master of education program

The TIES Library

These books and films form part of the living canon of TIES. They are not offered as information to be consumed, but encountered as companions in a developmental journey of inquiry, perception, and practice.

Each work brings a distinct voice to an ongoing conversation about education, consciousness, community, and our relationship with the Earth. Together, they help illuminate the deeper questions at the heart of transformative learning.

Why These Works Matter

The TIES program unfolds through a carefully considered sequence of encounters. While the journey is experienced rather than reduced to a syllabus, these resources help shape its arc: from transition and dialogue to systems thinking, observation, human development, vocation, and integrative contribution.

The Living Library Companion shares a deeper look at the books, ideas, and inner arc of the TIES journey.

Works that shape the Journey

"Our own special role, which we will hand onto our children, is that of managing the arduous transition from the terminal Cenozoic to the emerging Ecozoic era, the period when humans will be present to the planet as participating members of the comprehensive earth community." – Berry calls on humanity to reinvent itself as a compassionate, creative force within Earth’s unfolding story. His vision of aligning personal purpose with planetary well‑being echoes the program’s aim to unite self‑transformation with ecological responsibility.

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"I think, then, that there is the possibility of the transformation of consciousness, both individually and collectively. It’s important that it happened together – it’s got to be both." – Bohm explores conversation as a living process that reveals hidden assumptions and restores shared meaning. His approach informs the TIES culture of slow, thoughtful dialogue where insight grows through listening rather than debate.

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"The systems view of life is an ecological view that is grounded, ultimately, and spiritual awareness." – Capra and Luisi present a unified understanding of biological, cognitive, and social systems as interdependent networks. Their work informs the program’s foundation in systems thinking and ecological literacy.

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"Those championing sustainability recognize that the human economy is embedded in the living earth." – Uhl blends science and mindfulness to foster a joyful sense of belonging to Earth. His methods echo the program’s goal of nurturing ecological intelligence through reflection and practice.

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"Intelligence is the capacity to perceive the what is; and to awaken this capacity in oneself and others, is education." – Krishnamurti reframes education as awakening awareness and compassion rather than conformity. His influence sustains the program’s focus on presence, authenticity, and freedom in learning.

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"Truth is something lived in the moment and expressive of an individual’s connection to the whole." – Drawing from chaos theory, the authors reveal creativity and pattern emerging from apparent disorder. Their insight supports the program’s systems view of classrooms and communities as evolving, living networks.

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"Through the development of its body and behavior, each human infant roughly reenacts the multimillion-year journey of our ancestors from gesture of the hands to gesture of the time." – Fouts’s journey communicating with chimpanzees expands our sense of kinship beyond the human world. Fouts’s decades of communication with chimpanzees expand our sense of kinship with all life. His story reinforces the program’s ethic of empathy, relationship, and shared consciousness across species.

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"Becoming a form of human being that is as natural to the universe as the stars or the oceans: knowing how we belong and where we belong so that we enhance the flourishing of the Earth community." – This sweeping cosmological story situates humanity within a 13.8‑billion‑year adventure of creativity. Its vision informs the program’s cosmic context for integrative, purpose‑driven learning.

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"Not in the service of any political or social creed should the teacher work, but in the service of the complete human being, able to exercise in freedom a self-disciplined will and judgment, unperverted by prejudice and undistorted by fear." – Montessori envisions education as awakening the child’s cosmic task and love for life itself. Her work inspires the program’s commitment to self‑directed learning grounded in wonder and responsibility.

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"An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live." – Montessori unites education and social harmony, asserting that peace arises through the education of the human spirit. Her ideal infuses the program’s dedication to mindful, compassionate pedagogy.

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"Only when space and time are reconciled into a single, unified field of phenomena does the encompassing Earth become evident, once again, in all its power and its depth, as the very ground and horizon of all our knowing." – Abram explores the reciprocity between human perception and the animate Earth. His phenomenological approach echoes the program’s emphasis on embodied, experiential learning.

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"Education is, at its best, a dialogue in which each participant becomes both teacher and learner." – Clark outlines practical structures for weaving subjects into coherent wholes. His integrative model informs the program’s design of learning experiences that connect disciplines and lived experience.

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"Knowledge is not just something to be stored and talked about; it’s something to be lived." – This collection frames sustainability education around interconnected systems and local action. Its principles shape the program’s ecological design of curriculum and community.

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"A universal revolution is what we need. This revolution requires only that [humanity] should raise its values and become the master, instead of the victim, of the environment [we ourselves have] created."

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"The fact that individuals share so few common associations for a given word, image or ideas means that we are all magically and eerily different from each other." – Buzan introduces visual thinking tools that mirror how the brain organizes ideas. Students apply mind mapping to synthesize complex relationships central to integrative learning.

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"The whole of creation must be a single, enormously intricate web of interconnected vibrational patterns"

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"The openness and creativity that influence a system’s evolution will also affect the evolution of the environment." – Wheatley translates discoveries from quantum physics and biology into a new understanding of leadership rooted in connection. Her thinking guides the program’s approach to leading within living systems.

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"It is my belief that what we should cultivate in our teachers is more the spirit then the mechanical skill of the scientists; that is, the direction of the preparation should be towards the spirit rather than toward the mechanism." – In this early work, Montessori demonstrates that freedom and order coexist in children’s spontaneous work. Her observation‑based method guides the program’s balance of autonomy and structure for adult learners.

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"The more sensitive and knowing we become, the richer and larger becomes our reality." – Skolimowski presents the mind as a creative, participatory stage where the universe becomes aware of itself. His philosophy strengthens the program’s view of learning as a co‑creative act with the cosmos.

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"Learning should not be an effort for children, a burden, or a tedious duty performed for the sake of the approval of someone in authority." – Mario Montessori deepens his mother’s vision, highlighting education’s cosmic and moral dimensions. His reflections enrich the program’s blending of scientific insight with reverence for life.

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"Love is conceded to humans as a gift that is directed for a certain purpose and a special reason and, in that, it resembles everything lent to human beings by the cosmic consciousness." – Montessori describes how young children effortlessly absorb their environments, forming the foundation for character and intellect. Her developmental insights parallel the program’s respect for natural rhythms in adult learning.

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"When we do not trouble ourselves about whether or not something is a work of art, if we just act in each moment with composure and mindfulness, each minute of our life is a work of art." – Thich Nhat Hanh teaches mindfulness as daily practice and compassionate presence. His simple wisdom reinforces the program’s emphasis on awareness and inner peace as foundations for educational renewal.

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In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and help perspective shapes what we see.

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“transition always starts with an ending. To become something else, you have to stop being what you are now; to start doing things a new way, you have to end the way you are doing them now; and to develop a new attitude or outlook, you have to let go of the old” – Bridges offers a psychological map of letting go, the neutral zone, and new beginnings. His framework helps students navigate the personal transformation that naturally accompanies graduate study.

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"What contexts and processes in education might liberate teachers and learners so that they become catalysts for the new human — one whose integral relationship with Gaia is bound by right-action and love?" – Gang portrays learning as a spiritual discipline cultivating compassion and ethical responsibility. His work directly informs the program’s emphasis on presence, empathy, and right action in the world.

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More Than a Reading List

These works are encountered within a larger developmental arc. Students move through phases of questioning, perception, integration, and contribution, discovering that learning is not only the acquisition of ideas, but the transformation of how one lives and serves.

No two journeys are identical. The sequence lives differently in each learner.

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