People generally learn best when information is presented to them in a culturally and socially relevant context or framework. This issue is addressed by the Science of Alcohol Curriculum for American Indians through the use of the Medicine Circle, a model that represents the concepts of wholeness, interconnectedness, and balance in a manner…

The basic understandings that could be used to develop a foundation for holistic literacy are discussed. One way to establish this foundation for primary students is by developing understandings of science process skills using the elements and vocabulary of visual literacy. By providing opportunities to integrate oral and visual skills and…

This book offers guidance to elementary school teachers in Australia on establishing an integrated learning environment in which students are encouraged to confront and consider important ideas and decide the most effective ways of communicating these ideas to others. An approach is presented that seeks to maintain a balance between structured…

Findings of a study that examined the role of the governing body in the independent school's self-renewing processes are presented in this paper. From the holistic paradigm, the school is viewed as a self-renewing system that is able to maintain its identity despite environmental changes through existing structures that define and create…

In response to the search for ways to create forms of schooling that are more holistic and natural, and more integrated and interwoven, this collection of articles pulls together elements of the multifaceted concept of curriculum integration. Divided into six sections, the chapters explore the reasons and rationale for moving toward more holistic…

Intended for teachers, the articles in this book examine some of the uncertainties and problems that practicing teachers encountered when moving from a traditional to a holistic perspective in their teaching. The book shares the questions, the conflicts the teachers have undergone, and the change in beliefs that are part of becoming a…

A study described the 1989-90 Chapter 1 Developer/Demonstration Program, Learning to Read through the Arts (LTRTA), and evaluated the effectiveness of its implementation. The program offers intensive reading and reading-oriented arts instruction to Chapter 1-eligible students. Of the 797 students served by the program, 98 were ungraded special…

There is increasing interest in integrated studies or the integrated curriculum at all levels of schooling. Integrated approaches reveal wide differences in interpretation of what integration actually means and how it can be accomplished within the school setting. Chapter 1 discusses the various meanings of integration and some approaches taken to…

Designed to begin a feminist "unthinking" and rethinking of educational technology, this paper begins by examining some definitions of what that technology essentially is. Three characteristics of a feminist approach to science that can inform a rethinking of educational technology are then identified: (1) the theorizing of gender as a…

This manual on dance education focuses on relating dance to the entire curriculum and bringing creative energy to learning. Dance activities can be used in the: (1) perceptual/motor domain to facilitate the acquisition of learning readiness skills; (2) cognitive domain to clarify and amplify subject area concepts through physical experience; and…

Application of the new naturalism, a synthesis of the natural and social sciences based on the concept of the living system as a self-renewing and self-organizing structure, to educational administration, is the topic of this paper. The new naturalism promises not only a synthesis of the natural and social sciences, but also one of contemporary…

The necessity of design and planning for school restructuring with a macro focus on education systems design is discussed in this paper. Eight support and implementation strategies are identified: utilization of a formal change process; planned coordination; multiple sponsorship; formation of a grassroots collaboration network; external and…

An examination of the value of using more sophisticated computer programs in the language arts program led to the design and development of "Thinking Networks," which provide the teacher with a new tool for teaching through nonverbal representation. Using microcomputers to improve reading and writing instruction can incorporate the…

The Comprehensive School Improvement Program (CSIP), a holistic school improvement plan currently operating in selected New York City schools, is explained in this guide. The handbook is divided into three sections. Section 1 discusses the goals of the CSIP, which are to enable the principal to become a more effective instructional leader of the…

This paper outlines a holistic approach to the introduction of multicultural teacher education in an institution centrally committed to combating prejudice in its policies, procedures, and practices. The components of a holistic approach are described as: (1) discourse with the community; (2) the preparation of a policy statement; (3) recruitment…