Learning community engagement: Awakening the power of holistic education

 Learning community engagement: 

Awakening the power of holistic education

Resource # 1: Awakening the Power of Holistic Education

One main idea that was very helpful and made me reconsider my thinking was from the TED talk video. Ariana Oluwole made a very important clarification about the type of education children should receive to discover their talents and purpose. 

"Believing in the power that it has to change communities and to support nation building. I went on with that belief, searching for purpose until I realized later on in life that indeed Holistic Education is a philosophy that it's based on the fact that every human should discover their purpose and meaning in life. And once they find that purpose and meaning, they can now share that with their communities." 

(Ariana Oluwole, 2022)

"How can we lead with influence?" This is a phenomenal question that I am planning to reflect on every morning. Educators should incorporate Holistic Education not just to teach academic content but:

• Good manners

• Social awareness

• Emotional  intelligence 

• Creative freedom

Helping students find a purpose to help others and develop their skills can build better communities. Rasing leaders is more valuable than turning students into memorization machines. Discovering the purpose of life is an enhancing path to support learners in a fun and engaging learning environment. Educators should also involve the students' cultural background to understand, value, and respect every learner. Understanding cultural identity could also help teachers find more resources to guide students to find their purpose and meaning. 

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Resource # 2:  Understanding the Whole Student: Holistic Multicultural Education

A quote that resonated with me is: 

"We believe that one of the major roles for a teacher in today’s classroom is to be a cultural negotiator who can help students explore their own and each other’s cultures in a variety of ways that will enliven discussion and enrich the curriculum." (Mayes, C., & Ebrary, Inc, 2016)

Teachers should facilitate areas and spaces for students to share their ideas safely and responsibly. A curriculum should not be a single academic piece; instead, it should include students' goals and dreams, pieces that show elements of their cultural identity, and the support of families' cultural backgrounds. Educators should incorporate various authentic materials in all lessons for students to learn about other cultures and their own and feel more connected. For example, elementary students could investigate MN Native American Tribes in a literacy lesson. 

Educators should be more involved in socio-cultural activities to support students' academics. Students demonstrated more engagement when exploring and manipulating authentic material. 

Resource #3: Teaching, Learning, literacy in our high-risk-tech world

I would like to continue exploring...

"So to learn well, we need action, caring, and well-managed attention. At this point, we are focusing on embodied experiences in the world, the primordial form of experience for human beings." (Gee, 2017)

 Learning must bring joy and excitement for students to be willing to explore, analyze, and learn. I would like to continue exploring culturally responsive techniques to empower my student with Multicultural elements in a Bilingual environment. I have observed the motivation and engagement of students listening to stories from other countries.

Credits: Barnes and Noble

Classrooms are small communities where students learn about other humans and their cultural identities. Students get to learn and compare cultures with mainstream culture. Therefore, teachers play a critical role in delivering culturally responsive to enhance future generations. 

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I selected Chapter 5: Talk and Language Development.

Recap:

Language is a fundamental part of the culture that develops through life. Written language and oral language a learned differently. It is fundamental to highlight how a child learns oral language in a natural, immersive way why listening to people around. However, other factors, such as exposure to various experiences and poverty, can also interfere with the language development stage. 

"Languages are spoken in different varieties or styles." (Mayes, 2016) This is fundamental to understanding how languages can incorporate formal and informal. A child's vernacular is fundamental to setting identity and feeling into a known zone. Therefore, limiting or eliminating opportunities for students to use their first language can create challenges and emotional variations. 

Teachers should not teach kids what they already from their native language. This is a critical part of their cultural identity. Also, "People cannot understand text unless they know what it is about."(Mayes, 2016)

"Teachers should pay attention to types of talk, to their connections to writing, and to how they are used for various functions in society."

Reflections:

Every person has been exposed to a variety of experiences in life. Some of them are positive, and some others are very challenging and limiting. The lack of exposure is connected to poverty, violence, and many other factors affecting children's development in many places worldwide. Understanding how all children in a single school are very different is fundamental for educators. How learners talk, read, analyze, and much more varies. 

One thing that is crucial between all these differences is that previous knowledge is critical and fundamental to understanding who we are. For example, our native language makes us feel complete (who we are); therefore, students learning a new language can benefit from using their native language to help them make sense of the new learning. Teachers should pay attention to this previous knowledge; students can make connections and help them understand better. 

Resources

Awakening the power of holistic education: Ariana Oluwole: TEDxWallaceJohnsonStreet. YouTube. (2022, May 3). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/lX-JX3x7N6c 

Gee, J., & EBSCOhost. (2017). Teaching, learning, literacy in our high-risk high-tech world: A framework for becoming human. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Mayes, C., & Ebrary, Inc. (2016). Understanding the whole student : Holistic multicultural education (2nd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.