Teaching the "Whole Child" Through Holistic Education

Schools play a vital role in promoting the intellectual and social well-being of students, but have you ever considered what learning approaches work best for students? If you try to think of the lessons you've learned in the past, I'm sure the ones you remember best involve physical, emotional and possibly spiritual aspects that completely opened up new ways of thinking.

For example, I can distinctly remember one of my Grade 7 geography lessons where my teacher incorporated music into the lesson. When learning the provinces in Canada, as a class, we created a "jingle" that would help us remember the provinces in order, from the East Coast to the West. Here is a very similar example of a teacher incorporating song in her geography lesson by getting all the students involved as a collective whole. By incorporating music into a lesson, it creates an environment that encourages, supports and nurtures the holistic development of its students. Drake et al. (2014) states that a holistic curriculum is a philosophy of education that aims to teach the whole child-- body, mind and spirit. Moreover, it integrates the physical, emotional, spiritual and cognitive/intellectual development of students. It becomes this notion that everything is interconnected, as Drake et al. (2014) believes it takes on qualities of a constructivist classroom within the context of the whole child.                                                                                                                                        

Retrieved from http://humancure.com/eastern-holistic-medicine-vs-western-medicine/

Badjanova and Ilisko (2015) believe that not only does the use of providing hands-on experience with a task enable students to directly be involved with their learning and take ownership, but it also allows them to engage their bodies. Furthermore, Badjanova and Ilisko (2015) argue that holistic teaching connects students to the earth and its processes when we allow students to interact with the environment through outdoor activities such as nature walks or field trips that venture into the global community. I believe creating a holistic curriculum is a crucial piece to the puzzle in creating a quality-education, because we as future educators, know that a one size model does NOT fit all.

Diamond (2010) discusses Whole-Brain Teaching (WBT) as an interactive, student-centered, holistic style of teaching that teaches to the whole brain, stimulating emotions and allowing students to become active and engaged learners. Students are encouraged to visualize, draw, or even use drama to develop new ideas. In addition, a teacher may present new vocabulary words by building a story or skit that uses them, as Drake et al. (2014) stresses that storytelling can be an important part of teaching. Here is a video that incorporates WBT within a Grade 1 classroom, as there is an emphasis on using the head, hands and heart; reflecting the mind, body and spirit.

Retrieved from http://goo.gl/xnIcQw

Retrieved from http://goo.gl/hBbpka

       VS.







In the above photos, just take a look and compare WBT and its holistic elements, to many traditionally styled classrooms where teachers lecture and students are expected to listen. It is apparent that holistic education connects the body and the mind, as the whole brain is engaged in learning!! I find it truly fascinating! What I love about the holistic approach is that the teacher is a learner too, and holistic teaching can be very flexible to any teacher and their preferred teaching methods. Diamond (2010) suggests that learning should be focused on a positive attitude, and skills including critical thinking and creativity, as teachers should aim for constructing a balance between theoretical knowledge and life skills. I want to share with you a video that shows the successful outcomes that can arise for students and teachers who take part in a holistic education, as students are engaged as both discoverers AND creators of knowledge.

 

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN-bjKTsLy8

As a future teacher, I aim to transform my teaching practices in order to create a rich environment that incorporates a holistic approach, thus, taking all of my students' life experiences into account. All in all, I want to encourage uniqueness and individuality in my students, and challenge other teachers alike, to expand their horizons within a more holistic context as everyone truly benefits. My question to you is, can Whole Brain Teaching and its holistic elements be used at every level of instruction?

References

Badjanova, J., & Ilisko, D. (2015). Making Sense of Holistic Approach in the Context of Primary Education Content. Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences, 191(The Proceedings of 6th World Conference on educational Sciences), 1517-1521. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.343

Diamond, A. (2010). The Evidence Base for Improving School Outcomes by Addressing the Whole Child and by Addressing Skills and Attitudes, Not Just Content. Early Education And Development, 21(5), 780-793.

Drake, S. M., Reid, J.L. & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.

Free Stock Photos.biz. (2015). Illustration of music notation [Digital Image]. Retrieved November 1, 2015, from http://res.freestockphotos.biz/thumbs/16/16020-illustration-of-a-treble-clef-th.png

Success Academy. (2012, February 23). The success academy approach to teaching and curriculum [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN-bjKTsLy8