Holistic teaching is an approach to education that focuses on the whole student. It incorporates Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and encourages students to learn in their most natural state. A holistic learning environment fosters language development by making every activity a learning opportunity. Whether that’s playing games, going on nature walks and pointing out the scenery, or reading storybooks together.
Increases Self-Discipline and Self-Awareness
When teaching a foreign language, the holistic approach uses different methods to ensure students understand the subject naturally. It is based on the idea that learning a language can be done in many ways, and it takes into account the student’s physical, emotional, spiritual, and cognitive traits to help them relate to the material and adopt it in their lives. Using holistic learning materials in the classroom helps to address longstanding inequities in education, as it offers a solution to traditional teaching methods that may not reach all learners. This method teaches students self-discipline and self-awareness, which are essential to lifelong learning and success. This includes appropriately labeling emotions and recognizing their strengths, weaknesses, and cultural identities. This knowledge allows them to behave appropriately in specific settings and helps them connect with others and make sense of their own experiences.
Boosts Self-Awareness and Self-Confidence
Educators using holistic language learning materials encourage students to explore their unique abilities and express themselves. In addition, they create a supportive environment in which students can make mistakes and learn from their failures. This type of teaching can also help students develop a strong sense of self-awareness, which may boost their academic achievements. Unlike conventional education systems, which use linear thinking and linguistic criteria to teach language, holistic teachers present language as an entire narrative that can be understood through different perspectives. These methods help students prepare for real-life situations in which they must communicate in a foreign language.
In addition, Holistic Education uses curricula that reflect marginalized communities’ language, history, and culture. As a result, young learners see themselves reflected in the educational material and are encouraged to feel proud of their heritage. This affirming learning experience can also increase their self-esteem and empathy for others. As a result, children are more likely to thrive in an emotionally and physically safe school environment.
Increases Confidence in Communication
Unlike traditional education methods, holistic learning is more inclusive and provides more opportunities for students left behind by the school system. It allows early learners to stay on track academically through yearly report cards and other progress indicators, which is especially important for minority students, low-income families, Indigenous students, and those with learning and thinking differences. For example, when students are involved in speaking circles and collaborative communication tasks, teachers can encourage them to give positive feedback to each other. This is a great way to help students develop positive self-talk, focusing on their strengths instead of their mistakes. Encourage all students to verbalize their actions, play language games, and go on nature walks. This will enrich their vocabulary and help them to become more confident in communicating with others. Then, they can move on to more advanced activities like storytelling and video conferences. They can also use their new skills to participate in community projects.
Increases Motivation
Holistic language learning is a teaching method that first emphasizes the whole. While traditional language learning methods often separate listening, speaking, reading, and writing into individual parts, this approach views them as inseparable. The holistic curriculum encourages students to explore the multiple aspects of a subject through audio-visual materials and DIY projects, for example. This helps them better understand the subject and learn to use reasoning skills. For instance, students might create a physical solar system model to help them connect with the theory they’re learning in class. It also encourages students to reflect on their emotions. They might journal their feelings and find innovative ways to express them, for example, by using rage to write poetry or happiness to create art. This helps them build self-confidence and makes them more likely to feel motivated to succeed. This is particularly important for young learners, as they can face identity conflicts that detract from their linguistic performance.
