Holistic educational thought in K-12 education

Grant, Brett

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/49426 Copy

Description

Title

Holistic educational thought in K-12 education

Author(s)

Grant, Brett

Issue Date

2014-05-30T16:43:25Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Anderson, James D.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

McCarthy, Cameron

Committee Member(s)

• Anderson, James D.
• Harris, Violet J.
• Trent, William T.

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educational Policy Studies

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• competitive eligibility
• ecological literacy
• lifelong optimal learning

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.

Graduation Semester

2014-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/49426

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2014 Brett Grant

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