9th International SEAL Conference
The King's School Canterbury, Kent, UK
29 March - 1/2 April 2001
'Opening Minds'
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9th International SEAL Conference The King's School Canterbury, Kent, UK 29 March - 1/2 April 2001 'Opening Minds' |
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The aim of this conference
... is to provide a coherent framework for the integrated, organic, holistic approach to teaching and learning which SEAL has been advocating for the past 18 years.
Science, medicine and ecology are all coming to recognise a new explanation of the universe, based on integration, connectedness, holism. In physics, the quantum paradigm transcends the old (Newtonian) view of space-time-matter. New medical approaches question the usefulness of external remedies, looking instead for more elegant solutions which activate the organism to regulate its own imbalance.
There are parallels in education. The science of pre-conscious processing offers us an organic view of human intelligence to complement the linear, logical thinking style favoured by cognitive neuro-science. Cognitive exercise, in other words, must be balanced by activities such as introspection and fantasy, emotional and artistic expression, physical exercise and contact with nature.
In recognising different learning styles and different intelligences, especially emotional and spiritual intelligences, we give due value to the whole brain — the whole person. We also enhance self esteem.
Learning occurs through many different channels. The substrate of information below the level of conscious awareness plays an infinitely greater role than previously realised. In both science and education, the viewpoint is shifting from what seems to be happening on the surface to what is happening below the surface.
