Walter Oliveira
Alves:
"The Spiritist
Doctrine has a
notably
pedagogical
character"
An insight on
education made
by a Spiritist
theorist of
education,
he says it is
urgent to invest
in the Spiritist
Centre aiding
the psycho
pedagogical
preparation of
the workers
in the areas of
kids and teens
Graduate in
Pedagogy,
Philosophy and
History of
Education and
Psychology of
Education,
Walter Oliveira
Alves is the
director of IDE
– Institute of
Spiritist
Propagation,
from Araras
(SP), city where
he was born and
currently
resides.
Spiritist for 35
years, lecturer
and writer, he
is the author of
the following
books, all being
published by
IDE:
God, Our Father
(for kids),
Education of the
Spirit,
Introduction to
the Study of
Spiritist
Pedagogy,
Pedagogical
Practice in
Evangelization
(vols. I, II e
III) and The
Theatre in the
Education of the
Spirit.
From his
dedication to
education,
started the
Annual Meeting
of
Evangelization,
the
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dynamic sites of
pedagogy and the
magazine
Spiritist
Pedagogy, topics
on which Walter
gave us the
following
interview: |
O Consolador:
Why this
interest in
Pedagogy? And
how can we
understand
Spiritist
Pedagogy?
I have been
interested in
Pedagogy since I
was a kid. I
have always
thought of being
a teacher. But
this interest
increased when I
had contact with
the Spiritist
Doctrine. We
understand as
Pedagogy in
general, and
especially
Spiritist
Pedagogy, the
science and art
of education,
the process in
which develops
the "germ" of
perfection in
the inner self
of everyone,
immortal Spirits
that we are,
children and
heir of God. It
is the gradual
and progressive
development of
the powers of
the soul,
through the
exercises of
love and the
knowledge of the
truth, truth
that is related
to our current
development
state, it means,
the laws that
govern our lives
and mainly "the
knowledge of
himself". Spiritist
Pedagogy
represents the
return of LOVE
and UNIVERSAL
TRUTH to the
pedagogical
scene of mankind
through the
courage of
expressing this
truth with no
prejudice, no
half-truths, as
Eurípedes
Barsanulfo did.
O Consolador:
The magazine of
Spiritist
Pedagogy is the
outcome of the
Annual Meeting
of
Evangelization?
The idea to come
up with the
magazine
Spiritist
Pedagogy, as
well as the site
www.pedagogiaespirita.org, was
born in New
York, because of
our trip to the
United States,
in a cycle of
seminars and
lectures about
Spiritist
Education.
That’s why; the
site Spiritist
Pedagogy has an
international
character.
Today, the
magazine
Spiritist
Pedagogy has
collaborators
from many parts
of the globe,
United States,
Brazil and
several
countries in
Europe.
O Consolador:
How did the
initiative of
the so-called
Meeting of
Evangelization,
in Araras,
started?
The meeting in
the period of
the Carnival
started 23 years
ago, due to the
necessity of
preparing
evangelists in
our region. Over
the first years
we covered only
the region of
São Paulo, then
we spread all
over Brazil and
some confreres
in other
countries.
O Consolador:
Are the sites
linked to the
publication
already active?
Could you tell
us a bit about
each of them?
Born in New
York, the site
www.pedagogiaespirita.org
has the
objective to
help Spiritist
educators,
especially
evangelists.
There are
several items
such as: 1.
Magazine
Spiritist
Pedagogy; 2.
Virtual School,
with on-line
courses for
free; 3.
Evangelization,
with a link to
the site; 4. Spiritist
School,
corresponding to
studies about
pedagogical
application in a
genuinely
Spiritist School
and 5. TV Educar
- a TV on the
internet for
education that
will be
activated this
year. The site
www.evangelizacaoglobal.org
is focused to
help the
Spiritist
evangelist.
O Consolador:
How are the
annual meetings
in Araras
organized? What
are the criteria
and
applications?
The meetings are
organized by a
pedagogical team
and offer
theoretical
basis for the
pedagogical
practice in
Evangelization,
as well as
workshops:
music, theatre,
dance, plastic
arts and
literature for
kids.
O Consolador:
How do you rate
the application
of Spiritist
pedagogy in the
institutions?
In our point of
view, the
Spiritist
Doctrine has a
notably
pedagogical
character. When
the man is
presented as a
Spirit in a
development
process, a
process of
evolution,
gradually
developing his
soul, the "germ
of perfection"
or the Kingdom
in which Jesus
referred to; the
Spiritist
Doctrine becomes
a pedagogical
guide for all
the humanity. It
is the rebirth
of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ in
its original
form, as it is
said by Kardec
in The Gospel
According to
Spiritism,
and, at the same
time, it offers
new teachings
that Jesus, as
the true Master,
could not teach
back then,
because of the
level of
evolution of the
"students" of
the time. In
this sense, the
Spiritist
pedagogy is
present today in
the mind and
heart of the
Spiritist
educators,
teacher,
evangelists or
parents. It is
present in the
youngsters and
adults that work
on the
evangelization
for kids and
teens, which
preach at
Spiritist
Centres, which
take part in
study groups, in
the charity
activities
exercising love
towards one's
fellow
beings.
O Consolador:
Preparation has
been one of the
greatest
difficulties in
the Spiritist
movement – or
the lack of it –
for workers in
this area
(childhood and
adolescence),
especially the
carelessness of
many directors
for this
important
question. How
can we overcome
it?
Progress is
slow, but it is
steady. Exactly
for not being
elitist, the
Spiritist
pedagogy expands
its studies in
all fields of
knowledge. But
today it is
urgent to invest
in the Spiritist
Centre aiding
the psycho
pedagogical
preparation of
the workers in
the areas of
kids and
teens. The
Spiritist Centre
represents today
the Spiritist
School in its
fullness, beauty
and dynamism,
offering the
basis for the
building of the
knowledge inside
us, the spread
of UNIVERSAL
TRUTH, it means,
this knowledge
that frees the
soul from
prejudice and
dogma and, at
the same time,
fosters the
exercise of
LOVE.
O Consolador:
What is the best
hint to catch
the attention of
the kid and
transmit the
Spiritist
thinking?
Education, in
its global
aspect, is not
limited to
Spiritist
teaching.
Knowledge is
indispensable
and necessary,
but not enough.
The Education of
the Spirit has
as an objective
the entire
development of
the Spirit, the
potential of the
soul, in all
aspects, intellectual
(cognitive
aspect), moral e
affective
(affective
aspect) and will
(volitive
aspect). The
knowledge that
the Spiritist
Doctrine offers,
clearly,
structured by
Allan Kardec,
starting with
The Spirits’
Book, is
tremendously
attractive for
kids and
especially
teenagers.
Topics such as
reincarnation,
immortality of
the soul, Law of
cause and
effect, are
everywhere, in
movies,
documentaries
and even in soap
operas.
The Spiritist
Centre has,
therefore, the
objective to
clarify, solve
doubts and offer
this knowledge
authentically
and deeply,
through the
works of Kardec
and other
Spiritist ones,
psychographed or
not. But the
kid, the
youngster and
all of us learn
it by living, in
its
intellectual,
affective and
volitive aspect.
We should work
the "want", the
feeling and the
intellect, all
together. We see
it in
Pestalozzi when
he says that the
child should be
stimulated in
intelligence, in
feelings and
senses
(intuitive
method).
Besides,
Pestalozzi has
got the best
definition for
education, which
can be used for
all of us:
education is the
natural,
progressive e
harmonious
process of all
the faculties of
the human
being".
O Consolador:
What is the
importance of
art (music,
theatre, dance,
plastic arts and
pedagogical
activities) in
the education of
the Spirit?
Art exercises a
huge influence
both in the
affective as in
the volitive
aspect. As it is
centered in
creativity, it
meets the needs
of intense
movement,
expansion and
actions of kids,
teens and
adults. Not only
motorial
actions, but the
intense
movements of the
soul in true
expansion of
feeling and
wishing. The
Spiritist
Education has
the task to lead
this creativity
to the upper
channels of
life.
O Consolador:
For those that
are away and
don’t have
either
opportunity nor
resources to
take part in
events of
preparation and
recycling like
the ones from
Araras, but have
loads of love
and good
intentions, what
resources would
you indicate to
make classes
attractive and
pleasant?
We suggest them
to visit the
site
www.pedagogiaespirita.org,
where we have
some free
courses. The
applicant can
also participate
of the list
Spiritist
pedagogy,
broadening, in
this exchange of
ideas, studies
and practice,
their view on
education in its
entire aspect:
the education of
the Spirit.
O Consolador:
Those who want
to subscribe to
the magazine,
how to? Is it a
publication for
the pedagogical
practice, as we
can assume from
the title?
There you find
both the theory
and the
practice.
The subscription
can be made on
the site
www.pedagogiaespirita.org
or directly on
the link:
www.pedagogiaespirita.org/revista/assinatura.htm/.
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