Instructor: |
Elizabeth Lynch, Ed.D. |
Location: | Online using Canvas and Zoom Videoconferencing |
Dates and Times: | February 7 - May 2, 2023. Class meetings will be from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, tentatively, on the following dates: Tuesday, February 7th, Tuesday, March 7th, Tuesday, April 4th & Tuesday, May 2nd |
Credits: | 3 graduate |
Tuition: | $1,195 |
Fundamentals of Teaching the Whole Child is designed to provide an opportunity for participants to consider the ideas, practices and theories of recognized experts on different aspects of whole child education. In a post-pandemic future it will be more important than ever to create schools that are centered on the primacy of every student’s right to learn in a just, equitable, and holistic environment. Whole child philosophy is grounded in approaches to teaching “one student at a time” at all educational levels, based on the belief that the best learning takes place in small communities that integrate academic and applied learning, promote collaborative work, and encourage a culture of life-long learning. In the course whole child tenets will be explored and applied to real school situations as participants create a multifaceted, integrated project for a school which reflects an understanding of whole child education.
Audience: All educators, administrators, aspiring administrators and interested community members
NOTE: This course can be taken independently or as part of a 4-course sequence that leads to 12-credit certificate in Teaching the Whole Child (TTWC).
This 4-course sequence, informed, supported, and credited through Castleton University, is geared towards K-12 teachers and administrators wanting to gain further understanding of teaching “one student at a time” at all educational levels, based on the belief that the best learning takes place in small communities that integrate academic and applied learning, promote collaborative work, and encourage a culture of life-long learning. Through the whole-child approach to learning, children are immersed in learning environments intended to foster a sense of community and encourage interpersonal skills, problem solving, goal setting, creativity, autonomy, and self-accountability.
These courses can be taken “sequentially” toward earning the 12-credit certificate, individually as electives for a concentration in TTWC within the Master of Science in Educational Research (with advisor permission), or individually, through the Castleton Center for Schools, for personal growth. Each course will earn three (3) Castleton University graduate credits.
Course Offerings for 2023-2023
Spring 2023 Fundamentals of Teaching the Whole Child
Summer 2023 Developing Whole Child Schools
Fall 2023 Social Justice in Education- From Awareness to Action
Spring 2024 Teaching Students with Disabilities in the 21st Century
Course Goals:
The goals for the Fundamentals course: Weekly discussion and reflective writings reacting to assigned readings, class discussions and summative, implementable action plans will be completed primarily based on the topics presented in the required text, The world becomes what we teach: Educating a generation of solutionaries, as well as from one other text chosen from the list provided based on a specific area of interest for each course participant, as well as from self-selected texts or articles.
Topics include, but are not limited to, movement and coordination, play based learning; hands-on activities and project based learning; social-emotional learning; integration of visual and performing arts into the curriculum; holistic development of receptive (reading and listening) and expressive (writing and speaking) language arts; school gardens; parent and community involvement. The course will focus on building classrooms that can help individual children while serving the entire class.
Course Objectives:
Weil, Z. (2021). The world becomes what we teach: Educating a generation of solutionaries. New York: Lantern Books.
(631) 339 2377
Center for Schools Team
(802) 468-1325