you are contracted and/or open.

Perspective Taking: Be open to per-

spectives, especially those that seem

problematic or challenge your own.

Take in as many perspectives as you

can, seeing the truth context of each.

Self-authorship: Notice how often

you are concerned with what people

think of you, what the rules are, and

how to fit in. Continually embrace

opportunities to strengthen your

capacity to self-author and be

autonomous in a non-egocentric way.

Witnessing: Notice the part of your

awareness that is absolutely free from

contraction and is always witnessing

everything that arises in each moment.

Daily Meditation: Engage in some

form of spiritual practice on a regular

basis, such as breath counting, prayer,

body scans, vipassana, yoga, or visu-

alization.

These ten practices make the integral

psychology program at JFKU transfor-

mational for teachers, students, and theclassroom. These practices inevitably

bring teachers and students into direct

contact with the four perspective-dimen-

sions of the quadrants, levels of their

own awareness, developmental lines and

capacities, numerous states of being, and

the many types of learning that are con-

ducive to their growth. In other words,

these practices help to create integral

teachers, students, and classrooms.


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WINTER 2006 25

The integral mirror

This is my sixth quarter at JFKU and eachof those quarters has included classesrequired by the IP program. Almost allthe classes in the program encourage

applying new knowledge and insights toones personal growing edge. Very oftenmy studies caused me to bump up againstthe many ways I was, and am, closed tosome experiences. Each class tries to pro-vide me with tools to increase my open-ness and willingness to bring awarenessto those areas of my life.

Lola McCrary (second year IP student)

Another way I include the five ele-

ments of the integral model at JFKU is

through the integral mirror. The integral

mirror is a self-reflection assignment of

twenty questions (see below) that I havestudents fill out toward the end of a

course. They take the questions home

and have three hours to complete them.

While each question deserves several

pages of response, it is their task to

reflect on each and provide a succinct

response with illustrative examples.

Each question can be answered in as lit-

tle as two or three sentences and no

more than eight to ten. They should not

feel compelled to share anything they

do not want to and are told that every-

thing is confidential.The integral mirror gives students an

opportunity to reflect on the many

aspects of themselves that have been

engaged over the duration of the course.

It also allows students to clearly see the

areas of their life they want to give more

attention. During the year, a student will

often respond to these questions several

times in different courses. This structure

allows students to track aspects of their

own development in multiple dimen-

sions throughout their three years in the

program. I encourage students to keep

copies of each integral mirror they com-

plete in a binder, so they can easily

review their growth.

The twenty questions are divided into

two parts. The first asks questions asso-

ciated with each element, and the sec-

ond asks questions related to the variousintegral awareness practices discussed

above.

Part 1: The five elements

Quadrants

1. How has your relationship to your

interior changed (bodily sensations,

emotional experience, and thoughts)?

2. How has your relationship to your

physical (or energetic) body changed

(diet, exercise, movement, health,

and chi)?

3. How have your relationships with

other people changed (friends, family,

colleagues, and boss)?

4. How has your relationship to social

and natural systems changed

(money, housing, work environ-

ment, and ecology)?

Levels

5. In what ways have you noticed your

adherence to social norms or ten-

dency fall into groupthink, peerpressure, and convention?

6. In what ways have you noticed that

you are able to have clear and

healthy boundaries and do what you

know is best for you?

7. In what ways have you noticed that

you are able to hold various types of

paradox and track multiple aspects

of a complex situation?

Lines

8. How has your capacity to take dif-

ferent perspectives increased?9. How has your ability to interact with

others increased?

10. How has your sense of moral oblig-

ation to others widened?

11. How has your experience of your

emotions deepened?

States

12. In what ways has your day-to-day

experience of reality changed?

13. In what ways has your relationship

to dreams, the imagination, or visu-

alization changed?

14. In what ways has your relationship

to the timeless now or presence

changed?

Types

15. How have you become more aware of

your personality (Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, introvert or extrovert)?

16. How have you manifested mascu-

line and feminine energies, dynam-

ics, and tendencies?

Part 2: Integral awareness practices

17. Please describe your participation

with embodied and engaged reading.

18. Please describe your embodiment of

presence while others speak.

19. Please describe your participation

with reflective dialogue.

20. Please describe your efforts at shad-

ow work.

While these questions are powerful

by themselves, their potency increases

because they are presented within the

context of an integral curriculum. For

my next example of the integral model,

I will present the structure of the inte-

gral psychology curriculum at JFKU.

An integral curriculum

The curriculum and the scholar-practi-

tioner culture in the integral psychologyprogram provide a transformational caul-dron, resulting in a dramatic expansion ofthe perspectives I have access to and amencouraged to take in my life and studies.It seems that on a weekly basis I am gain-ing intellectual structures alongside expe-riential ways of being that continuallyexpose news ways I can observe and be inthe world. Alongside the process ofexploring new perspectives and ways ofbeing, I am continually in wonder of theways I am becoming present to previous-ly unconscious filters, beliefs, and pat-terned ways of being in the world.

John Scheunhage (first year IP student)

The integral psychology program at

JFKU uses the five elements in the cur-

riculum design in a number of ways.13

As part of the curriculum, students can

take a course that focuses on each of the

elements: quadrants (Integral Psycholo-

gy A), levels (Human Development),

lines (Integral Psychology B), states

(Nonordinary States of Consciousness


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or Neuropsychology), and types (Ennea-

gram). Also, a mixed research course

(Integral Research A and B) uses inte-

gral methodological pluralism to com-

plete a research project over two quar-

ters. In this course, students pick a topic

and then acquire data using six different

methods, two from first-person (phe-

nomenology and structuralism), second-

person (hermeneutics and ethnomethod-ology), and third-person (empiricism

and systems theory) methodologies.

Also, the core curriculum is based on

the four quadrants to ensure that stu-

dents are exposed to major schools of

psychology that specialize in each of

those dimensions (see figure 2).

Although specific courses might be

associated with a particular quadrant,

all are contextualized by the four quad-

rants. For example, even though neu-

ropsychology as a field is primarily

focused on individual physiology and

behavior (upper right), the integral psy-

chology program teachers it in such a

way that explores the experiential cor-

relates to neurons (upper left), intersub-

jective influence on neuronal develop-

ment (lower left), and evolutionary

perspectives on neural networks (lower

right). In other words, the course does

not just focus on the upper right aspects

of neuropsychology but explores neu-

ropsychology from all four quadrants.

Also, many schools of psychologyinnately touch on several quadrants,

such as somatic psychologys explo-

ration of both phenomenological and

physical aspects of the body. Neverthe-

less, even these orientations, as well as

various orientations within a field, tend

to specialize in one quadrant. Thus, the

placement of courses in figure 2 are

representative and are not exclusive.

In addition to using the four quad-

rants to organize the entire curriculum

(figure 2) or entire courses (for exam-

ple, neuropsychology), I also use them

in individual classes. They help me

decide which activities and assignments

to combine each week to ensure that Iam providing a pedagogically rich

learning environment. For example, I

often start with a 10- to 20-minute med-

itation focusing on the upper-left quad-

rant of an individuals direct experience.

This exercise is often body focused,

heart focused, and/or spiritual. I also do

movement exercises and sensory aware-

ness meditations (upper right), as well

as explore intersubjective connections

and dynamics (lower left). I usually give

a 30- to 45-minute lecture with a ques-

tion and answer session (lower left) that

deals with the reading assignments and

topic of the week (lower right). We then

take a 15-minute break and do small

group collaboration and/or student pre-

sentations when we return (lower left).

A number of courses use journaling to

help connect the course material to stu-

dents lives (upper left).

Integral journaling

Journaling in the context of the four dimen-

sions of human development was a com-passionate way of holding ones feet to thefire. It was a necessary, helpful, andenlightening experience. It was the timeand place to actively and personally engagethe four quadrants of the integral model.Necessary in that it laid the groundwork forall subsequent experience for me. It sug-

gested that we are always experiencingeach subject from all these angles and illus-trated the power of grasping the depth andcomplexity of the integral lens. The jour-naling process is helpful in that it activelyfacilitates personal evolution in an integralway through the process of bringing aware-ness to the multi-dimensionality of life.

Chris Lindquist (third year IP student)

In addition, various assignmentsengage the four quadrants, such as

keeping a journal and writing entries

that explore the course content and their

own experience in relationship to each

quadrant. As an illustration of this kind

of assignment, I have included a part of

my syllabus for the human development

course that all incoming students take

their first fall quarter.

The four dimensions of a development

journal

You will need to purchase an one

hundredpage journal or notebook that

can be divided into four sections each

with about twenty-five pages, or you

can chose to type up each assignment

and just keep them together with a

paperclip.

The purpose of this journal writing is

multilayered. It is meant to support your

own inquiry as you are engaging with

developmental theories, which can acti-

vate various psychological structures.

Tracking your own reactions and experi-

ences as they arise will help you to inte-

grate these experiences and clarify how

your own history shapes your interests

and biases. The journal is also intended to

aid you in developing some basic capaci-

ties for becoming a grounded researcher,

such as observational and methodological

skills, as well as provide an opportunity

for questioning and building theory from

an experiential and theoretical vantage

point. Below are some guidelines for the

kinds of entries to include in each section:

Experiences of development

Reactions and feelings that arise in

response to the content of the readings

Observations about various experi-

ences (sensory, emotional, cognitive)

that arise as you engage this material

Dreams, images, hunches, and emerg-

ing memories that you experience

How have particular areas of your life

been affected by the class content?

Upper Left (1)

Enneagram

Human development

Personality and psychotherapy

Psychology of dreamsSomatic psychology

Lower Left (You, We)

Emotional dynamics

Intersubjectivity

Archetypal psychology

Object-relations theory

Upper Right (It)

Enneagram

Human development

Personality and psychotherapy

Psychology of dreamsSomatic psychology

Lower Right (Its)

Social and cultural psychology

Planetary psychology

Evolutionary psychology

Organizational psychology

FIGURE 2. Sample courses in the integral psychology program at John

F. Kennedy University.


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WINTER 2006 27

Cultures of development

Questions that arise as you go

through various readings and explore

different theories, perspectives, and

approaches to development

Critique the various articles/chapters

and issues raised through class

Reflect on cultural, ethical, and

philosophical understandings ofdevelopment

Your own philosophy/theory building

Behaviors of development

Observations of self and others that

confirm or challenge developmental

theories

Logistical issues for setting up and

performing observations

How do you plan on going about your

observations?

Develop an observation criteria based

on the theories you want to apply andchallenge

Descriptions of and reflections on the

setting of your observations

General reflections and thoughts on

developmental behavior

Systems of development

Observations and reflections of how

different systems (legal, ecological,

economic, political, and educational)

support or prevent development

What patterns do you recognize or

identify?

Which particular issues are present in

your data?

How do the perceived patterns of

behavior relate to particular theories?

What do you notice that is not cov-

ered by a theory?

This ongoing assignment has proven

extremely valuable for students, helping

them connect to and integrate the mate-

rial into their own lives. It is the founda-

tion for the final paper of the course. As

the above examples testify, many waysthe quadrants and the other elements

can be used in many ways to become an

integral teacher, support and challenge

integral students, and create an integral

classroom.

Seven commitments of integral

education

Integral theory, with its many ele-

ments and distinctions, can create a

multidimensional learning environment

that touches on major aspects of reality

and ways of knowing and being. Draw-

ing on integral theory, integral educa-

tion emphasizes a number of points.

1. The best components of both con-

ventional and alternative approaches

to education can be integrated into a

fuller, wider, deeper, and moretransformative educational space

that is integral in its curriculum,

pedagogy, evaluation, and methods

of inquiry. The AQAL model is a

helpful and comprehensive frame-

work capable of accomplishing this

task.

2. The teacher, students, and class-

room can engage transformative

processes through various practices

of awareness, interaction, and orga-

nization. It is important that the

teacher continually engage in trans-

formative practices, such as medita-

tion and shadow work, to stabilize

their own post-rational modes of

being and knowing.

3. The educational space has four irre-

ducible dimensions that are all

equally important and must be

included in multiple ways: subjec-

tive experience, objective behavior,

intersubjective culture, and interob-

jective systems.

4. Each of these four dimensions hasdepth and complexity that develops

over time; this development can be

facilitated. In particular, integral

teachers need to monitor how they

meet their students where the stu-

dents are developmentally and not

place them in over their heads

(Kegan 1994).

5. It is crucial to attend to the multiple

developmental lines in teachers as

well as students and to understand the

complex relationship between the

capacity to view from multiple per-spectives (the cognitive line), to inter-

act in meaningful ways with others

(the interpersonal line), and world-

centric ethical action (the moral line).

6. Teachers must recognize and work

creatively with the many natural and

non-ordinary states of embodiment

and awareness that they and their

students cycle through in the class-

room. The more that teachers sup-

port students in accessing various

gross, subtle, causal, and witnessing

states, the more fluid they will be in

their own embodied awareness.

7. Because many types of learners and

dimensions of learning exist, an

educator needs to work with multi-

ple typologies to provide the most

responsive and effective educational

space. Key typological categoriesinclude: the five senses, gender, per-

sonality, and preferred narrative

style (that is, first-, second-, and

third-person).

These seven commitments represent

a coherent integral foundation on which

additional insights, understandings, and

distinctions can be placed. In summary,

integral education emerges from a com-

mitment to continually engage in action

in the world as skillfully as possible;

inquiry into ones interior space alongthe entire spectrum of experience; par-

ticipate compassionately with others;

and support the health and dynamism of

global systems.

Conclusion: Integral by design

In this article, I discussed how inte-

gral teachers can use the five elements in

transforming themselves, serving their

students, and creating curriculum. I

showed how integral students at JFKU

use ten transformative practices in andout of the classroom, as well as how they

use the five elements to discover their

own journey. I provided an example of

how the four quadrants can be used for

integral journaling. I illustrated how I, as

program director of the integral psychol-

ogy program at JFKU, use the five ele-

ments to organize the curriculum and

create integral classrooms. Above all, I

have explained how the five elements of

integral theory create a uniquely com-

prehensive and dynamic approach to

education; one that creates integralteachers, students, and classrooms.

Any educator who wants to take a step

toward education that better serves the

transformation of themselves, their stu-

dents, and the planet should consider

expanding their repertoire of teaching

and learning practices to include modali-

ties informed by integral theory such as

those described in this article. A careful

incremental approach toward rethinking


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and re-feeling curriculum in integral

terms needs to honor the unique context

in which each educator plies his or her

trade, and thus the wholesale implemen-

tation of integral theory will be possible

only for the self-chosen few. This

description of how integral theorys com-

prehensive ideas and formulas translate

into practice itself has been offered as an

example of integral praxis. I hope thereader now has a better grasp of what it

looks like when you use this theorys

complex categories and detailed strate-

gies in the real world. It also showcases

an example of a program that is integral

by design as a way to stimulate the

broader discourse on integrative and inte-

gral education. It is as an invitation for

educators generally to try new ways of

thinking and perceiving, reflecting on the

transformation of teacher, students, and

classroom.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank my students and colleagues atJFKU and the Integral Institute for their sup-port in exploring more integral approachesto education. Also, I thank Matt Rentschler,Olen Gunnlaugson, Alfonso Montuori, andMatthew Bronson for their helpful sugges-tions on earlier versions of this article.

NOTES

1. Unless otherwise noted, I use integraleducation synonymously with AQAL edu-cation differentiating it from the manyapproaches that sometimes identify them-selves as integral, which often, in my experi-ence, leave out too much to seriously be con-sidered integral (that is, all inclusive orcomprehensive) in a general or particularsense. These holistic integral approaches areusually established in reaction to the limits ofconventional approaches and point out whatmainstream approaches leave out but simul-taneously reject much of what they have tooffer. Integral educators Jorge Ferrer, MarinaRomero, and Ramon Albareda (2005) identi-fy three approaches to integral education:mind-centered (taking an integral intellectual

approach to their curriculum), bricolage(including experiential components in a moretraditional setting or in a mind-centered inte-gral setting), and participatory (engaging allhuman dimensions at every stage of the edu-cational process). I am in substantial agree-ment with Ferrer, Romero, and Albareda(2005) that the bulk of current approaches toeducation that identify themselves as inte-gral are the bricolage type and, therefore,deceptive because they can create the falseimpression that one is actually engaged inintegral learning simply because of the rela-

tive attention paid to other dimensions of theperson-especially in contrast to traditionalmind-centered education (312). To this tax-onomy I would like to add AQAL (that is,approaches that use integral theory as a guid-ing framework for pedagogy, inquiryprocess, curriculum study, evaluation, andmethodology). AQAL approaches to educa-tion build on Ferrer, Romero, and Albaredasparticipatory vision by providing a compre-hensive meta-framework that can more effec-tively accomplish their goals of integratingthe horizontal and vertical dimensions ofintegral education (2005, 313). However, itshould be noted that these authors might dis-agree with this position, asserting that theAQAL framework constrains the participato-ry commitments of their approach. While athorough exploration of the differencesbetween a participatory and AQAL approachto education is beyond the scope of this arti-cle, note that integral theorys post-meta-physical position resonates with Ferrers(1999) participatory vision and that the inte-gral model is much more fluid and dynamicthan is often recognized by educators. Their

approach to participatory education can beseen as an expression of the integralapproach I advance herein (see note 7). It ismy hope that this article will serve to illus-trate the participatory and dynamic nature ofan AQAL approach to education.

2. The main distinction between interdis-ciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches isbest captured by Julie Klein when she, draw-ing on Erich Jantschs work, states: Where-as interdisciplinary signifies the synthesisof two or more disciplines, establishing anew metalevel of discourse, transdiscipli-naritysignifies the interconnectedness of allaspects of reality, transcending the dynamics

of a dialectical synthesis to grasp the totaldynamics of reality as a whole (1990, 66).For additional information on interdiscipli-nary and transdisciplinary approaches con-sult Klein (1990, 1996); Moran (2002); andNicolescu (2002). While the integral modellends itself readily to transdisciplinaryinquiry and scholarship, it can also be usedsuccessfully in the context of disciplinary(helping to integrate various schools of psy-chology into integral psychology), multidis-ciplinary (helping to investigate ecologicalphenomena from multiple disciplines), andinterdisciplinary (helping to apply methodsfrom political science to psychological

investigation) approaches.3. Integral theory has been applied to a

plethora of fields including: medicine (Astinand Astin 2002; Schlitz, Amorok, and Micozzi2004); future studies (Slaughter 2001); inter-subjectivity (Hargens 2001); criminology(Gibbs, Giever, and Pober 2000); music thera-py (Bonde 2001); politics (Wilpert 2001); andsustainable development (Hochachka 2005;Hargens 2002). As evidenced by these exam-ples, integral theory has a wide range of applic-ability across divergent fields of inquiry. Foradditional examples consultAQAL: Journal of

Integral Theory and Practice (http://www.aqaljournal.org) and Integral University(http://www.integraluniversity.org), wheremore than twenty-five centers (for example,integral art, integral medicine, integral science,and integral religious studies) are devoted toexploring integral approaches in their respec-tive disciplines.

4. The quadrants can represent both thebasic perspectives of any individual (this is

called a quadrivium: four views) and thebasic dimensions of an individual. Althoughartifacts such as a tables and chairs do nothave all four quadrants (dimensions) theycan be viewed from the four quadrants (per-spectives).

5. Within integral theory, levels refer toeither the general complexity in any of thequadrants or as specific levels within variouslines of development. The context will indi-cate the usage.

6. For an understanding of this co-aris-ing, see Wilbers (2001, 2003, forthcoming)most recent work on post-metaphysics andintegral methodological pluralism.

7. For example, while Ferrer, Romero,and Albaredas article on integral transforma-tive education is not directly inspired by inte-gral theory, it does represent a compatibleversion of integral education by including thefive elements of the AQAL model. Theyaccomplish this by including quadrants,through their discussion of the horizontaldimension of education, levels, through theirdiscussion of the vertical dimension of humancomplexity, lines, through their discussion ofthe various developmental capacities of stu-dents and teachers (interpersonal skills andemotional skills), states, through their inclu-sion of special states of consciousness(308), and types, through their discussion ofmasculine and feminine principles in educa-tion. This article is a great example of howone can accomplish integral education with-out having to draw explicitly on integral the-ory or its framework. Likewise, their exampleillustrates that the five elements of integraltheory can be basic (and intuitive) aspects ofany integral approach. Integral theory pro-vides an explicit way of including these ele-ments into any approach, and providing a wayof understanding the many complex waysthey relate to each other. Thus, one does nothave to subscribe to the AQAL model or all ofits tenets to accomplish integral education.However, there are unique benefits and fea-

tures by drawing explicitly on integral theory.8. Articles on integral theory and educa-

tion include: A. Astin (2000); Fisher (2003);Gunnlaugson (2004, 2005); Lauzon (1998).Also, in October 2002, R. Michael Fisherbegan a monthly newsletter on integral educa-tion and pedagogy that ran for seven months.Michael Fishers newsletters can be found athttp://www.feareducation.com. They containmany important ideas and explorations of cru-cial issues in integral education.

9. For simplicity, I use objectivity to rep-resent both the upper right quadrant of


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WINTER 2006 29

objectivity and the lower right quadrant ofinterobjectivity.

10. In integral theory, it is important tointegrate prerational dimensions of oneself.See Kegan (1994) and Cook-Greuter (2002)for a more detailed presentation of the gen-eral levels of adult development.

11. See Gebser (1984) for an overview ofcultural development.

12. There are currently a number of otherschools from elementary to high schoolsinformed by integral theory. In Mt. Airy,Maryland, Jamie Wheal, the director of theMisty Mountain Montessori Education Cen-ter, is exploring an integral approach toMontessori education. He is expanding theright quadrant in traditional Montessori pro-grams (cognitive development in relation-ship to social and environmental factors) toinclude more left quadrant elements, oftenassociated with Waldorf schools (imaginal,creative/artistic, explorative, and culturaldimensions). In Tucson, Arizona, El PuebloIntegral, a small K12 school that combinesintegral theory with Paulo Freires approachto education. Nearby in Phoenix, Arizona,

the Metropolitan Arts Institute, a collegeprep charter high school combines integraltheory with Howard Gardners research onmultiple intelligences and student learningstyles. In addition, many undergraduate uni-versity courses throughout the world teachintegral theory or apply integral theory tosome context such as art, ecology, or writ-ing. At the graduate level there are the threeprograms at JFKU discussed in this article.

13. JFKU consists of five schools: Law,Liberal Arts, Professional Psychology, Man-agement, and Holistic Studies. Within theSchool of Holistic Studies, there are a numberof departments, including the integral studies

department. The integral studies department,as mentioned before, has three programs:holistic health education, integral psychology,and consciousness and transformative stud-ies. The entire integral studies department isinformed by and, in many ways built around,integral theory. Of these three programs, theintegral psychology program most explicitlyuses this model to create integral education.

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