Head Hand Heart: The Struggle for Dignity and Status in the 21st Century

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Utterly compelling ... one of the most important intellectuals in the country, if not Europe' Sunday Times Fundamentally, we all know that whatever model is chosen and whatever route you go down, there is an element of forcing round pegs into square holes. So let's park that, and focus on the solutions rather than what’s wrong with education. O’Sullivan, E. (2008). Finding our way in the great work. Journal of Transformative Education,6, 27-32. Holistic development uses PE and Physical Activity to teach soft skills. Examples include focusing on leadership and/or communication, teamwork, etc... and then assessing those strands. This is a more inclusive approach. It has been deemed “less elitist” and may encourage PE refusers, or those less engaged with PE, to be more engaged. A holistic curriculum also seeks to show both pupils and parents the benefit of sports, participation, and exercise – whereas in more traditional models the softer outcomes weren’t so obvious, and therefore undervalued. We have seen a number of schools document and evidence greater participation and engagement in PE with this model, but we have also had questions about the higher ability pupils that seek greater levels of challenge in lessons.

Cajete, G. (1999). The making of an indigenous teacher: Insights into the ecology of teaching. In J. Kane (Ed.), Education, Information, and Transformation Essays on Learning and Thinking. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.Braund, M., & Reiss, M. (2006). Towards a more authentic science curriculum: The contribution of out-of-school learning. International Journal of Science Education, 28(12), 1327-1388. The Head, Heart and Hands approach facilitates social, emotional, and cognitive development at every age and stage of learning. Students have a broad range of opportunities to develop their physical fitness and ability, but they are also required to routinely demonstrate their core values in action – physical strength is equal to character strength! They are expected to support one another with respect, integrity and compassion. They are required to coach and lead each other, to make independent or collaborative decisions, to analyse movement in detail, and to assess not only HOW someone performs but WHY they perform in that way. Students are expected to develop a deep sense of self and personal awareness, which recognises the strengths and weaknesses of performance, and considers the steps required to make further progress. How do we do it? KPI/Objectives Manager (Obeya) – Visualize key performance indicators and objectives for strategic alignment and informed decision-making.

Human Factors Engineering – Enhance product and process design by incorporating human factors to optimize usability, safety, and efficiency. Lange, E. A. (2004). Transformative and restorative learning: A vital dialectic for sustainable societies. Adult Education Quarterly, 54(2), 121-139.

The 3 Hs approach to education

Sipos, Y., Battisti, B., & Grimm, K. (2008). Achieving transformative sustainability learning: Engaging head, hands and heart. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 9, 68-86.