Schools Re-envisioned: Fundamentals of Teaching the Whole Child, Lynch, Spring 2023

Course Description

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 21^st Century

Course Goals

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:

• Through weekly reflections and participation in on line discussions students will demonstrate a growing understanding of the tenets of whole child education and how to apply them to schools.
• After reading a self selected text from a list provided by the instructor, students will share with the class, through a 3-4 page paper, the relevant points made relating to whole child education.
• Each student will develop a final project which reflects the ability to apply what has been learned to a school setting, demonstrating the ability to add new learning and processes to the field of whole child education.

Required Readings:

Weil, Z. (2021). The world becomes what we teach: Educating a generation of solutionaries. New York: Lantern Books.

For additional course information

Elizabeth Lynch

(631) 339 2377

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team
(802) 468-1325

Register Now!