Public education is often viewed as dominated by an emphasis on test scores and narrowly defined parameters of performance and achievement. By contrast, John P. Miller's Whole Child Education fosters relationships between various forms of thinking, links body and mind, and recognizes the inner life of the child. Addressing issues of teaching, curriculum, the school, and teacher wellness, Miller presents three basic approaches (transmission, transaction, and transformation) that facilitate a connection with the whole student. Practical examples from teachers who have incorporated Miller's ideas into their own classrooms and description of Toronto's Whole Child School (founded in 2009) illustrate how the 'Whole Curriculum' can be implemented on both the small and large scale. Inspired by the powerful vision of Martin Luther King and his concept of the Beloved Community, Whole Child Education is a vehicle for building community through holistic education.

Nurturing the Whole Student: Five Dimensions of Teaching and Learning begins with the assumption that education is at its best--healthiest, most engaging, and most effective--when it is holistic. By holistic, the authors mean that the various dimensions of the teacher and student are honored and nurtured throughout the education process. These dimensions are organic, psychodynamic, cultural, academic, and existential. Nurturing the Whole Student contends that any truly humane educational theory or practice must celebrate and cultivate these facets of the student-teacher relationship. In readily-accessible theoretical terms--as well as in practical suggestions for classroom application--the authors demonstrate how holistic education is an antidote to the standardized approaches to education that breed failure, alienation, and discouragement in the classroom. Systematically broken down into five thematic chapters, this teacher's guide will help any educator foster the five dimensions of teaching and learning.

Work with students at all levels to help them read novels Whole Novels is a practical, field-tested guide to implementing a student-centered literature program that promotes critical thinking and literary understanding through the study of novels with middle school students. Rather than using novels simply to teach basic literacy skills and comprehension strategies, Whole Novels approaches literature as art. The book is fully aligned with the Common Core ELA Standards and offers tips for implementing whole novels in various contexts, including suggestions for teachers interested in trying out small steps in their classrooms first. Includes a powerful method for teaching literature, writing, and critical thinking to middle school students Shows how to use the Whole Novels approach in conjunction with other programs Includes video clips of the author using the techniques in her own classroom This resource will help teachers work with students of varying abilities in reading whole novels.

New in Paperback! Make learning more meaningful by teaching the "whole game" David Perkins, a noted authority on teaching and learning and co-director of Harvard's Project Zero, introduces a practical and research-based framework for teaching. He describes how teaching any subject at any level can be made more effective if students are introduced to the "whole game," rather than isolated pieces of a discipline. Perkins explains how learning academic subjects should be approached like learning baseball or any game, and he demonstrates this with seven principles for making learning whole: from making the game worth playing (emphasizing the importance of motivation to sustained learning), to working on the hard parts (the importance of thoughtful practice), to learning how to learn (developing self-managed learners). Vividly explains how to organize learning in ways that allow people to do important things with what they know Offers guidelines for transforming education to prepare our youth for success in a rapidly changing world Filled with real-world, illustrative examples of the seven principles At the end of each chapter, Perkins includes "Wonders of Learning," a summary of the key ideas.

The book discusses the failed reform initiatives of the 20th century’s “one size fits all” model for American education. A recommendation is made to adopt a systemic change in how, why, and what we teach, which takes the form of a new whole-child framework. This new educational narrative fosters a more learner-centered, constructivist, interdisciplinary, and meaningful approach to learning. Positive education offers educators new strategies to develop character strengths and promote well-being in their students.

Discover the keys to teaching children and adults with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities how to read for meaning. Written for today's busy parents and teachers, this easy-to-use guide explains how to go in through the heart to hook beginning and struggling readers, but then how to teach to the brain; so that learning is fast and permanent. The methods in the book can be adapted for learners of any age who are reading at a third grade level or below. If you have at least five minutes a day to work on reading, you have enough time to get started using Whole Child Reading!

"Mike Anderson explores incentive systems, which do not motivate achievement or a love of learning, and the six intrinsic motivators that lead to real student engagement"--