Aware that many public schools are preparing students for a world that no longer exists, Educate the Whole Child promotes a fresh paradigm that is truly nurturing and educates the whole child. We embrace a variety of approaches that fully engage students—head, heart, and hands– and prepare them for a lifetime of continued growth.
WHAT IS
AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
To the extent that we narrow the purpose of schooling to what can be measured, we fail to
engage those sides of children that must be developed in order for them to pull learning
from life. We also increase the likelihood that
they will be bored, question the value of school,
and in some cases even drop out.
Instead of starting with the questions “How do we prepare kids to compete in the 21st century
global marketplace?” or “What will insure that graduates all have command of basic skills?”,
suppose we start by asking what qualities we want to encourage in children as they grow toward
adulthood.
Putney Central School
Putney, Vermont
In addition to its 175 acre campus, the school has a forest with outdoor classrooms. This rural school is small enough to be able to place an emphasis on students’ individual development and creativity. Halls and classrooms are filled with student art.
The James and Grace Lee Boggs School
Detroit, MI
Boggs is more than a school. It is the nucleus of a community and a process of change. Using Place-Based Education, the school immerses students creatively in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities, experiences, and service projects for the school and local community.
OUR
RESOURCES
Educate the Whole Child expects to offer a graduate level 12-credit certificate–Teaching the Whole Child. It will consist of four online courses that may be taken as a series or independently. See details here.
David Sobel
David Sobel’s work with place-based education develops another path for engaging the whole child. His more recent Children and Nature, Place- and Community-Based Education in Schools with Gregory Smith explores the subject in greater depth.
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Play in the Preschool Classroom
Ashiabi’s 2007 article, “Play in the Preschool Classroom: It’s Socioemotional Significance and the Teacher’s Role in Play” (Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 35, No.2) provides a detailed description of the benefits of play in early childhood education.
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