Educating For Wholeness with David Marshak

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What if the American educational system were based on what we know about human growth and development? How would schools be structured? What curriculum would be taught? How would teachers and students interact? How would we measure success? The answers to these questions serve as the focus of this illuminating dialogue. Marshak believes most schools have an unstated belief that only a small number of children are intelligent. "If instead," he asserts, "we believed that every child is a gifted child in one way or another, we would organize schools very differently." Citing numerous examples of existing schools, he shows how these schools open the door to educate the whole child and in so doing help young people learn to think ecologically, to think in terms of systems, to engage in complex problem solving, and to bring head and heart and spirit together in their lives. In the process children develop an enormous repertoire of skills. In schools like these no child is truly left behind. (hosted by Justine Willlis Toms)  Part of the Reimagine Growing Up Series

Bio

David Marchak teaches in the School of Education at Seattle University. He received his doctorate in education from Harvard University and has taught young people and adults in many different settings.

He is the author of:

• The Common Vision: Parenting and Educating for Wholeness (Peter Lang Publishing, 1997)

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• Why the underlying structure of our schools is important
• What happens when you allow children's natural rate of learning to unfold
• Why it is important to encourage adolescents to embrace their passions
• What are the problems with the testing and standards movement
• What is the best way to best prepare young people to be successful adults
• How school systems can be developed that educate the whole child
• Why multi-year relationships with teachers is critical to students