a new education
With a background in brain integration, educational kinesiology and teaching Stan is well-qualified to offer workshops and presentations about the brain, behaviour and education. His particular concern is that current education ideology and practice is actually limiting children's mental, emotional and spiritual growth and is contributing to the creation of an egotistical and selfish society. He has presented his work at three World Conferences on educational change and has also delivered numerous workshops to schools and educational institutions.
The students’ needs; the teachers’ needs
Most teachers are well-motivated and want to do the best for their students. What can be more rewarding to a teacher than to see the light–bulb of understanding popping on when the students “get it”. But often teachers cannot perform at their best because they are restricted by the curriculum targets and the need to cover the examination material according to a prescribed timetable. It is difficult to be an inspiring teacher under such constraints. The prescribed teaching timetable also means, for example, that the students who haven’t understood the week 4 teachings will not have the understanding to cope with weeks 5 and 6. And so they become disheartened, losing interest in the subject and maybe even in education itself. Their needs are not being met……and neither are the teacher’s needs as he, or she, knows that students are being left behind. Teachers must have more autonomy in the classroom – the freedom to create their own agenda within the curriculum, and the freedom to share their own passion for their subject.
A Balanced Curriculum
The school curriculum is often biased towards “academic” subjects, to the detriment of the expressive arts and a more expansive, whole-person approach to education.
My kids were at primary school in Scotland in the1980s. Way back then research showed that more Physical Education correlated with better academic performance. This is unsurprising given the current understanding of brain plasticity and how neural networks develop. But despite this evidence schools were forced to cut PE (also Music and Art) in favour of more “academic” subjects. It made no sense then and it makes no sense now. Physical education, Drama, Art, Music and other creative studies are essential for the fulfilment of our creative, intuitive and expansive potential - and ultimately to each and every individual's happiness.
Intelligence
The work of educationists like Howard Gardner has brought more attention to the wider meaning of “intelligence”. We must consider not only logical and linguistic intelligence, but also physical, emotional, spatial, musical, social, naturalist and intrapersonal intelligences. Fortunately there is an increasing recognition that we must help children to fulfil their own unique expression of intelligence. We are all different; and as Einstein said, you cannot compare the intelligence of a monkey with the intelligence of an elephant by comparing how quickly each can climb up a tree.
Click on the links below for information on holistic Approaches to Education
Most teachers are well-motivated and want to do the best for their students. What can be more rewarding to a teacher than to see the light–bulb of understanding popping on when the students “get it”. But often teachers cannot perform at their best because they are restricted by the curriculum targets and the need to cover the examination material according to a prescribed timetable. It is difficult to be an inspiring teacher under such constraints. The prescribed teaching timetable also means, for example, that the students who haven’t understood the week 4 teachings will not have the understanding to cope with weeks 5 and 6. And so they become disheartened, losing interest in the subject and maybe even in education itself. Their needs are not being met……and neither are the teacher’s needs as he, or she, knows that students are being left behind. Teachers must have more autonomy in the classroom – the freedom to create their own agenda within the curriculum, and the freedom to share their own passion for their subject.
A Balanced Curriculum
The school curriculum is often biased towards “academic” subjects, to the detriment of the expressive arts and a more expansive, whole-person approach to education.
My kids were at primary school in Scotland in the1980s. Way back then research showed that more Physical Education correlated with better academic performance. This is unsurprising given the current understanding of brain plasticity and how neural networks develop. But despite this evidence schools were forced to cut PE (also Music and Art) in favour of more “academic” subjects. It made no sense then and it makes no sense now. Physical education, Drama, Art, Music and other creative studies are essential for the fulfilment of our creative, intuitive and expansive potential - and ultimately to each and every individual's happiness.
Intelligence
The work of educationists like Howard Gardner has brought more attention to the wider meaning of “intelligence”. We must consider not only logical and linguistic intelligence, but also physical, emotional, spatial, musical, social, naturalist and intrapersonal intelligences. Fortunately there is an increasing recognition that we must help children to fulfil their own unique expression of intelligence. We are all different; and as Einstein said, you cannot compare the intelligence of a monkey with the intelligence of an elephant by comparing how quickly each can climb up a tree.
Click on the links below for information on holistic Approaches to Education