The focus of this blog in the past two weeks coveredthe pillars and levels of holistic teaching and education, the focus of this weeks' blog will be on the principles involved in holistic teaching and education. The purpose of holistic teaching and education is to develop the whole student, both the internal and external qualities and competencies of the student. By focusing on developing the whole student, both the teaching and educational processes become more rewarding and edifying, for both the teacher and the student. The principles of holistic teaching and education are wide-ranging covering many different aspects of both processes. Although covering each of the principles' might not be possible in a single course, the hope is, depending on the level of the course, the student can gain either the foundation of holistic education or extrapolate their knowledge of holistic concepts into a diverse array of settings.

The principles of holistic teaching and education outlined by Mahmoudi, Jafari, Nasarabadi, and Liaghatdar (2012) include:

Educating for human development

Honoring the student as anindividual

Focusing on the experience

Providing a new role for educators and students

Allowing freedom of choice

Educating for a participatory democracy

Educating for global citizenship

Educating for environmental literacy

Integrating spirituality in education

The aforementioned list is diverse and complex, and can be difficult for both teachers and students to achieve within the narrow confined of a given course. The goal, however, is to help students (and teachers) aspire to achieve a high-level of competency in myriad areas. In summation, holistic teaching and learning, as I perceive, should revolve around five crucial paradigms: nurture the whole person, focus on relationships, be concerned with life experiences, have an orientation and openness to change, and develop an intuitive ethos toward intellectual curiosity. Holistic learning and teaching can help meet the needs and desires of a diverse population of students and teachers, and as access to education continues to expand, an inclusive and expansive paradigm of teaching and learning may be paramount in creating a more educated and connected world.

Thanks,

Eric

Reference

Mahmoudi, S. M., Jafari, E., Nasrabadi, N. A., & Liaghatdar, M. J. (2012). Holistic education: An approach for the 21^st century. International Education Studies, 5, 178-185. doi: 10.5539/ies.v5n3p178