Wesley Gunselman

15 Aug

Hydrosphere and Atmosphere: The Necessities of Life

By Wesley Gunselman
In Bioregional Montessori, Blog, Eco-Literacy, Education, Montessori, STEM

One side of evolution deals with the satisfaction of vital needs, defence, survival of the species and growth by modifications towards perfection. Another—and stronger—factor in evolutionary process is concerned with the cosmic function of each living being, and even of inanimate natural objects, working in collaboration for

20 Mar

Geosphere: The Impression of Deep Time

By Wesley Gunselman
In Bioregional Montessori, Eco-Literacy, Montessori, Natural Sciences, Science, STEM

“Human consciousness comes into the world as a flaming ball of imagination. Everything invented by man, physical or mental, is the fruit of someone’s imagination. In the study of history and geography we are helpless without imagination, and when we propose to introduce the universe to the child,

12 Feb

[Re-]Orientation – Reinhabiting Montessori as a Participant Observer

By Wesley Gunselman
In Bioregional Montessori

Reinhabiting Montessori with bioregional awareness is similar to the everyday work of Montessori practitioners everywhere, for it begins with the honor of guardianship of the prepared environment. This role takes into account the wisdom of previous generations, the present situation, and future possibilities. I want to be clear

23 Nov

The Vortex of Integrative Learning

By Wesley Gunselman
In Bioregional Montessori

Through the systemic integration of universal principles observed, then put into action by Montessori and members of the bioregionalism movement, I have endeavored to develop a greater conscious awareness as a Montessori practitioner and guardian of my cosmic community (see Figure 1). Thus far, in this culminating project

21 Nov

Bioregional Philosophy as I See

By Wesley Gunselman
In Bioregional Montessori

Before setting out to reinhabit America, we should know what went wrong the first time, by which I mean an ecologically honest account of our past. The fact is that Europeans came to the new world armed with ideas, philosophies, religion, and dreams of wealth that did not

20 Nov

Montessori Philosophy as I See

By Wesley Gunselman
In Bioregional Montessori, Uncategorized

Montessori had a unique vision for the adults preparing to work with her method that will provide a sense of balance as I explore the bioregional framework in relation to the preparation of adults as participant observers. In her book The Advanced Montessori Method – I, Montessori describes this vision

19 Nov

Autopoiesis, Structural Coupling, and Neurophenomenology

By Wesley Gunselman
In Bioregional Montessori

Maturana and Varela, coined the term “autopoiesis” in the 1970s while exploring the questions “What is life?” and “What is cognition?” from a biological and phenomenological perspective (Capra & Luisi, 2014). Autopoiesis, is a term that encapsulates the self-maintaining biological structures and functions of a living organisms as

04 Nov

Chaos Theory and Grief

By Wesley Gunselman
In Eco-Literacy, Education, Marriage, Montessori, Parenting

In loving memory of my mom, Debra Jane Gunselman. Indeed, we are individuals as teachers, parents, spouses, children, etc., but we are also members of the communities that give us our individual identities. Let us turn to the metaphor of chaos theory, where the image of the vortex, such

02 Nov

What is Integrative Learning?

By Wesley Gunselman
In Eco-Literacy, Education

Defining “integrative” as an independent term has helped me develop a deeper understanding of what integrative learning looks like. In The Systems View of Life, scientists and systems theorists Fritjof Capra and Luigi Luisi (2014) discuss the ideas of “shallow” and “deep” ecology to explain the changing paradigms centered around a

29 Oct

Learning to Dance with Dynamic Systems.

By Wesley Gunselman
In Eco-Literacy, Education, Montessori

When I began exploring various concepts within integrative learning, Montessori philosophy, and bioregionalism it felt like a daunting task on most days. As I began to settle into the ebb and flow of integrative learning and systems thinking, I gained the confidence to voyage deeper into Montessori philosophy