Below is the description of the Overview lecture.
Overview lecture: as an introduction to the Build a Better (Holistic) Model of Education course
Unit description: This ‘overview’ lecture-session is presented at the beginning of all courses to indicate the field covered by the course and the kinds of questions the course raises and the sorts of challenges and learning opportunities that can be expected.
NB I use the term ‘Unit-sessions’. The 30 units are intended for thirty sessions of approximately 2 hours including questions and discussion time. Formal lectures such as I was asked to give in China include questions and comments but a course with smaller numbers can enable discussion in the form of HI (Holistic Inquiry).
The overview briefly mentions some aspect/s about all of the (chosen) Units and indicates ways in which they might fit in to an integrative/holistic model;
1 CHANGE: What’s Wrong With Education as It Is?
2 HUMAN-NESS: The Human Spirit and the Spirit of Being Human
3 CARING: The Spirit Of Caring In (Holistic) Education
4 CREATIVITY: The Spirit Of Creativity In (Holistic) Education
5 CRITICALITY: The Spirit Of Criticality In (Holistic) Education
6 COMMUNITY: Community, Culture and Content in (Holistic) Education
7 MORAL EDUCATION: Moral Education – A (Holistic) Perspective
8 DIALOGUE: Dialogue and Dialogic Processes in (Holistic) Education
9 CONSCIOUSNESS: Evolving Consciousness of Greater Contexts & others ways of framing ‘holization’ + awe and wonder’
10 BALANCING DUALITIES:
11 INSPIRATION: The Spiritual as Sources of Inspiration in Being and Becoming Human
12 CONTENT: The Arts, Sciences , Humanities and Philosophy in (Holistic) Education
13 IDENTIFICATION: Empathy, Compassion, in Education of the Human Spirit
14 TEXTS and CONTEXTS: Texts and Contexts – the core dynamic in (Holistic) Education
15 MEANING: Meaning, Metaphor and Truth in (Holistic) Education
16 KNOWLEDGE: Knowing, Knowledge and the Unknowable in (Holistic) Education
17 PEDAGOGY: Spiritualizing Pedagogy in (Holistic) Education
18 WISDOM: Wisdom as an essential quality in (Holistic) Education
19 LEARNING and TEACHING: The Spirit Of Learning And Teaching In (Holistic) Education
20 VALUES & VIRTUES: Values & Virtues as well as awe and wonder;
21 CURRICULUM: Developing abilities in a Dynamic Curriculum in (Holistic) Education
22 STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS: Authority, Empowerment & Consultation – Balancing the interests of all Stakeholders in (Holistic) Ed
23 DEEPER SEARCHING: A deeper look at ‘What is Holistic Education’ – starting with Parker Palmer, Abraham J Heschel & Ken Wilber
24 WILL: Will, Motivation and Leadership in (Holistic) Ed
25 BODY MATTERS: The physical dimension in Holistic Education – inc the New Circus as metaphor for teamwork & embodiment in H Ed
26 STORY: Story in Holistic Education – including Maths and Science
27 MODELS & METHODS: Model-making and Methodologies
28 ACTION: Action, Activism and Behaviours – The WALK in SunWALK
29 BELIEFS: Beliefs and World-views
30 LEADERSHIP: Leadership and management
The Overview Lecture also presents the general approach and ethos of the Building a Better Model of (Holistic) Education course.
The Overview Lecture is also presented as a stand-alone lecture under a number of possible headings, depending on the interests of the audience. Such titles could include;
Helping your child as a whole person
Why our education system doesn’t really work
What is being done in our schools to our children?
What ought 21stC education look like – if it always started with a sense of the whole?
What ought anti-fundamentalism education look like?
What would education be like if we based it on; the flow of the human spirit, past wisdom & future needs, nurturance & justice?
Etc.
All Unit-sessions are presented in four sections:
1 Presentation of ‘text’ stimulus (film, video, dance, lecture etc) by course tutor or later in course by one or more students.
2 Questioning of text (and of lecturer/presenter/s) & identification and ranking of issues that are key for the group within the
subject area. E.g. What is it to be (fully and positively) human – what does this mean in the work roles of the group?
3 ‘Consultative Dialogue’ and/or group work (the type and amount obviously is conditional on time allocation).
4 Further readings & readings for next session, journal work, essay writing & other task-setting etc.
SunWALK = education as walking the life journey in dialogue with
friends – acting wisely through loving and knowing – in the light of
the ‘Sun’ of higher-order values.
NB In the 30 units for ‘module’ read Unit-session!
