Holistic Education approach So, what does that look like day to day? A Homeschooling Philosophy It looks a lot like life! Follow my journey to learn more @ babydustdiaries.com Wait a minute! What about Math? Science? English? Holism (from ὂλος holos, a Greek word meaning all, whole, entire, total) is the idea that natural systems (physical, biological, chemical, social, economic, mental, linguistic, etc.) and their properties, should be viewed as wholes, not as collections of parts. This often includes the view that systems somehow function as wholes and that their functioning cannot be fully understood solely in terms of their component parts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holistic) What does that mean in education? It means that learning by "subjects" disconnected from each other results in only partial learning. Holistic education relies heavily on transcending individual disciplines of knowledge. A Homeschooling Philosophy Nature Community Self I've started with three general spheres that encompass all knowledge. let's look at each one in more detail. Knowledge of Self including: self esteem resilience metacognition theory of self executive function creativity responsibility independence Knowledge of Others including: social literacy relationship literacy social influence equality and equity ethics compasion interdependence Knowledge of Nature including: ecosystems interdependence sustainability problem solving systems thinking symbolism In a holistic manner, the spheres overlap to create additional, important topics... Self Community The intersection of self and community is the knowledge of communication Nature The intersection of self and nature is the knowledge of aesthetics (branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty) the intersection of nature and community is knowledge of social justice The intersection of all three (or perhaps encompassing all three) is knowledge of spirituality In traditional schooling subjects like math and English are central and other things are learned in the process. With holistic education it is the opposite. We will certainly learn math, English, and science but it will be learned in the process of learning about self, community, and nature. Let's look at some examples language arts psychology art and music writing information literacy geography cultures cooking reading history visual arts performing arts foreign languages physcis biology geology chemistry mathematics physical education