FROM MEANINGFUL LEARNING TO MEANING THROUGH LEARNING

This paper focuses on the question of meaning and the ways to respond to it. It begins with the broad philosophical question of meaning (of life), but ends with the smallest pedagogical practice. In fact, when we talk about the issue of meaning in the educational-pedagogic context, we act on three different levels simultaneously.

The first and most general level is philosophical, i.e. the existential level. The model of meaning that underlies the pedagogy presented is primarily philosophical ("The transcendence Model"). Therefore, it applies to every man and woman. It assumes that a child may experience existential difficulty in class as an adult. The question of the meaning of life is also the question of the student in the classroom.

The second level is the level of education or educational thought. The model of meaning proposed here leads to a defined and distinct theory about the purpose of education (to be a "player of meaning"). This theory addresses the challenges of the twenty-first century and other issues that concern policymakers, parents, teachers and school principals, and suggests the important concept called "A community of meaning".

The third level is the pedagogical level, which is wrongly perceived sometimes as a technical level. In practice, pedagogy extends far beyond that. Therefore, the model of meaning ends in practical teaching principles aimed to design the lesson as a community of meaning, and eventually, achieve not just meaningful learning but meaning (of life) through learning.