Volume 4 : Issues 3 & 4, July - December (2017)

HOLISTIC EDUCATION: AN EXPLORATION OF ITS PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS AND SCIENTIFIC UNDERPINNINGS

The concept and term ‘Holistic Education’ came into existence into mid 1980s in North America and has become a buzz word in the 21st century. Holistic Education is the need of the hour. Eminent educationists, thinkers and philosophers from ancient Greece (in West) to ancient Vedic Era (in east) have been providing methods, thoughts and reasons for its immediate implementation. Holistic Education is supposed to have its roots in the romantic theories of education proposed by Plato, Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Montessori, Froebel, Dewey etc. in the eastern world. In India it was found in the teaching practices of Vedic Educational System. Further its traces can be seen in the teaching of Srimad Bagavad Geeta. The concepts of Panch Kosh and Ashtang Yoga are very much similar to the general philosophy of Holistic Education. Later, Sri Aurobindo has implemented this in his concept of Integral education. Holistic Education also holds scientific underpinnings. The Brain based learning and system theory work upon the same principles. Neuroscience has proved that brain function is largely implemented in a network and brain regions are closely interconnected. Cognitive, emotional, moral or social functions use more than one brain regions. Therefore our education should also be holistic to produce individuals who would be academically enriched, emotionally balanced, socially acceptable, morally uplifted and spiritually enlightened.The present paper explores the various sources and supporting thoughts of Holistic Education.

Panchkosha, Srimad Bhagwad Geeta, System Approach, Brain Based Learning, Neuroscience.

Forbes, S.H., Martin R.A. (2004). 'What Holistic Education claims about itself; An analysis of Holistic Schools' Literature' (presented to the Wholistic Education SIG at the American Education Research Association annual conference, California, 2004. Ghimire, J. (2013), 'Meaning of Education in the Bhagavad Gita'. Journal of Education and Research, Vol. 3,No. 1March 2013, pp. 65-74 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jer.v3i0.7853 Mahmoudi, S., Jafari, E., Nasrabadi, H.A., (2012).Holistic Education: An Approach for 21 Century' International Education Studies Vol. 5, No. 2; April 2012 doi:10.5539/ies.v5n3p178 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ies.v5n3p178 Morita, T., Asada, M., Naito, E. Contribution of Neuroimaging Studies to Understanding Development of Human Cognitive Brain Functions.(2016) doi: 10.3389/fnhum. 2016.00464 Pascual, L., Rodrigues, P., pujol, D.G (2013) 'How does morality work in the brain ? A functional and structural perspective of moral behavior' Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience (Sep. 2013) doi: 10.3389/fnint.2013.00065 Purdy, N. Morrison, H. Cognitive neuroscience and education: unravelling the confusion. Oxford Review of Education.Vol. 35, No. 1, February 2009, pp. 99–109 Taylor & Francis. DOI: 10.1080/03054980802404741 Sharma, S. Soil to Soul Philosophy of Holistic Education; (2013), Reinventing the Society, M a c m i l l a n , D e l h i , a v a i l a b l e a t : https://www.academia.edu/28424550/Soil_to_ Soul_Philosophy_of_Holistic_Education_Sub hash_Sharma Sharma, A. 'Panchkosha: a holistic model for education'. Horizons of Holistic Education, April-June 2015 (2).(pp105-130) available at: www.hhecu.org/home/downloadpdf?t=0C0aD 9Y86U5XzMgNuqj72g%253d%253d Shivhare, N. 'System Approach to Science Teaching'.Ph.D. thesis. (Dayalbagh Educational Institute. 2012 available at: http://shodhganga. inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/14187/9/09_ch apter%201.pdf Siercks, A.M. Understanding and achieving brain-based instruction in the elementary classroom: a qualitative study of strategies used by teachers'. (2012) Retrieved from the link: http://etd.fcla.edu/CF/CFH0004294/Siercks_A my_M_201305_BS.pdf Stern, E. et. al. 'Educational Research and Neuroscience-Expectations, Evidence Research prospects' Published by Bundesministeriumfür Bildungund Forschung, Federal Ministry of Education and Research.Public relations divisions, Berlin (2006). Volume 13 Storbeck, J., Clore, G.L. (2007) 'On the interdependence of cognition and emotion'doi: 10.1080/02699930701438020 Tyng, C.M., Amin H.U., Saad, Malik. The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Memory'.Frontiers in Psychology (August 2017) (8).doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01454 http://www.aurosociety.org/ https://ramongallegos.com/english/