Importance Of Holistic Learning For Self-Development

Author : Shreya Mukherjee

“Holistic education is a philosophy of education based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to spiritual values such as compassion and peace.”
— Ron Miller- Pioneer in Holistic Education

Ideally, every educational institution should strive for the holistic development of its students. However only, a few can achieve this goal. Holistic education endeavours to not only academically train its students but their cognitive and physiological development as well.

In order to achieve well-rounded growth, equal importance should be given to academics, physical fitness and mental well-being. The child must be free to explore all interests to become versatile. Bodily-kinaesthetic, emotional, musical, linguistic, logical intelligence, etcan encouraging and competitive atmosphere allows the various fields of intelligence in an individual to take fruit.

The nurturing of soft skills such as critical and logical thinking, good communication, creativity, empathy and social adeptness, will benefit the child in the long run. The child must be equipped with all the qualities required to function efficiently in the modern century such as problem-solving and decision-making skills, the ability to multitask and handle pressure in moderation and take initiative whenever necessary. Students must be given the opportunity from time to time to apply their knowledge and learning in practical situations or workshops, for them to have realistic goals.

Physical education should be a must as a means of fitness and a way of handling stress, be it yoga or sports of one’s choice. If the body falls behind, so will the mind.

Ethics and moral values must be inculcated in every individual, like compassion, empathy, kindness and altruism- qualities that add to becoming a valuable member of society.

By the time the child graduates from school, they should have a set of skills, both cognitive and physical, that allow them to manoeuvre competently in whichever environment they are in. At the cost of holistic education, focusing only on academic excellence is counterproductive.