Holistic Teaching of EFL

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Holistic Teaching of EFL

Personal characteristics

Students - they know themselves and can handle their own feelings, thoughts and actions - they are aware of their learning process - they are creative and have their own personal initiave - they are resourceful - they are critical thinkers - they are aware of the world they live in and of the other people - they are always curious and enjoy learning in and out of the formal academic ambit

TeachersIn holistic education, the teacher is seen less as person of authority who leads and controls but rather is seen as a friend, mentor, facilitator, an experienced traveling companion. He/she should: - create a classroom climate to facilitate self-initiated learning, the freedom to learn and learning to be free. - allow the students to be free and responsible so they confront real life problems. - be genuine and sincere, with a confident view of humanity and a profound trust in human beings. - be able to accept their feelings as their own, they have no need to impose them on others. - value the feelings and opinions of students who are regarded as imperfect humans with many potentialities. - never denie a child's feelings and should have empathic awareness of the learning process and education from the student's point of view.

Different traditions

Traditional education: - fragmentation - positivism -reductionism - linear thinking - lack of motivation - generalising - mechanistic - lack of creativity - knowing the world through rational, objective analysis that separates students from the totality of the environment - sees the student only in his/her role as a student

Holistic education: - shift in perceptions (parts>whole, objects>relationships, structures>processes, hierarchies>networks, rational>intuitive, analysis>synthesis, linear>non-linear thinking) - interconnectedness - high motivation - adapted to the individuals - creativity - knowing the world through personal experience and direct contact with the environment - sees the student as a whole person

EFL Methodology

Assessment: It should be focused on competences rather than on the accumulation of contents that the student cannot relate to. Instead of exams, a continuous and personal evaluation of the students' evolution is preferred, as a final mark in an exam does not reflect the totality of the students' learning process.

Communication: The main goal in a foreign language's acquisition is communication. Therefore, the ability to successfully communicate with others should be the main goal, rather than focusing primarily on grammatical accuracy. Significant learning is a priority, therefore the four communicative skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) should aim for a direct connection with the students' world, necessities and interests.

Holistic education

Principles

Being (fully experiencing the present moment; inner peace, wisdom and insight): - fully human (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions) - creative expression - growth (reaching the spirit's higher aspirations) - responsibility (for choices and actions)

Wholeness (a whole that is more than the sum of its parts): - whole systems (attention shifts from the parts to the whole) - multiple perspectives - independence in the systems - multiple levels within each system

Connectedness (an interconnected reality): - interdependence and interrelationship among each part of a system - participatory (the observer is connected to the observed reality) - non-linearity (complex patterns of interaction)

Contributors: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Thoreau, Bronson Alcott, Johann Pestalozzi, Friedrich Fröbel, and Francisco Ferrer. More recent theorists are Rudolf Steiner, Maria Montessori, Francis Parker, John Dewey, John Caldwell Holt, George Dennison Kieran Egan, Howard Gardner, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Carl Jung, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Paul Goodman, Ivan Illich, and Paulo Freire.