Consciousness, Literature and the Arts
Archive
Volume 3 Number 2, August 2002
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Hocking, Brent, Haskell, Johnna, Linds, Warren (Eds.), Unfolding Bodymind: Exploring Possibility Through Education. Brandon, Vermont USA. Volume Four of the Foundations of Holistic Education Series. Published by the Foundation for Educational Renewal, Inc. 332 pp (includes index), ISBN 1-885580 08 8 US $23.00 / Canada $29.95
Reviewed by
Everyone has some experience with education and this might explain why many of us speak as if we bring some expertise to this area. Given how strong our pronouncements about educational methodologies often are, it is no doubt useful to see what those who are trained educators have to say on this important subject. Unfolding Bodymind: Exploring Possibility Through Education is a book by a number of people who specialize in education. Written largely by unknown scholars, the anthology is based on work prepared for a 1999 conference held in Vancouver, Canada, Bodymind: Holistic Explorations of Cognition, Action, and Interaction. From the text I learned the conference was an interactive event and the sessions stressed exchange more than the critical, academic analysis that often defines a research conference. This interactive tone is extended into the essays, and brings a remarkably personal flavor to the writing. Each contributor aims to bring the reader into his or her exploration of how students can learn through the senses, emotions, language, intuitions, and relationships. Given all of the authors subscribe to the view that knowing as a ‘cognitive’ process is incomplete and we need an interactive, engaged type of bodymind education process, it is not surprising to find the book revolves around the idea that a bodymind educational process is preferable. They similarly agree that the best educational methodology is one in which cognition, the body, and the environment all become a part of our exploration.
This narrow interpretive focus is helped to some degree by the range of topics discussed. The essays explore Buddhism, phenomenology, the work of scholars such as Francisco Varela and Humberto Maturana, ecological sensibility, and other unconventional genres that tend to be interwoven with holistic views. Yet, the similar stance the educators assume left me feeling the tone was repetitive, limited in scope and too detached from the range of backgrounds we find in students and the broadly-based experiential base we all bring our teaching and learning environments. I also was disappointed to find that little effort was made to grapple with the various tensions that now define educational research and the educational process, as is particularly evident if we factor in historical discussions of education.
For example, the volume brings a very one-sided view to historical debates ( it is against Cartesian thinking) and largely overlooks the evidence that educational theories have long tried to balance the results achieved by creative methods as compared to those aimed at fulfilling specific objectives. Educational literature, while not always useful when interacting with an individual, does convey that education is complex. The “well-defined educational objectives’ approach thrives when the community believes learning is a product of structured assignments with defined goals. Then, it seems, when the shortcomings of too many rules suggests the thrill of ‘real’ learning has left the classroom, educators tend to move toward more creative, whole learning approaches. Often creative methods free the mind to explore humanistic concerns only to leave gaps in other areas, particularly scientific knowledge. When learning becomes too diffuse the tendency is to return to views biased toward standards, problem-solving, and defined goals.
Anyone seeking a deeper grasp of educational possibilities will be disappointed to find there is little analysis and critical debate in Unfolding Bodymind. An excellent alternative book, and one that underscores the kinds of questions those with an unwavering commitment to holistic education often ignore, is Other People’s Children (1995), by the black educator Lisa Delpit. She introduces her views with some discussion about her training in the holistic tradition while a graduate student and her commitment to the holistic vision, goals and ideals at that time. It was only when Delpit found that African-American students didn’t seem to prosper in the alternative schools that she began to explore the holistic approach more critically. As she began to re-examine and re-think the relationship between drills and creative potential Delpit forged a unique view of effective educational practices. Delpit’s re-alignment, it is important to note, is not unique to the difference between practicing in academia and a school setting. As I read I could not help but recall a friend conveying to me how surprised she was to discover that her oldest son prospered in the holistic Waldorf School environment, but it seemed the same approach frustrated his younger brother. This concerned parent quickly placed the younger boy in a more traditional school.
In closing, as a part of the Holistic Education Series it is perhaps not surprising to find that all of the essays that comprise Unfolding Bodymind: Exploring Possibility Through Education unabashedly adopt a holistic point of view, assuming it is preferable to concentrate on the ‘whole person’ and bring less focus to cerebral exercises. While the editors identify earlier examinations of body/mind (e.g., they mention that John Dewey spoke of the benefits of combining body and mind in his writings on education), the book is of little use as a reference on the range of educational views or in developing a classroom outside of the holistic framework. To be sure, holistic education aids some, but the spectrum of educational needs one encounters inside or outside of the classroom is not adequately developed in these well-written essays. To their credit, the authors acknowledge we are all educators and recognize that educators both learn and teach. Since the majority of contributors to the book are young scholars I am inclined to wonder what will these educators will learn as their careers unfold. Will they profess to the same views twenty years from now? Clearly, the contributors to Unfolding Bodymind should be congratulated for conveying the degree to which they are committed to making our world a better place. Yet, because the book lacks balance I believe it will be most useful to those who already ascribe to the holistic philosophy.
Reference
Delpit, L. (1995). Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. New York, The New Press.