Last updated on March 6th, 2022 at 07:21 am
Holistic education emphasizes the social, emotional, spiritual, ethical, and intellectual development of a person.
What is Holistic Education?
Holistic education is an educational approach that focuses on the whole person. All aspects of the human experience including social, emotional, spiritual, ethical, and intellectual are emphasized in instruction and learning.
Unlike many educational approaches or philosophies, holistic education focuses on its guiding principles and leaves the implementation of these principles up to the individual.
There are so many different educational philosophies, but this approach aligns with many of our homeschool values.
In this article, we’ll discuss the key aspects of holistic education and how it has impacted the way we homeschool.
Origins
The word holistic is derived from the Greek word holon which means to be both a whole and a part. Merriam-Webster defines holistic as “Relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts”.
The term holistic education surfaced in the 1980s in response to the traditional mainstream education that focused on core academics. Although the term is fairly new, the principles of holistic education can be traced back to Greek and many indigenous cultures. In these cultures, it is a common belief that people are interconnected with the world and the people around them.
Two major modern movements have grown out of the core ideas of holistic education. Rudolph Steiner, who founded Waldorf education, opened the first Waldorf school in 1919 in Germany. In 1928 the first Waldorf school was opened in North America. Waldorf education is built on the idea that humans are spirit, soul, and body. The focus is on experiencing learning. The idea is that experiences cater to the spirit, soul, and body.
In 1907, Dr. Maria Montessori founded the first Montessori school in her home country of Italy. The success of her school quickly spread and more schools began opening in Italy. Her schools became popular abroad in other parts of Europe and then North America. The Montessori approach is child-focused and balances group work with independent work. It focuses on the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical aspects of a person.
What Does it Look Like?
Holistic education is unique. As Ron Miller (1992), one of the leaders of the movement, argues, “Holistic education is not to be defined as a particular method or technique; it must be seen as a paradigm, a set of basic assumptions and principles that can be applied in diverse ways.”
The broad theme of holistic education is interconnectedness. How people relate to each other and their environment matters. Awareness of community and how the actions of individuals impact the whole are two important values.
Although holistic education is not defined by a certain method, there are four themes that define the learning model.
Learning to Learn – Inquiry and discovery lead to knowledge. Learning how to think is more important than what to think. Curiosity, listening, perceiving, and creativity are essential skills to this process.
Learning to Do – After learning, actions should follow. Action and application of what you learn are critical.
Learning to Live Together – Education should positively impact you and those in your community. Seek peace with each other and respect differences. Find commonalities and build relationships through discussion and understanding.
Learning to Be – Discover being human. Develop and grow the mind, body, and spirit.
How Has it Transformed Our Homeschooling?
The word holistic is not a new word in our family. We value and practice holistic medicine, and in many ways describe our approach to learning as holistic.
My experiences teaching in the classroom played a big part in determining how I wanted to homeschool. While I loved teaching in the classroom, I knew that as a homeschool educator there were things that I wanted to do differently. I wanted less structure but more learning.
One of the biggest motivations for homeschooling is to create a space for authentic learning. Learning takes place all day, not just while at a desk. The hope is for our kids to live this. I want their hands to get dirty doing projects. To have lots of time to play outside. I want their childlike curiosity to continue growing without being squashed by the weight of testing.
When I learned about the principles of holistic education, I realized that they described my homeschooling values. I didn’t find this approach while trying to figure out an educational model to adopt. When I learned about this approach, we were already trying to live out many of its main themes, we just didn’t know it had a name.
Our homeschooling model is eclectic, so I was surprised that we closely aligned to the principles of holistic education. The four themes have helped to build the framework of our homeschooling days.
I appreciate that holistic education doesn’t have a particular method. That allows me the freedom I want to teach the way I feel is best for my kids.
I value Montessori and Waldorf principles but never viewed either as our main approach. Both Montessori and Waldorf stem from the values of holistic education which confirms why they resonate so much with me.
Holistic Education Wrap-Up
Understanding the history and principles of holistic education has helped me frame what we value as a homeschooling family. While there are so many educational models, finding what works for your family is the most important.
Holistic education is not defined by a certain method or schedule, which sets it apart from so many others approaches. It is an educational method that can be applied by anyone as long as the principles are kept.
If you’re wanting to learn how to incorporate holistic education in your home or classroom, be sure to pick this book up.
If you’re contemplating homeschooling, but maybe on the fence, check out my top reasons to homeschool.
