What is Holistic Education?
According to Education Corner, holistic education emphasizes on the overall growth of a learner instead of only specific parts of the human experience. It deemphasises materialism while promoting growth in all areas of the human experience: intellectual, emotional, social, and so forth. This approach promotes balanced relationships between not only people, but between people and their environment. Taken all together, holistic education emphasizes democratic learning, emotional health, and relationship growth, to a far greater degree than the traditional learning environment.
However, according to Aminuddin, Asmawati, Norhasni, Habsah and Haziyah (2010), holistic approach to education is heavily linked to Islam, nature’s phenomena and self-development. Education based on Islam has the significant contribution towards human’s life. This has been proved through the divine revelation to Holy Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. regarding the command to know Allah S.W.T, to discover the nature’s phenomena, as well as to recognize self development including the aspects of aqidah, knowledge and practice. These principles has become the core of Islamic Philosophy of Education and are entirely focused as it highlights the contribution of knowledge, belief, and practice within human’s life.
Origin of Holistic Education?
How did this philosophy come about in the first place? According to Education Corner, it is a relatively new movement established in the 1980s to counteract the existing US learning structure that was perceived as mechanistic. However, this philosophy has roots in ancient concepts of instruction, including those of Greek and native indigenous cultures, and has increased in prevalence over the past century. Several different approaches based on whole-person education gained steam in the 20th century, including Maria Montessori’s self-motivated growth philosophy and Rudolf Steiner and Emil Molt’s Waldorf experiential learning technique.
In a research conducted by Aminuddin, Asmawati, Norhasni, Habsah and Haziyah (2010) on the role of Islamic Philosophy of education in aspiring holistic learning, this concept is actually not new! According to the researchers, Islamic education ‘has the power to re-animate a truly holistic conception of education which encompasses not only the higher intellectual faculties, but also the realization that human excellence is inseparable from beauty and virtue and should never be limited to an individualistic concept of personal achievement, mastery and success. This is a vision of tawhid, in which cognitive, moral and spiritual functions are all intertwined and interdependent, and necessarily actualised in right action’ (p. 2114).
At the end of the day, Islamic philosophy is the epitome of a holistic approach to education. It takes into account all aspects of human development, without disregarding worldly affairs as well as intellectual faculty.
Itqan emphasises on the importance of a holistic approach to education, by striving towards providing the best and up-to-date STEM-focused curriculum, as well as instilling Prophetic values to be imbued in the hearts and minds of our students.
If you are interested in enrolling your children in Itqan, do contact us via email at enquiries@itqanschools.com !
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