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Welcome Letter PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dan Hall   
Wednesday, 18 October 2006

LATEST NEWS


IMPORTANT NOTICE - this site will stay up for the foreseeable future but its content and most of my earlier sites are all now
HERE
http://sunwalked.wordpress.com/ - please pay the new site a visit

All new postings now are
HERE  
http://sunwalked.wordpress.com/latest-posts/

___________________________________

SEE SiteMap especially K) Roger's Ruminations & Cool Stuff in SiteMap (top right menu)

LOOKING FOR IDEAS - for essays, dissertations & theses?
For ideas for essays, dissertations & theses check out of these:
     Previous SunWALK Website content (Main Menu on left) - main content site for now.
     SiteMap (top right menu)
     SiteMap especially K) Roger's Ruminations & Cool Stuff in SiteMap (top right menu)

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Please invite your students or friends to use the site.
If you have a related site please exchange a link with us.  Link exchanges are vital.
Please send in the URL for any good articles/websites so we can make them available.

Thanks to all who sent in URLs & ideas for the daily mini-articles - keep them coming!

ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS include:
Continue adding mini-articles.
Re-vamp the outline of the 30 unit course
Improve appearance & functioning generally

For the 30 unit course outline go here (it might view better in Int Explorer!)

The site is about identifying the questions that education should be asking and disseminating answers from a holistic perspective.  Does the site provide what you need?  Let us know and we will respond!

To read documents in LARGE PRINT click on left-hand one of the set of 3 buttons for PDF

For the heart and gist of the site go here

Bookmark our site - we will continue adding new content once a  day on average - please send in your favorite URLs, articles, papers, finds, ideas, poems, book reviews etc.




"Your site is a rich and varied source of information and provides an excellent starting point for further exploration, not only into the practice of holistic education but into the ways of thinking which underpin it. It is particularly useful for students wishing to undertake research in this area."


Assoc. Prof. Bernie Neville, School of Educational Studies, La Trobe University and
author of a key reading Educating Psyche – Emotion, imagination & the unconscious in learning.



Welcome letter
- to 'Becoming a Better Teacher'
our new global community website for
students, teachers, parents & lecturers to
discuss questions, and write about,
holistic education and integral studies!


Dear All - in Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Mexico, the UK, the USA - and everywhere!

At all times we have the choice to:

     a) experience the 'Whole' or

     b) pay attention to some parts - such as concepts.

For a) go here if you want a short 'time-out' - ‘meditation page'.
 
For b) - here below is where the concepts start - even if concepts are only, as Abraham Joshua Heschel said, 'delicious snacks' and not the 'real thing' of 'awe and amazement'!

To go to the heart and gist of the site go here

To go to the 30 unit course outline go here

We hope you will enjoy just reading, or reading & discussing, any and all aspects of education stimulated by some of the many texts & discussion that are available here - or that is available via the linked sites.

We hope you will add your ideas, articles, discussion, poems, photos, videos, dissertations & theses - & humour as well.  Concerning education I personally came to the conclusion that to create for our children and grandchildren a world worth living in, our teaching and learning need to be holistic - see what you think.
 
Some texts are early drafts, or even just notes, which, if you want, you can help to develop - or you can use them as a stimulus to work out your own ideas.  Much editing is needed - especially in the 'Dictionary'.  Help here is also needed.  When completed a loud cheer will be sounded! 

One colleague is translating sections into Bulgarian - if you would like to translate sections into another language drop me a line.

All good wishes with your studies, your teaching, your personal development and your social activism.

Roger

Dr Roger Prentice - Director of the Holistic Education Institute and Developer of the SunWALK model of Holistic Education.

Boards of Advisors

Course and Site Developer:
Dr Roger Prentice

Advisory developers:
Dr Geoff Taggart
Dr Lixian Jin
Professor Martin Cortazzi

Panel of Academic Advisors:
Dr Iraj Ayman
Professor Suheil Bushrui
Dr Ben Pink Dandelion
Professor Jack Miller
Gordon Kerr
Dr Ron Miller
Professor Bernie Neville
Sue and Roger Stack
Roger Sutcliffe

Student, Teacher & Practitioner Advisors: Invitations will be going out.

Next are some FAQs and answers
to basic questions about this site and
how it can benefit you.


 
FAQs on 'HOW TO USE THE SITE'  and  'HOW IT CAN BENEFIT YOU'

WHO'S THE SITE FOR? 
-  teachers, students of education, lecturers & parents - and all practitioners looking to enhance holistic or integral theory and practice.  It is for action research - for those who want to practice their theory and build theory from their practice.

WHAT'S THE SITE ABOUT?
The site is a help-desk and supplement to whatever practice and theory you are engaged in. 
     a) It's about the questions we need to ask about teaching and education. 
     b) Its about how you can go about asking and answering those questions. 
     c) It's about how other educators have answered those questions, including some of the great ones 
        and some of the contemporary ones, and
     d) it is about how I answered those questions in my SunWALK model of (holistic) education.

How do I go to the heart and gist of the site?
To go to the heart and gist of the site go here
 
HOW DO I NAVIGATE THE SITE?
     a) via the SiteMap SEE topmost menu row of buttons on every main page and
     b) the side buttons to the left.
The Joomla engine on which the site is built calls the main buttons 'SECTIONS' and the sub-sections 'CATEGORIES' - but to start with you might just use the SiteMap at the top of the page.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT MENUS? 
     i)  MAIN MENU = the buttons on the left,
     ii) TOP MENU = menu at top of page,
     iii) USER MENU = your personal menu when you sign in.

WHAT'S ON THE SITE - including the older SunWALK site?
Although much is 'in development' the sites include; a 30 unit course, a dictionary of holistic education, my doctorate, articles, links & resources and much more. 
Chief among the virtues of the new site are
     a) its interactivity
     b) its searchability,
     c) its ability to reach many more people
     d) its provision for multi-media.  And it looks better (we think)!
   
FEEDBACK
We need your help to make the site successful - so please give us feedback.  Constructive criticism will make the many 1000s of hours spent on the site, and its contents, worthwhile.

PLEASE HELP US BUILD UP THE CONTENT
 
Please contribute to the library of texts - articles, essays, papers, dissertations, theses - or at the very least let us know the URL of valuable material.

FOR TECHNICAL HELP IN USING THE SITE 
Wherever you are on the site, if this home page is insufficient & you need further assistance, go to N) User HOW TOs for more user help - button on the left - to view an alphabetical list of HOW TOs written by the site designer Dan Hall of Stainless Design. 

For technical suggestions, or requests for more 'HOW TOs', please email Dan Hall at salesATstainless-design.co.uk (replace AT with the @ sign) SEE top right in this window.

FOR COMMUNICATION CONCERNING THE CONTENT
 
On the site's content email Roger at rogerprentic'seATbigfoot.com (replace AT with the @ sign). 

IT'S YOUR CHOICE - JUST BROWSE - OR GET MORE INVOLVED
For example in the 'Forum' SEE the very topmost buttons of this website home page.  There are many other places on the site where you can respond as well as read.

HOW DO I SEARCH THE SITE?
Go to the very top right of the page for the search box tab. 

HOW WILL I KNOW WHERE I AM? 
Look at the narrow banner across the middle of the page, just below the main banner - it shows a 'breadcrumbs' trail of where you've come from - and the steps for getting back.

HOW CAN I HELP & PARTICIPATE FURTHER?
Become an FFS - To become an FFS - 'Friend, Faculty or Student' - simply choose a user name and password and register - SEE 'Login' on the left-hand column.

WHAT DO I GET BY LOGGING IN WITH A USER NAME AND PASSWORD THAT I'VE CHOSEN?
You get your own private space via your own USER MENU (Comes up after you register)  When you are logged in you have your own private space - with it you can decide how to use the site in the way that suits you.

HOW CAN I GET BIGGER PRINT FOR READING ARTICLES? 
Any article can be read in full screen, once you have registered, just go to the small PDF box - SEE top right in the window. For PDF windows you need a free reader from Adobe - get yours from here.

HOW CAN I HELP WITH PUBLICITY?
     a) Please tell your friends, students and colleagues about the site
     b) please link with the site and
     c) don't forget to bookmark the site - it is updated virtually every day.

HOW DO I KEEP UP WITH THE NEW STUFF THAT COMES TO THE SITE? via
     a) the blog SEE topmost buttons,
     b) via the RSS feed

WHAT IS YOUR MISSION STATEMENT?
"Through this site we seek to serve those who think that approaching education, & other kinds of professional practice, with a 'holistic or integrative world-view' might be better than the current chaotic fragmentation.  To this end we provide the courses, essays, ideas & information - for students, teachers, lecturers and parents."                                              
Dr Roger Prentice, Developer of the SunWALK model. 

WHO PAYS FOR THE SITE? 
I do - out of my teacher's pension! 

WHY? 
It's my way of returning to a wider audience all the good things that have come my way - and it keeps me off of the streets in my senior years!

WHO WILL GO ON ENSURING THAT THE SERVICE IS AVAILABLE?

I will - with the 'intellectual capital' help of FF&S.  (Friends Faculty & Students of the site -  i.e. YOU !).

MAY I MAKE A DONATION TOWARD EXPENSES? 
Yes please - my solemn promise is that any such resources will only be used to widen the influence of these ideas of holistic & integral living.  Contributions will not be used to pay past expenses which directly or indirectly have been in excess of $250,000 over the last 15 years - self-funded doctorate, conferences etc.  This is where I have chosen to put my 'penny-worth' of effort - it was that or beer-mat collecting! :).

WHAT PLANS ARE THERE FOR THE FUTURE? 
We may make the 30 unit course into an accredited certificate, diploma and MA course.  On the other hand we may keep the course as a free, self-study personal development course.  Or both.  Much will depend on YOU - the users of the site.

WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF INSPIRATION FOR THE SITE? 
Spiritual food, or inspiration, is only valuable if it helps us be more and do more - that is to act in the world with greater truth, beauty, goodness & justice.

Whatever feeds us toward such development is to be applauded. 

Consequently you will find inspiration here from all of the great world religions and philosophies - including Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism -  as well as Humanism, Socialism and Western & Eastern philosophy.

WHAT ARE THE CORE VALUES FOR THE SITE? 
The first core concern is the vision and values and reality around which universality can unite.  The second core concern is to collect, describe and discuss the ways that education can contribute to this vision and values and reality.  All beliefs are to be respected - if they lead to truth, beauty, goodness - and above all justice in action.

ENJOY

Enjoy the site and let us know your suggestions and constructive criticism.  Remember to navigate using the SiteMap.

I'M A NEW USER OF THE SITE - STARTING SOME SERIOUS STUDY -WHERE SHOULD I GO NOW? 
If you are starting a course I suggest you read these:

     The heart and gist of the site in the summaries & FAQs here
     Button B) Starting your studies, then
     The 30 unit course outline
     Button G) The SunWALK model - which is my own answer to the questions I raise in B).
 
For general browsing try the SiteMap (top right):

Or:
    Try going to 'Concept of the Month' - a theme for the ON TOPIC discussion. 
    Try looking at our 'Blog' - all the new stuff since your last visit in one place.
    Try 'Roger's Ruminations' - RPs chewing of the cud + his collection of cool stuff.
    Try the 'SiteMap' - every Section and Category set out - great for navigating   
     around the site.
    Try the Forum - the place for wider discussion - OFF TOPIC - join in or kick off a
     new subject.
 
If you've got this far you might want to return to a sense of the Whole through another visit to the meditation page!

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Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 August 2007 )