links and resources : education

workshops

Resources to inspire and support educators interested in holistic and integrated education.

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WEBSITES

learning styles

Project Zero
Project Zero was founded at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1967 by philosopher Nelson Goodman to investigate the development of learning processes in

art

New Horizons for Learning: The Arts Studio
A great site that promotes learning through the arts. Great links and convincing articles offering convincing evidence of the value of learning through the arts

science / math

Timeless Wisdom
Timeless Wisdom is the homepage of Michael Sneider, author of"A Beginner's Guide To Constructing The Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes Of Nature, Art and Science" (HarperPerennial 1995). Michael has a terrific way of integrating nature, science, art, mythology and math to help us develop new perceptions of our world. His book is a great resource for both educators and those interested in seeing the sacred concepts which are represented in "philosophical geometry."

Patterns
The Patterns website is a fantastic resource for math and art teachers. It contains the full curriculum for a class taught by two inspired math teachers, Pippa Drew and Dorothy Wallace, at Dartmouth College. Their class integrates math and art in a way that any non-mathmatical student could enjoy.

Native American Sacred Geometry
This site (designed by Chris Hardaker) is especially for 4th-9th graders, their teachers, and their parents to rekindle an interest in math. The site is also designed to counter the threat currently posed to art programs throughout the countr offering evidence that we, as a culture, have been misguided in our belief that science and art are necessarily opposed.

mandala

The 3 Dimensional Mandala of Vajrayogini
A virtual reality project by Miya Shimada which graphically displays the Tibetan Buddhist traditions of the mental construction (meditation) of the mandala.

resources for educational materials

Zephyr Press
A great resource for books and educational materials produced with an understanding of multiple intelligences for an integrated curriculum.

BOOKS (back to TOP)

Schools With Spirit - Linda Lantieri
Fourteen respected educators ask whether schools can nurture the inner life of students without violating the beliefs of families or the separation of church and state.

By Nature's Design - Pat Murphy & William Neill
Beautifully illustrated patterns in nature. Great for use in the classroom to show examples of the mandala pattern and concept.

Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe - Michael Schneider
Highly recommended for teachers of all grades and subjects! A great book to reinspire interest in math. Well-illustrated, interesting and well-written content. Great inspiration for teachers. Check out Michael's website: Timeless Wisdom

What Shape is a Snowflake? - Ian Stewart
Math is not the dry subject you think it is. It is in fact all around us, in the shapes of everyday things and in the patterns of nature. Stewart presents a beautifully illustrated view of the magical nature of the hidden math all around us. Whether studying a spider's web or a zebra's stripes or ocean waves, Stewart displays the math behind nature's patterned beauty.

Frames of Mind - Howard Gardner
Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences has been applied in hundreds of classrooms and school districts since Frames of Mind was first published in 1983. Gardner challenges the widely help notion that intelligence is a single general capacity possessed by every individual to a greater or lesser extent. If you're not already familiar with Gardner's work, it's definitely worth checking into. He is a great advocate of incorporating the arts in education.

VIDEOS (back to TOP)

MANDALA- World of Mystic Circles
Highly recommended !
Explores the mandala in all it's diversity though art, philosophy, nature and science. Observe Tibetan monks from the Dali Lama's personal monastery, constructing the minutely detailed Kalachakra sand mandala. Features interviews with: Robert A.F. Thurman, professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies and chair of the religion department at Columbia University and Judith Cornell, Ph.D., adjunct associate professor of the California Institute of Integral Studies. Order direct by calling toll free: (877) 271-3706.

Exploring the Mandala
During 1989 and 1990 Pema Losang Chogyen worked with staff members and students at Cornell University's Program of Computer Graphics to create a three dimensional model of the Vajrabhairava mandala. The model contains tens of thousands of objects. A six minute animation of the computer model, "Exploring the Mandala," is available from Snow Lion Press.

Mandala: The Sacred Circle of Vajrabhairava
This video was filmed during the construction of the colored sand mandala of the Buddha Vajrabhairava by Tibetan monks of Namgyal Monastery, the Dalai Lama's personal monastery. It explains the deep meaning of the mandala and the secret techniques of tantra, while revealing the artistry of the Namgyal monks as they build the image grain by grain. Snow Lion Press.

CURRICULUM / LESSON PLANS (back to TOP)

Patterns
The Patterns website is a fantastic resource for math and art teachers. It contains the full curriculum for a class taught by two inspired math teachers, Pippa Drew and Dorothy Wallace, at Dartmouth College. Their class integrates math and art in a way that any non-mathmatical student could enjoy.

ART (back to TOP)

New Horizons for Learning: The Arts Studio
A great site that promotes learning through the arts. Great links and convincing articles offering convincing evidence of the value of learning through the arts