Literatures about the Dominican Philosophy of Education

The Dominican Order as Preachers

Dominicans are preachers, which means they share the Gospel with others by words and deeds.

The Dominican Order is also referred to as the Order of Preachers, created by Saint Dominic de Guzman

in 1219 ( Britanica ). According to an article about Education in the Dominican Tradition, it was the first

religious congregation to have been approved by the Roman Catholic Church to embark on academic

missions. It is most recognized for its dedication to comprehensive education and the quest of truth

(Veritas). The Order of Preachers was the first congregation to include sections dealing with academic

life in its rules, and its regulations made learning a religious commitment for all Dominicans.

The Dominican Order Academic Mission

As Catholics, the Dominicans believe that schools are the most effective instruments for

evangelization. Schools are catalysts for social change and advancement agents as well as an effective

means of evangelizing.

Dominican Goals of Education

The Church's evangelistic influence in education, brought about by the Dominicans, supports

total integral human development. The goal of education is to form the whole person so that he can

achieve the purpose for which he was created, which is to be in connection with God, community with

others, and harmony with creation.

Four Pillars of Dominican Life and Charism

The four pillars help to explain the Dominican motto: "to contemplate truth and share the fruit

of that contemplation with others."Study, prayer, community life, and service are the four pillars of

Dominican life and charism. The first pillar, study, is connected to the Dominican intellectual tradition's

fundamental search for truth. Vergauwen (2014). The second pillar, prayer, demands special attention in
light of St. Dominic because it connects you to the giver of the grace. This spirituality emphasizes prayer

and contemplation as the foundation for worldly action (de Menibus & Davis ,2014). Community life is

another pillar, because mission is built on good connections, reconciliation, common interests, and

shared labor. The final pillar, service, is how people respond to the challenge of living a life of loving God

and neighbor.

The Dominican Brand of Education

The motto "contemplari et contemplata aliis tradere" (to contemplate and share the fruits of

one's contemplation) suggests that education for Dominicans is an applied and shared type of

knowledge. St. Dominic would declare that knowledge is pointless if it does not benefit the poor.

Dominican education focuses on and builds its philosophy on the concept of the human person’s full

holistic formation as mentioned in the Revised Filipino Dominican Education document.

Evangelization through Education

Education is more than just mastering learning and extracurricular activities for Dominicans; it is,

first and foremost, a duty to share the message of God. Education serves as a springboard for Christian

formation, in which students are taught how to grasp the Catholic faith and how to live it out.

Values Formation through Education

Internalization of Christian ideals is an important part of Dominican education's self-formation.

Members of the Dominican community are supposed to instill the qualities of truth, honesty, and

humility in themselves.

Human Excellence through Education

The Dominicans' strong dedication to the catholic religious concept of "ora et labora," in

whatever form it takes, culminates in community engagement (pray and work) within the schools. This
does not, however, imply that competency development in a Dominican school is hindered. Individual

excellence entails harnessing and developing both the human mind and character, according to

Dominicans.

Approaches to Religious Formation in the Curricular and Non Curricular Aspect of Education

A Dominican school is a learning institution that orients its stakeholders not only to the Catholic

education contained in the curriculum, but also to the formative approaches to religion found outside of

the curriculum. Essential elements will always exist as grounds for a teaching institution's existence. In

the article of Fr. Jesus MirandaO.P. (2010), people who teach and engage with students, including fellow

students, form their faith standards and values.

Essential Teaching Approaches Category

Teaching methodologies that are integrated with Catholic education are necessary for practicing

the Dominican charism. Moral/ethics education is concerned with living a Christian Catholic life guided

by moral values. Reflective education seeks to assist man in making sound decisions for himself.

Dominican schools offer courses geared toward ethical, moral, and critical thinking education that guide

stakeholders to make sound human and moral judgments and form good human and ethical behaviors.

Dominican Education Model in the 21st Century

An educational framework called "DoT-ED: Dominican-Thomistic Education by Design,” based on

Thomas Aquinas' scholastic process, which begins with a query (quaestio), study (objectio), analysis (sed

contra), and action (actiona) (respondeo) according to Fr. Jesus Jay Miranda in his article in Manila

Times.This designs adopts the process and incorporates the development of 21st century learning and

innovation skills, such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. The model

promotes a collaborative, democratic, and reflective learning approach.

This Dominican system of education is more than a method, it is a tradition, in order to generate

relevant ideas and activities that will aid the present and future society by employing the tried approach,

which is founded on Thomas Aquinas' scholastic process. This legacy has conferred onto our civilization

notable individuals who have gone on to become saints, popes, philosophers, artists, scientists, and

Nobel laureates, and whose intellectual and social justice commitments are still significant resources to

the Church and society (Miranda,2018).

Plan to fully operationalize the concept of education within the context of a Dominican-run

institution has been one of the priority projects of the 2010 Board of Education (BOE) of the Dominican

Province of the Philippines, Incorporated. From there on, the member institutions of DPPI have labored

to fully encapsulate the richness of Dominican Education (Ereno,2013).

SUMMARY

The Dominican Order was the first Roman Catholic community to be allowed for academic

missions. The Dominicans, as Catholics, feel that schools are the most efficient means of evangelism.

Dominican education focuses on and builds its philosophy on the concept of the human person’s total

integral development. The goal of Dominican education is to mold the whole person so that he can fulfill

the purpose for which he was created: to be in touch with God, to live in community with others, and to

live in harmony with nature. The four foundations of Dominican life and charism are study, prayer,

communal life, and service. Dominicans' motto, "contemplari et contemplata aliis tradere," emphasizes

that education is a sort of knowledge that is applied and shared. For Dominicans, education entails more

than just academics and extracurricular activities. Students are taught how to grasp the Catholic religion

and how to live it out via education, which acts as a springboard for Christian formation. Individual
excellence, according to Dominicans, includes harnessing and developing both the human mind and

character.

Sources

Britanica,(n.d.)Dominican religious order.Retrieved from:https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dominican-

Catholic Social Teaching (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://justiceandpeace.org.au/home/resources/catholic-

Education in the Dominican Tradition. Retrieved

Ereno,J.R. (2013).Dominicanizing the Praxis of Education in the Philippines: A Phenomenological Study.

Father Tamerlane Lana, O.P. Revised Filipino Dominican Education

Miranda, J. & Yasa, T. . (2010). Living the Dominican Charism in Education in the Philippines.
Philippiniana Sacra, 45(135). Retrieved from : http://ejournals.ph/form/cite.php?id=9098

Miranda,O.P,J.J.(2018).Dominican Education. A tradition in education. Retrieved from :

Smith, P. (2014). A Dominican Philosophy of Education. In G. Kelly & K. Saunders (Eds.), The Dominican
Approaches in Education (2nd ed., pp. 3–18). ATF (Australia) Ltd. Retrieved from:
https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt163t8vb.7

Costa, C. A. A. (2014). Foreword. In G. Kelly & K. Saunders (Eds.), The Dominican Approaches in
Education (2nd ed., pp. xiii–xvi). ATF (Australia) Ltd. Retrieved from:
https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt163t8vb.3

Vergauwen, G. (2014). The Charism of Study in the Education of Dominicans. In G. Kelly & K. Saunders
(Eds.), The Dominican Approaches in Education (2nd ed., pp. 89–98). ATF (Australia) Ltd. Retrieved from:
https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt163t8vb.14

de Menibus, J.-M., & Davis, P. (2014). A Contemplative Listens and Teaches. In G. Kelly & K. Saunders
(Eds.), The Dominican Approaches in Education (2nd ed., pp. 99–102). ATF (Australia) Ltd. Retrieved
From: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt163t8vb.15