Holistic educational thought in K-12 education

Abstract

In this interpretive study, I raise the possibility that what American public education policy needs in order to address present and future challenges is a “new guiding narrative, a new myth,” (Jones, 2008, p. 104). This “new guiding narrative,” I argue, is to be found in holistic educational thought. Holistic educational thought is the idea that education resides neither in the head, nor in the hands, nor in the heart, but in the aggregate of all of these. In its modern and contemporary forms, holistic educational thought emphasizes education that is academic and vocational – not as separate tracks – but as an integrated curriculum available to all students. At the core, holistic educational thought articulates a vision of education that is both practical and beautiful. Practical in the sense that education is able to satisfy the intellectual and ecological needs of civil society and beautiful in the sense that education is designated to delight the senses and appeal to the imagination. To articulate this relationship – that between beauty and practicality – is the crux of holistic educational thought. The major concepts discussed in the upcoming chapters are competitive eligibility, ecological literacy, and lifelong optimal learning.