Sustaining the Writing Spirit: Holistic Tools for School and Home

(Paperback, Second Edition)

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Description

Sustaining the Writing Spirit: Holistic Tools for School and Home, second edition is aimed at all educators, at school or home, seeking non-traditional ways to enliven the growth potential of the whole learner. Schiller urges educators to accept a holistic orientation for learning -- one that combines the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual, with the intellect, rather than primarily basing learning on the intellect. Included are details on background, historical development, and philosophical explanations of holistic education, including a timeline of key people and ideas. This new edition also addresses sustainability and spirituality as the core of holistic learning, and the teaching activities provide context and processes for writing that encourage activating multiple intelligences. It also has a cross-disciplinary quality and could be used in a number of educational settings.

Reviews

Susan A. Schillers approach to learning connects holistic forms of teaching with the practices of the contemporary classroom to help students access and utilize their own intuitive ways of knowing. In contrast to imposed methods of education, where teaching functions as a delivery system of information to be absorbed and reproduced uniformly by students, the exercises Dr. Schiller offers here will not only enhance students confidence in their innate powers of observation, imagination, and creativity, but will also allow students to bring their own authentic perspective and voice to their writing. -- Dr. Mary Elizabeth Pope, creative writing professor, Emmanuel College, Boston, Massachusetts; and author of Divining Venus: Stories
Schiller has presented a liberating foundational text and resource for holistic educators who teach writing as if our planet depended on it. Here is significant information for teachers and students seeking to make a vibrant Spirit-filled culture. -- F. Christopher Reynolds, holistic educator, singer, and shaman
Bringing together holistic theory and practice, this book returns us to what is essential and at the heart of education for our students. Susan A. Schiller illustrates the meaning and connection of the mind, body, and spirit; as she provides a deepened discussion of the holistic processes educators can engage in. In a time of standardization, we are reminded how to draw on the creative spirit and imagination, instill awe and wonder into learning, and enable students to connect with their lived experiences. Sustaining the Writing Spirit: Holistic Tools for Home and School transcends disciplinary boundaries and transforms teaching and learning into a caring and empowering experience. -- Marni J. Binder, associate professor, School of Early Childhood Studies, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

Author Bio

Susan A. Schiller, Ph.D., is a professor of English and the Director of the M.A. in Humanities Program at Central Michigan University. She teaches Composition Studies, American Literature, Film Studies, and English Education.