NEWS
OCT NEWS - New site published - please give us constructive feedback. Does the site provide
what you need? Let us know and we will respond!
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Welcome to 'Becoming a Better Teacher' - our new global community website for
teachers, parents & students 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.
Go here if you want a short 'time-out' - 'meditation page'
But here below is where the concepts start - even if they are only, as Abraham Joshua Heschel said, delicious snacks and not the 'real thing' of 'awe and amazement'!
We hope you will enjoy either 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, dissertations & theses - & humour as well.
I personally came to the conclusion that 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 stimulas to work out your own ideas. Much editing is needed - especially
in the 'Dictionary'. When completed a loud cheer will be sounded!
All good wishes,
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 (the photographer)
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 are going out __________________________________________________________________________________________
Next are FAQs and answers to basic questions about this site and how it can benefit you.
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 is about how I answered those questions in my SunWALK model of (holistic) education. 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? (see SIteMap) 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.
TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO LEARN THE SITE'S SYSTEM - the possibilities, and the content, are vast. As we move content over to this site you might want to go on using the preceding www.sunwalk.org.uk site and the even older site www.holisticeducation.org.uk Go to N) User HOW TOs for more user help.
WHAT'S ON THESE 3 SITES? 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, dissertaions, theses - or at the very least let us know the URL of valuable material.
FOR TECHNICAL HELP IN USING THE SITE - whereever 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 this site or on www.sunwalk.org.uk or www.holisticeducation.org.uk email Roger at rogerprenticeATbigfoot.com (replace AT with the @ sign).
IT'S YOUR CHOICE - JUST BROWSE - OR GET MORE INVOLVED e.g. 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.
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 'breadcomes' 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 LOGING 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 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 YOU MISSION STATEMENT?
"We seek to serve those who think that approaching education, & other kinds of professional practice, with a 'holistic, or integrative worldview' might be better than the current chaotic fragmentation. To this end we provide the courses, essays, ideas & information on this site - for students, 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, Taoism - as well as Humanism, Socialism and Western & Eastern philosophy.
WHAT ARE THE CORE VALUES FOR THE SITE? The need to find the reality around which university can unite - and the ways that education can contribute to this goal. All beliefs are to be respected - if they lead to truth, beauty, goodness - and above all justice.
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 WHERE SHOULD I GO NOW? If you are starting a course I suggest you read the sub-sections of
B) Starting your studies, then P) SunWALK FAQs and
G) The SunWALK model - which is my own answer to the questions I raise in B). Remember the bulk of the content is being moved from these two places www.sunwalk.org.uk or www.holisticeducation.org.uk to this site - over the coming weeks and months. The SunWALK site is most recent, the other site, though several years older, still contains much of value. But interesting content is being introduced on a daily basis.
For general browsing try:
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.
By now perhaps you want to return to a sense of the Whole through the meditation page!
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