It’s time to let the wholeness of the child engage with the wholeness of the world.
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.
Escuela Manzo
Tucson, AZ
Manzo Elementary or Escuela Manzo sits in the Hollywood section of Tucson, and with its gardens and chickens serves as a food source and environmental inspiration for the community.
Zaharis School
Mesa, AZ
At Zaharis books are plentiful and reading is as natural as breathing, but scripted textbooks are set aside in favor of inquiry-based learning. That means students pose questions and carry out projects. This builds teamwork and motivation for learning.
OUR
RESOURCES
A WHOLE CHILD WORKSHOP AT AN IMPORTANT CONFERENCE
October 7-9 in Seattle the Progressive Education Network will hold its annual conference—
Transformative Education: Disruption, Innovation, and Regeneration in Our Learning Communities.
In describing this first in-person meeting since Covid, PEN states
Educators from all over the world will attend this celebratory event–energized to exchange the best teaching practices and converse in forums that speak to equity, inclusion, and justice. This event will be inspiring, informative, and energizing for attendees as we challenge one another to positively challenge social systems that are not serving our students, to innovate in our whole child pedagogy, and to regenerate ourselves and the communities we serve.
To learn more or register, go to https://progressiveeducationnetwork.org/event/pen-national-conference/
At the conference Elizabeth Lynch and Tom McGuire of the Educate the Whole Child leadership team will be excited to present a workshop–
Re-envisioning Schools for the Post Pandemic Future: Moving the Vision for Whole Child Education
This workshop highlights how progressive education/whole child principles come to life in whole child schools. Participants will explore ways these principles can be applied in their own schools. Shared responses will guide discussions, with opportunities for interaction and Q & A.
Vivian Gussin Paley
Discussions of play-based learning can be found in the works of Vivian Gussin Paley, notably in books such as The Boy Who Would be a Helicopter and a Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play.
Learn More
Creative Schools
Sir Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica have written a worthwhile study in Creative Schools. They may have been too optimistic in subtitling the book The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education.
Learn More