Holistic education in elementary schools

HOLISTIC EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Introduction : Holistic thought is an attempt to reclaim the sense of connection to the world that utilitarian manipulation and advanced technology have steadily eroded and now, in the twenty-first century, nearly wiped out. Holistic thinkers believe that essentially, by nature, the human being requires a sense of connection to the world. Our experience needs to be meaningful to us or else our lives are unfulfilling, no matter how comfortable we make them through material wealth or political and economic power. To the extent that people simply seek to enjoy whatever comforts and luxuries they can gather, even if they have gained them at the expense of other people and other living beings, then to that degree they are so much less human and act like merely clever animals. Every religious tradition, every mythology, many ethical systems, and much of our great dramatic literature, condemn this way of living as morally inadequate, psychologically deficient, or explicitly subhuman. Human life is fulfilling and meaningful only when we experience ourselves as being connected to the world — connected to the land, to a cultural heritage, to a living, striving community, to archetypal spirits and images, to the Cosmos as a whole. What is holistic education? Holistic education does not exist in a single, consistent form. It is best described as a group of beliefs, feelings, principles and general ideas that share a family resemblance (Forbes 2003: 2). It is more than the education of the whole student and addresses the very broadest development of the whole person at the cognitive and affective levels. It emphasizes the education of the student beyond the confines of the classroom and moves the concept of a child-centred educational approach to a much more radical programme of education. Holistic education focuses on the fullest possible development of the person, encouraging individuals to become the very best or finest that they can be and enabling them to experience all they can from life and reach their goals (Forbes 2003: 17). These experiences or achievements can be rare, special and deeply meaningful experiences for the individual or could represent a position, role or vocation that they perceive as unique or special and is an important goal in their life. Soul of Holistic Education: I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do... Ultimately, we must synthesize our understandings for ourselves. The performance of understanding that try matters are the ones we carry out as human beings in an imperfect world which we can affect for good or for ill. (Howard Gardner 1999: 180-181) Need Of The Time: As Martin surveys the decline of traditional family patterns, the exodus of both men and women from home to the world of work, the abandonment of children to the influence of television and the streets, and the epidemic of violence that touches the lives of millions of young people today, she reflects that it is time to recreate within schools the caring, nurturing, socializing functions historically performed at home. The Focus: Child Since a single definition of holistic education is elusive, the challenge is to identify what the outcomes of a holistic approach to education represent. In this way, teachers, parents and students can identify what is being aimed for and recognize the benefits that this approach can bring. Holistic education can be associated with a number of recurring themes and values: the family resemblances that were referred to earlier (Forbes 2003: 2). These values are “guidelines for personal behaviour” (Thompson 1993) and it is these personal behaviours that characterize the outcomes of the holistic approach. The behaviours reflect a range of capabilities, skills and competencies that the students will begin to develop as they emerge from a formal programme of holistic education (Hare 2006). The behaviours and attributes associated with holistic education have been drawn together as outcomes within a Student Profile, the significant features of which are shown below. • Acts with social and academic maturity and integrity. They are confident and at ease with individuals and groups with which they may be unfamiliar and show respect for the culture, opinions and values of others. They challenge accepted wisdom maturely and develop their own understanding from this experience. They learn from their errors, take responsibility for their actions and acknowledge the input and contributions of others. • Takes ownership of her/ his own development and learning through planning and prioritization, and s/he ensures that through her/his own determination of tasks completed on time. They take responsibility for their own personal and academic growth and the outcomes of this. They can set clear and realistic targets, prioritize conflicting demands and plan for success. They persist in their tasks and maintain high standards in their outcomes. • Demonstrates flexibility and a creative approach to problem solving. Consistently, they can think creatively and laterally using approaches from a number of disciplines and experiences. They feel empowered and confident to find solutions and will take risks in new and unfamiliar areas of thinking and action. • Develops and maintains relationships through their interpersonal skills. They act with care, consideration, compassion and empathy in their interactions with others from a variety of backgrounds. They learn from their interactions with others. Through active listening and open-mindedness they are ready to consider and accommodate views and opinions that challenge their own thinking. • Demonstrates a reflective approach and an attitude of continuous improvement. They consider and review their work objectively and reflect on better ways of performing the task. They raise standards when the task is repeated so that improvements are made in the future. • Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills. They use the most appropriate way of delivering information in a variety of contexts and situations and appreciate the expectations and needs of the audience. They have sufficient confidence to change and adapt their style of communications should the situation or circumstances change. • Demonstrates good meeting management and involvement behaviours. They contribute actively and collaboratively to support group discussions and meetings. They challenge others with respect and support and develop the ideas of others to encourage the decision-making process. • Seeks to bring clarity to decision-making. They bring clarity to the plans and activities that are needed to complete any tasks. They consistently look for ways to exceed standards and expectations and learn from their actions for the future. • Through an understanding of their subject areas, their interdependencies and interrelationships, they can appreciate the interconnections in human knowledge; they can appreciate and debate global issues and the impact of human activity on the environment. They develop a sound knowledge and understanding of the subjects that they study and can identify the features that draw the subjects and information together as a coherent whole. They are able to transfer skills between disciplines. From their interaction with others, their experiences and learning, they take a considered global perspective on international concerns and bring an informed appreciation of the issues relevant to these concerns. • Effectively uses the information resources that are made available to them to assist in the acquisition of further knowledge and its relevant application. They can use data and information management methods effectively, including electronic data and library resources. They can evaluate effectively the value and content of data that they collect and use it appropriately. None of the skills and attributes that are associated with any one output exists in isolation. A brief inspection of the outcomes indicates that there are skills and competencies that are common within several of the outcomes. Furthermore, all of these outcomes can be regarded as interdependent and consequently, a focus on any single output will similarly address the development of others. These outcomes should not be interpreted as representing definitive goals that must be achieved within the years of formal education. The skills and attributes supporting a holistic approach to education will develop at different rates and reflect the maturity of the individuals, their personal experiences and the relationships that they develop and from which they benefit. As the student matures, these skills and abilities will serve them well in understanding their role in society, the contribution that they can make and lead them to appreciate the potential that they have to offer. Learning is envisaged as a lifelong experience. A major difference between the holistic approach and the familiar knowledge-based approach is that the former adopts a planned and considered approach to development beyond academic considerations and at the very broadest level. An emphasis is placed on relationships and the learning emerging from them and takes the student beyond the confines of a knowledge-based education. This delivers personal and interpersonal skills that will bring considerable advantages to the students’ progress beyond their formal education. The Classroom: In holistic education the classroom is often seen as a community, which is within the larger community of the school, which is within the larger community of the village, town, or city, and which is, by extension, within the larger community of humanity. How life is lived at the smallest level should reflect what is considered to be “right living” in the largest context. The Teacher: Holistic education represents a new journey for both student and teacher and one in which both parties will grow and critically examine perhaps strongly held values and beliefs. For the educator this could be an unsettling experience; the teacher is moving out of the comfort zone of subject specialization into areas of personal uncertainty. No longer is the teacher depending on subject expertise but is guiding students in developing and examining their own values and prejudices, their critical thinking and behaviours and confronting opinions that are new to them without clear demarcation of right or wrong. This is uncertain territory. Frequently this may be a joint journey of discovery for both student and teacher, with the teacher bringing their greater life experience to the learning process. Holistic education challenges teachers to think differently about student cognitive and affective development and to examine critically how they practise their craft. The working relationship between the student and the teacher changes; it becomes more inclusive, dynamic and egalitarian. The appropriate pedagogical approach will become one of active, planned interventions that are developed for students to meet their development needs. The teacher’s skills of facilitation, guidance and mentoring will feature strongly in promoting learning and understanding at both the academic and social levels. The aim is for students to understand, for example, the importance of relationships, the different ways of regarding knowledge and its evaluation, the importance of life skills and the impact that the students have on others around them. Teachers must also examine the learning culture within their school so that it is conducive to creating an inclusive learning community that stimulates the growth of a person’s creative and inquisitive engagement with the world. The aim becomes the development of healthy, curious individuals who can learn what they need to know and apply it in any new context in which they find themselves and who are self-motivated and confident learners. The Curriculum: Holistic education is based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to spiritual values such as compassion and peace. Holistic education aims to call forth from people an intrinsic reverence for life and a passionate love of learning. This is done, not through an academic "curriculum" that condenses the world into instructional packages, but through direct engagement with the environment. Holistic education nurtures a sense of wonder. There is no single method or technique for practicing holistic education. There is no “curriculum,” as modern educators use the term, that best represents a holistic worldview. To understand the meaning of holistic education, we need to recognize two principles: First, an education that connects the person to the world must start with the person — not some abstract image of the human being, but with the unique, living, breathing boy or girl, young man or woman (or mature person, for that matter) who is in the teacher’s presence. Each person is a dynamic constellation of experiences, feelings, ideas, dreams, fears, and hopes; each person reflects what Asian traditions call karma — a meaningful pattern of influences, actions, and thoughts that shape one’s possibilities if not one’s destiny. And as all holistic educators have emphasized, each growing child unfolds this cluster of possibilities through distinct phases of development, and at each stage the child needs the right kind of support, the right kind of environment, in order to move securely to the next. Maria Montessori (1963, 69-70) said it simply, “Follow the child!” Following the child is the true beginning of holistic education. An education that starts with standards, with government mandates, with a selection of great books, with lesson plans — in short, with a predetermined “curriculum” — is not holistic, for it loses the living reality of the grow The Xseed programme designed by iDiscoveri foundation is one such approach to holistic Education. The emerging pedagogy is used here. Here the teacher acts as an orchestrator, a coach, a confidante and a listener rather than just an information provider. He/she has the job of more than just transferring of knowledge. The curriculum designed is not centred only on the use of text-books and exercise books. Here instead, the teacher has a curriculum manual- which gives the details of the lesson plan to be executed. She prepares the resources required and begins the days lesson by sharing the learning outcome with the children. The children are given resources to solve a problem. Then the teacher discusses about the solutions found by each student and finally comes up to a conclusion. The classroom atmosphere is totally democratic in nature. There is emphasis on co-operative rather than competitive attitude. Through this programme children acquire Holistic education as they learn caring, sharing, empathy, team work, leadership, co-operation and many other values as well. There is no need for special value education classes. The entire teaching learning process is done through play way method, activities and project method. The children learn as well as enjoy without feeling the burden of studies. Each child is valued for the qualities s/he has. The learning is not confined within the four walls of the classroom. The observation power of the child is also enhanced. His senses are sharpened and he grasps knowledge even outside the four walls of the classroom. The parents are equally involved in this type of education as the children go home and share what they have learnt. The children are becoming more inquisitive and observant. They even sometimes correct their parents when they observe anything wrong. There is no grading system. The children are termed as Xseeding and Xseeded. Even the teacher needs not check the work sheet on her own but has to help the students correct their own mistakes until it is completely correct. So the child learns through self- correction. The children get into the habit of self-study and self-correction. Successes An enthusiastic class 100% attendance 100% participation Confident children No fear for studies Conclusion: Holistic education, then, is a pedagogical revolution. It boldly challenges many of the assumptions we hold about teaching and learning, about the school, about the role of the educator, about the need for tight management and standards. Holistic education seeks to liberate students from the authoritarian system of behavior management that in the modern world we have come to call “education. Finally when the outcome is good when the children are confident, sincere, hard working, learn through interest and value not only themselves but the entire community around them- the purpose of holistic education is achieved. References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holistic_education  http://www.holistic-education.net/articles/research04.pdf Making Connections to the World:Some Thoughts on Holistic Curriculum. Encounter, Vol. 19, No. 3, Fall, 2006. It was originally presented at the VIIth International Conference on the New Paradigms, Guadalajara, Mexico, in November, 1999. Retrieved on 24/12/12 from http://www.pathsoflearning.net/articles_Making_Connections.php Hare John. (2010) . Holistic education: An interpretation for teachers in the IB programmes. International Baccalaureate Organization 2010 ,IB position paper retrieved on 24/12/12 from http://blogs.ibo.org/positionpapers/files/2010/09/Holistic-education_John-Hare.pdf Gardner, H. (1991) The Unschooled Mind: How children think and how schools should teach, New York: Basic Books. http://www.xseed.in/ http://www.idiscoveri.com/