Holistic Education: Transforming Previous Educational Experiences

            Growing up, I lived in a very conservative area. I attended a Kindergarten to Grade 8 School followed by High School in a neighbouring town. I continued my education to university approximately 1.5 hours away from my hometown. The majority of my educational experiences were traditionally based, meaning that lessons were teacher centered while students simply absorbed knowledge. Between 1998 and 2003 the Ontario Curriculum focused on strongly delineated classes and strict assessment standards. There were some constructivist teachers, who enabled students and teachers to share the construction of knowledge, as after 2004 Ontario educational policy focused on the blending of traditional and constructivist approaches (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2014). As a student, and likely a future educator, the traditional style of learning is what I feel most comfortable with. When I am in university classes that attempt to teach based on constructivist theories (within the limits of a university setting) I often feel on edge because it does not reflect my earliest and most developed understanding of education. When Professor Drake mentioned in lecture that most teachers teach the way they were taught I began to reflect on how this attachment to comfortable teaching methods will not provide the best educational experience for my future students.

A traditional teacher centered classroom.

            After hearing this comment I immediately began to reflect on how I view holistic education. Many of my initial conclusions about holistic education are mirrored by parents (also likely taught by conservative and traditional methods) who are displeased with their children’s progress in Waldorf Schools (a chain of holistic schools). Many parents have cited that the arts are taught above “real learning,” and that a decreased work load would leave children unprepared for high school and the future (Larrison & Van Vooren, 2012). These complaints mostly reflect our hegemonic acceptance of the current educational and societal model. Many of the ideas that support holistic education come the moral education philosophies expressed by respected scholars like Confucius, Aristotle, John Dewey and Laurence Kohlberg (Lovat, 2011). I must examine holistic education in depth instead of simply dismissing it based on its initial incompatibility to my previously held beliefs. A holistic approach to education will “enable each learner to develop their individual capacities and talents at a personally suitable time and pace, support learners growth and accomplishments, nurture their inquisitiveness, encourage a lasting questioning attitude to the world and foster individual and cultural sensitivity (Badjanova & Ilisko, 2015, p. 1517).”

Holistic student centered education.

The underlying principle to this method is that everything is connected including the subjects taught, mind, spirit and body of the student; the whole student must be addressed through education (Badjanova & Ilisko, 2015; Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2014). Modern science has established that human beings are social and emotional; therefore, the learning that is taught in school including reasoning, decision making, reading and mathematics cannot be detached from all other aspects of humans. By recognizing that students have these unique individual needs and skills teachers can enable each student to work on projects that interest them in a manner that best suits their learning needs well also developing other aspects of the student . When examining the idea of education as essential for future citizenship in a just society, holistic education appears even more applicable. Schooling can provide a strong foundation for physical, social, spiritual, aesthetic, social justice and intellectual development (Lovat, 2011). Although promotional material, the Equinox School  and Toronto Waldorf School websites and Waldorf School video (below) present a brief overview of their educational values and practices.

This type of education is positive for both individual students as well as can be backed by those interested in a more utilitarian use of education. This model may not seamlessly integrate into future teaching practices but points out a variety of issues that are not addressed in the current education system. To become the strongest future teacher I must be able to take the views of my traditional past, reflect upon them and be able to integrate them into my teaching future. I must create a new story for my teaching.


References:

Badjanova, J. and Ilisko, D. (2015). Making Sense of Holistic Approach in the Context of Primary Education Content. Social and Behavioural Sciences, 191: 1517-1521.

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L. and Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.  

Global Academy Online. (n.d.). Intro to Self-Study. The Diulus Institute. Retrieved September 24, 2015 from http://www.diulus.org/study_questions.html.
 
Larrison, A., and VanVooren, C. (2012). Holistic Education in the Public Sector: Examining Parent’s Perceptions of Waldorf Charters. 2012 Conference of the American Educational Research Association. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/1584938/Holi stic_Education_in _the_Public_Sector_Examining_Parent_ s_Perceptions_of_Waldorf_Charters

 Lovat, T. (2011). Values Education and holistic learning: Updated Research Perspectives. International Journal of Education Research, 50: 148-152.

 

Serra, M. (n.d.). What is Cooperative Learning? Retrieved September 24, 2015 from http://www.michaelserra.net/weblog/2009/06/why-cooperative-learning.html