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

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Rathezel, N., & Uzzell, D. (2009). Transformative environmental education: A collective rehearsal for reality. Environmental Education Research,15(3), 263-277. Martusewicz, R. (2005). Eros in the commons: Education for eco-ethical consciousness in a poetics of place. Ethics, Place & Environment, 8(3), 331-348. Kellert, S. R. (2002). Experiencing Nature: Affective, cognitive, and evaluative development in children. In Peter H. Kahn, Jr., and Stephen R. Kellert (Eds.), Children and nature: Psychological, sociocultural an evolutionary investigations. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Riley-Taylor, E. (2003). Relational knowing: An ecological perspective on curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, 19(3), 39-49. Production Monitoring (OEE, etc.) – Monitor production processes in real-time, optimizing efficiency and minimizing disruptions.

Ecology is a multi-disciplinary study that includes all branches of science: biology, geology, chemistry, meteorology, hydrology, forestry, agriculture, soil science, etc. The interaction of people with ecology adds subjects such as psychology, anthropology, philosophy, economics, politics, etc. Blending it all together is a daunting task especially in the environment of specialization that permeates academia. A holistic framework from the personal perspective of head, heart and hands is a starting point to model changes in the approach to ecological sustainability and educational reform that offers meaning and purpose to the learner. Sustainability requires localizing by learning about the places in which we live. Because we are so far removed from life-sustaining systems, we give them little thought. If people were, not just aware, but experienced in their local bioregion, they could directly learn how ecosystems support life (Pyle, 2008). Caring attitudes expand values and the willingness to make lifestyle changes that contribute to sustainable communities. Love of place underlies the motivation to change behaviors. Local environments can serve as a resource or laboratory to investigate water issues, food production, energy, nutrient cycles, and waste flows, which will lead to eco-literate citizens who reflect upon their impact on their environment and value the reduction of their ecological footprint (Orr, 1992; Theobald, 2000).

Semken, S., & Butler Freeman, C. (2008). Sense of place in the practice and assessment of place-based science teaching. Science Education, 92(6), 1042-1057.

Head, Heart, Hands’ (initially developed by Andrew Frapwell, further developed by the PE teaching community) Merriam, S. B. (2004). The role of cognitive development in Mezirow’s transformative learning theory. Adult Learning Quaterly, 55, 60-68. Many organizations miss one of the elements of the Head, Heart and Hands Model when instituting a change management or transformational change program, which can cause problems with change adoption. When this occurs, one of three scenarios can occur:

The 3 Hs approach to education

Kevin Puge and his colleagues have published a series of inquiries on transformative experience in high school science students (Puge, 2002; Puge & Bergin, 2005; Puge & Girod, 2007; Puge, Linnenbrink-Garcia, Koskey, Stewart, & Manzey, 2010). Puge’s (2002) operational definition of transformative experience includes an expansion of perception, experiential value or interest and motivated use which is an active use of concepts learned during school in students’ personal lives. The idea of application of things learned in school to life outside of school relates to Puge’s definition of transformational learning (Puge & Girod, 2007). This construct of transformative experience is based on Dewey’s pragmatic aesthetics and application of learning to the everyday life and experience of the learner (Puge & Girod, 2007). Puge and Girod (2007) propose that science has the same potential as art to enrich and vitalize everyday experience and provide aesthetic satisfaction that could lead to transformation of our everyday experience. Unfortunately Puge’s work did not find large numbers of students having transformational learning experience in traditional science classrooms. A more engaging context such as a natural setting might be more effective in generating transformational experiences. O’Sullivan, E. (2008). Finding our way in the great work. Journal of Transformative Education,6, 27-32. Project Prioritization Matrix – Prioritize projects based on critical factors, aligning efforts with strategic goals and resource availability. 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. We were introduced to the ‘Head, Heart, Hands’ model by the Trinity PE Department and know that Bridgemary School has also successfully adopted this model. It has been working extremely well with their pupils, and they are very happy for it to be shared.

Mayer, F. S., & Frantz, C. M. (2004). The connectedness to nature scale: A measure of individuals’ feeling in community with nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology 24, 503-515. Head, Heart, Hands’ works in a slightly broader way than ‘Me in PE’ in that there are only three strands. Each of these strands has six sub-strands under each heading. Sukarsono Sukarsono on Strengthening Water Cycle Literacy among Senior High School Students in East Java Province, Indonesia through the Application of the Conservation-Based Learning Model Sheard, M., & Golby, J. (2006). The efficacy of an outdoor adventure education curriculum on selected aspects of positive psychological development. J ournal of Experiential Education, 29(2), 187-209. Taylor, E. W. (2007). An update of transformational learning theory: A critical review of the empirical research (1999-2009). International Journal of Lifelong Education, 26(2), 173-191.

Big changes in schools

Pugh, K. J., & Girod, M. (2007). Science, art, and experience: Constructing a science pedagogy from Dewey’s aesthetics. Journal of Science Teacher Education,18(9), 9-27. Learning for children is not solely developmental in nature. There are transformational qualities involved in the maturation process that can be fostered and enhanced to make successful life transitions. Adult education is most often voluntary and tends to be authentic, more problem or project-based which gives the learning meaning and purpose. Children also need a spark of authenticity; for this engagement will lead to greater depth and meaning. The same factors that motivate adult learner engagement also motivate younger learners. Meaningful education focuses on transforming individuals regardless of age (Bracey, 2007). So it appears that transformational learning is a human process, not just an adult learning process. Looking toward the future of building just and sustainable societies, we need to include the next generation. The example below is taken from Tom’s Physical Me strand, showing how the criteria can be applied to more than one activity. The example below looks at one of the five strands in the model. Pugh, K. J. (2002). Teaching for transformative experience in science: An investigation of the effectiveness of two instructional elements. Teachers College Record, 104(6), 1101-1137.