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Holistic education is a mantra to which almost all educators subscribe, mostly by way of lip service. The popular sentiment, voiced by most principals even if not by parents and supporters such as the Holistic Educators Organisation in Oregon, USA, is that this education philosophy enables children to discover themselves and develop social, emotional, intellectual and resilient behavioural skills for the future. On the other hand, there are not a few critics of this trendy philosophy who argue that the concept is idealistic, difficult to implement, amorphous and doesn’t prepare children for the emerging competitive global market for specialised skills.
In the war of words between proponents of holistic and traditional schools of education, the former seem to be winning. Last year at the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held in September to set goals for post-millennium development, most delegates voted in favour of holistic education pedagogies. In 2012, even the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, the education wing of the RSS which runs a network of 12,600 private schools countrywide, called for a change from traditional to holistic curriculums. Moreover, last year education activist and researcher Ron Miller, of the Journal of Holistic Education Review, told a conference of educators in the US that holistic education isn’t a passing fad but rooted in the thinking of political scientists Rousseau, Emerson, Montessori, Frobel and Maslow.
In 2014, this writer travelled across Australia and Canada to test some assumptions about holistic education. In the process, I met with principals, teachers, parents and students, visited schools in Ontario and Manitoba (Canada) and Western Australia.
Apart from according substantial importance to physical fitness and sports and co-curricular education (mens sana in corpore sano), holistic educators also accord great importance to environment education. In the Reggio Emilia school of education, the environment is described as the “the third teacher”. In Australia, preschool children are introduced to environment education under National Montessori Curriculum guidelines and my research confirms that children who attend liberal schools dispensing holistic education tend to be more creative and self-directed than children studying in traditional schools.
Among educators the world over — except perhaps in India — there’s virtual consensus that stimulating children of varying learning capabilities and intelligences is easier done in holistic learning environments than in traditional classroom settings where chalk-n-talk lecture pedagogies are preferred. In her book The Absorbent Mind (first published 1949), globally acclaimed educationist the late Dr. Maria Montessori urged teachers to “follow the child”. I witnessed teachers of the Treetops Montessori School in Darlington, Western Australia, planning lessons to support each child’s interest and capabilities, with excellent learning outcomes. Delivering Montessori education is far from a laidback activity as suggested by critics of the Montessori system.
In the global economy of the new millennium, celebrating cultural diversity is no longer an option but a necessity. Practitioners of holistic education have long advocated the need to develop positive attitudes towards cultural minorities and interaction across cultural barriers. At St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ontario in which half the school’s 650 students are indigenous First Nation people (aka Canadian Indians), I witnessed cross-cultural integration practiced through customisation of class curriculums to the cultural history and backgrounds of majority and minority children. However, traditional schools are also respectful of cultural diversity and I found many instances in traditional schools in Australia and Canada where indigenous First Nation elders were employed as teachers.
My research studies also indicate that school curriculums in Australia, the UK and Canada are increasingly moving towards student-centred, future-oriented education systems which are inclusive and holistic. Jerry Mintz, director of the New York-based Alternative Education Resource Organisation says that in contemporary early childhood education systems every child should be free to play, explore, experiment and ask questions. Likewise, the Education Early Years Learning Framework, adopted as the national curriculum in Australia in 2014, advises early childhood educators to make play-based learning an integral part of the curriculum as it develops social skills, creativity, problem-solving capabilities and promotes cross-cultural sensitivity.
Finally, it’s important to note that community participation in early childhood and school education is the cornerstone of holistic education as it’s generally accepted that it promotes community values and ethics. Therefore it’s unsurprising that community elders and retirees are increasingly becoming involved with their local schools and community projects.
(Lionel Cranenburgh is the CEO of Shannon Quest Pty. Ltd, an Australian education, career and training company, and recipient of the Australian Positive Behaviours in Schools Award 2015)