Learning by Caring
How can one's self-actualization/transformation lead to resource regeneration, no matter where their starting points are?
Learning by Caring is an educational model I developed as a direct response to the structural distortions of Allocation Dependence. While Allocation Dependence pushes individuals to reshape themselves to fit into externally determined criteria, often sacrificing their most unique, irreducible potentials, Learning by Caring flips this logic. It reframes learning not as a performance for redemption, but as a regenerative process rooted in prosocial action, reciprocity, and intrinsic motivation.
🔁 From Resource Redemption to Resource Regeneration
In conventional systems, learners chase finite, externally-allocated rewards—like exam scores, certifications, or credentials—often suppressing parts of themselves in the process. These could be internal (e.g., purpose, neurodiversity, disability) or external (e.g., rural origin, cultural marginality, frugal living). Over time, this shapes a deficit-oriented identity, oriented around fitting in and surviving rather than growing and contributing.
Learning by Caring proposes a different path.
It begins with what learners genuinely care about—whether it’s a social issue, a personal experience, or the wellbeing of someone or something in their lives.
At its heart is a relational cycle:
Learner as Carer — growth occurs through the act of caring itself.
Cared & Their Community — the learner engages real-world people, places, or issues.
Reciprocity — through mutual benefit and resonance, learners receive feedback and opportunities that nourish further growth.
Caring as Self-Actualization — the learner's development becomes indistinguishable from their contribution.
Through that care, they begin building:
Capacities through real-world problem-solving
Relationships through collaboration and mutual support
Outcomes that are meaningful both to the learner and their community
All of these become Resources that supports the Learner-Carer's further journey
“Instead of desperately fitting into the allocation measures to redeem resources, resources naturally flow to them as others reciprocate to their caring endeavors.”
The learner becomes not a passive recipient of knowledge, but an agent of mutual development, growing through acts of contribution and co-creation. The learning is recursive and regenerative, because it connects head, heart, and hands—regardless of where the learner starts or what formal qualifications they possess.
Comparison with Learning by Reasoning and Learning by Doing
This model transforms education from "learning by doing" or "learning by reasoning" into something more holistic and relational. Even when realized, traditional ideals still depend on the allocation of educational resources. By contrast, Learning by Caring begins with lived care, not institutional access.
🧪 Practice at the Awakening Cooperative Lab
At the Awakening Cooperative Lab, I mentored 16 youth under the age of 18, including 7 from disadvantaged backgrounds. These engagements were not framed as “programs” or “training” but as real-world, caring-centered collaborations in media, research, and social action.
The results speak to the model’s transformative power:
🎓 Youth Who Later Entered Top Universities:
5 learners gained admission to top-tier universities
4 of the 5 came from disadvantaged backgrounds
3 bypassed university entrance exams entirely
1 earned a Master's degree without completing a Bachelor's
All became social impact leaders, taking roles such as:
Student body presidents
National and international awardees (e.g., Taiwan Presidential Education Award, Beijing Youth Education Innovation Award)
💼 Youth Who Did Not Attend University:
8 chose alternative paths to higher education
All built stable, passion-driven careers
Among them, 3 disadvantaged youth became:
An award-winning film crew member
An award-winning YouTuber focused on sustainable lifestyles
A café co-founder with a 4.8-star Google rating
In each case, the learner’s path was not dictated by allocation metrics but grown through care, contribution, and community-rooted action.
🌍 Toward an Ecosystemic Paradigm
Learning by Caring isn’t a curriculum—it’s a different paradigm. A way of knowing, growing, and relating that heals the split between learning and life, between development and contribution.
This model informs other frameworks/projects I’ve developed, including but not limited to:
Education Bypass Surgery (youth-centered development beyond institutional filters)
Care–Passion–Talent Framework (a compass for life design)
East Asia Dojo for Transdisciplinary Research and Praxis (a transdisciplinary research and praxis community)
Together, they offer an alternative to performance-based education, opening the door to pluralistic, inclusive, and ecologically attuned learning ecosystems.
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📚Journal article/Book/Book chapter
📝Conference paper/Preprint/Report/Whitepaper
📰Blog/Column/Op-Ed
🗞️Press coverage
See also
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