Welcome to The Institute for Educational Studies
What if…
What if there were a way to learn that not only utilizes the knowledge and experience you have gained but also values it… seeing it as a tool for further growth? What if there were a place that allows you to share with other people seeking intellectual and personal growth? What if there were a place where you could not only explore new ideas in a safe way, but also take substantial risks — all without fear of failure? What if there were a way to hold an alternative idea without feeling threatened or a need to defend yourself? What if you can do all this while furthering your education and deepening your understanding and potential for living in harmony with Earth systems?
A global campus…
TIES is a global campus: education without borders. The online platform encompasses endless learning media such as written, audio, video, tactile arts, musical arts, experiential labs, and collaborative community building. The TIES curriculum prepares and promotes the idea that each of us has a unique role in shaping the future. The M.Ed. program of study embraces learning as a lifelong process, integrating knowledge and experience in a vibrant learning community. In fact, most students and graduates will tell you that their TIES experience was personally transformative.
What is Integrative Learning?
Integrative learning is learning that is beyond interdisciplinary studies, as it embraces overarching contexts that form a web of interconnection. Nothing is explored in isolation and all aspects of learning are related: personal and intellectual, cognitive and spiritual.
Integrative learning begins from universal understanding that life on Earth is a derivative of an evolutionary cosmos. By integrating all content, students come away with concrete ideas for their present and future contributions to the Earth community.
Education 2000: A Holistic Perspective
We’ve added some exciting new resource pages:
Fall 2021 Enrollment is Here!
TIES offers two M.Ed. options
Integrative Learning for those who wish to explore an experiential, dynamic paradigm for education; and Montessori Integrative Learning for educators immersed in the global Montessori movement.
M.Ed. Program Portals:
Book Release Coming 2021
Educating for Right-Action and Love: Extending and Expanding the Montessori Vission
by Philip Snow Gang
Latest Blog Posts:
Biophilia Combats Stress
Edward O. Wilson, who named the biophilia hypothesis, says that humans “have an urge to affiliate with other forms of life.” Philip Snow Gang calls it love: “Love as biophilia is a sensitivity and respect for life in all its manifestations” (Educating for Right-Action and Love, p.187).
I fear that sometimes we take that love for granted, almost forgetting that it’s there. I think of my friends who motivate themselves to go for a run by sticking in ear buds and listening to someone tell them a story. I think of those who can’t be without recorded music. Often when we’re in nature, our collective ears seem to be stuffed with that that is not nature.
Modeling a Healthy Use of Technology for Ourselves and Our Children
It has been a year since the world took a turn that no one was expecting nor for which anyone was prepared. In that year, as educators, we have scrambled to stay true to who we are while still meeting our students’ and schools’ needs. Throughout this upheaval, this global chaos, I have reflected a good deal on the exceptional works I read during my time in TIES. I have thought about chaos theory, quantum physics, neurophenomenology, and a lot about the prepared environment. As educators, we were constantly reacting to factors and decisions beyond our control. Our prepared environment altered to an almost unrecognizable state as we continually looked for the end of the chaos.
Exploring Learning Possibilities and the Integrative Structure of Life through Mindfulness and Montessori Education
I have found that observing the present moment with clear, non-judging attention gives the space to explore the mind’s natural balance and discernment which have been there waiting to unfold. In life, where learning cannot be separated from the environment, connecting all life experiences with curiosity could transform this curiosity into insightful creative learning experiences, in which one might find something unique to contribute to the world.
