Whole Curriculum And Research

At the end of 1980s, holistic curriculum arose in North American as a new thought wave of humanistic curriculum. It regards "whole person" as its foundation and inner frame and describes an ideal picture of curriculum. In this dissertation, the author expatiates the situation and findings of western study on holistic curriculum systematically, and then unveils its breakthrough and transcendence to traditional curriculum theory and clarifies its limits which indicate the direction to perfect the theory. At last, the author find the starting point of later research through probing the eastern holistic cosmologies and their enlightenment to the curriculum theory.This dissertation includes seven parts. The first part is introduction, in which the author explains the research context and significance as well as methods and frame of the study simply.The first chapter discusses the arising of holistic curriculum. Paradigm revolution in science and the crisis in the field of curriculum promoted the arising of holistic curriculum. After more than ten years development, the holistic curriculum is undergoing the period of theoretical formation now. It defines itself by the concepts such as connection, transformation and spirituality. It has been forming a vivid academic characteristics gradually.The second chapter explores the history of holistic curriculum. The holistic idea has been pursued in the whole history of education. In western educational history, Socrates and Plato, Rousseau and Dewey are considered the representative figures in the field of holistic curriculum. This chapter discusses and evaluates the holistic curriculum thoughts in a historical point of view.The third chapter deals with the theoretical foundation of holistic curriculum. The author expounds the thought of the philosophy, psychology and sociology thought which is related to holistic curriculum. These thoughts consist of perennial philosophy, Whitehead's philosophy of organism, transpersonal psychology, spiritual quotient theory, deep ecology, feminist thought and indigenous worldviews.The forth chapter explains the specific ideas of holistic curriculum. Firstly, theauthor depicts the image of whole child and suggests to cultivate whole child by three movements: creating, healing and transcending. Secondly, it confirms the role of the Art in the system of school curriculum and the mode of its reform. Thirdly, it sums up the contents related to holistic study. The characteristics and educating approaches of the holistic teachers are also discussed in this chapter.The fifth chapter is about the evaluation of holistic curriculum research. The breakthrough of holistic curriculum research is as follows: opposing utilitarianism and turning to pursue the meaning of curriculum; opposing separation and insisting on connecting characteristic of curriculum; opposing mechanism and endowing curriculum with creativity; opposing rationalism and resuming transcendent character of curriculum. The limits in holistic curriculum research are the following: usually speaking in general terms, so lacks whole sense of existence; defining itself by "-ism" way, faces the danger of getting into isolation; implying too many ideal opinions, so has messianic character; lacking deep communication with other curriculum theories and so lacks of efficient dynamics of developing.In the epilogue, the author expatiates the holistic cosmology of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism and their enlightenments to the curriculum theory. The author takes it as a starting point of later research.