Source: holisticthinktank.com
WHY?
Today’s schools are at cross-purposes with the aim and mission of education.
They impart knowledge and facts but do not teach how to understand them and how to use that understanding in everyday life. They promote competition for grades and achievements, but do not teach how to cooperate and communicate with others. They require students to demonstrate continuous improvement, but do not show how to achieve it in accordance with the child’s predispositions. Yet each of us is different, and this uniqueness constitutes a real value for society.
It is high time to restore meaning to school as a place of shaping a responsible and conscientious society, but – above all – happy and fulfilled people.
Our research, conducted using phenomenographic methods and carried out in 10 countries around the world, has led us to the conclusion that an overriding goal of teaching every single subject at school should be learning and developing humanistic values, based on freedom and respect for others, as well as the ability to build good interpersonal relations and understand each other. This is the foundation of our culture and civilization.
HOW?
The mission of Holistic Think Tank is to shift the priorities of education towards the humanization of school curricula, through implementing a holistic way of teaching every school subject. Our guide is a list of “What School Ought to Teach” (see: https://holisticthinktank.com/autoinstalator/wordpressplugins/article/what-school-ought-to-teach-wsot-list), prepared by our Researchers.
We believe that knowledge acquired in the course of learning, say, mathematics, history or chemistry is a means of getting to know oneself and others and shaping the ability to cooperate. This is the real purpose of education. Hence, every school subject should be taught in this integrated way, using universal skills of empowerment as the basis for gaining specialized subject knowledge. Ultimately, human beings understood within the fabric of the world are the most important subject of the whole process of education.
We propose an approach to working with students, a tool for changing educational priorities in primary schools, based on a system of guidelines for teaching all school subjects in relation to the real world. We call it “humanization of school curricula”, understood as infusing the teaching process of all school subjects with a new teaching methodology, called the “Interdisciplinary Subject” (IDS). The purpose of IDS is to instill in students the system of universal, humanistic values, which will enable them to have a conscientious and fulfilled adult life.
WHEN?
The change we are striving for also requires a modification of the criteria for assessing proficiency in each subject. The focus should be shifted to the field of information processing skills and the ability to use knowledge, not just attain it. Above all, emphasis should be placed on communication, relationship-building and cooperation in the social environment. We focus on addressing the holistic needs of the individual as part of society.
For as human beings, we can only learn about ourselves in contact with others. We don’t originate from ourselves, we don’t exist for ourselves and we don’t die for ourselves.
A caring, humanized school is possible. We can start building it together today.
