2017 Presenters
 
Featured Leaders
 
HTLC Jack Miller Resized 
Dr. Jack Miller
  University of Toronto

John (Jack) Miller has been working in the field of holistic education for over 35 years.  He is author/editor of 17 books on holistic learning and contemplative practices in education which include Education and the Soul, The Holistic Curriculum, Transcendental Learning: The Educational Legacy of Alcott, Emerson, Fuller, Peabody and Thoreau, a revised edition of The Contemplative Practitioner, and most recently, The Thinking Heart. His writing has been translated into eight languages. The Holistic Curriculum has provided the framework for the curriculum at the Whole Child School, now named Equinox school, in Toronto where Jack has served on the Advisory Board. Jack teaches courses on holistic education and spirituality education for graduate students and students in the Initial Teacher Education Program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto where he is Professor.

 
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Dr. Prapapat Niyom
Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts

 Associate Professor Prapapat Niyom is the founder of the Roong Aroon School and President of Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts and Development in Bangkok, Thailand. The schools are based on holistic education and rooted in Buddhist principles. Both exemplify Dr. Niyom's application of Life is Learning or Learning is Life, interpreted from Buddha Dharma, Somdej Phra Buddhagosajarn, P.A. Payutto. Dr. Niyom has spent 20 years of direct practices in both Roong Aroon School and Arsom Silp Institute, which offer all levels of education ranging from kindergarten to university. Wide-ranging dimensions of holistic learning are integrated and practiced, from the inner self-actualization to the proper inter-relationship with the others and the world. Having designed a natural learning environment, Dr. Niyom encourages different methodologies and innovative patterns of learning to be applied in the school/college platforms that focus on and affect the human core values. The value-oriented curricula are designed to increase learning spaces by featuring project-based learning in real life situations and work-based professional learning. Importantly, the learning culture is also nurtured through community practices such as mindfulness meditation, contemplative arts, zero-waste management, natural environmental care and conservation, communal food preparation and voluntary social services. The "Heart-Hand-Head" spirit of learning through these platforms provides opportunities for students to realize their utmost capacities and potential and to reach their highest academic and personal achievements. These learning communities, together with their broader learning networks, have been proudly generating active and socially engaged citizens that include high school students, architects for community and environmental development, professional teachers in holistic education, and social entrepreneurs for the sake of sustainability of mankind and the earth. 

 

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Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows), aka Dr. Donald Trent Jacobs
Fielding Graduate University

Born in Missouri in 1946 of Irish and Cherokee heritage, Four Arrows is a professor in the College of Educational Leadership at Fielding Graduate University. After a stint as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, a variety of adventures brought him to live or work closely among the Raramuri, Kunkaak, Navajo and Lakota. Made a relative and named by the Oglala after fulfilling his Sun Dance vows while serving as Dean of Education at Oglala Lakota College, he continues on the Oglala spiritual path as a pipe carrier and served four “tours of duty” at Standing Rock. With doctoral degrees in Health Psychology and in Curriculum and Instruction (with a cognate in Indigenous worldview), he has authored twenty books and numerous invited chapters and articles. While a tenured professor at Northern Arizona University, he co-founded a Veterans for Peace chapter. In 2004 he was awarded the Martin Springer Institute Award for Moral Courage and in 2010 AERO named him as one of “27 visionaries in education” for their text Turning Points. Among his hobbies he plays handball and stand-up paddle board surfs. He was first alternate for the U.S. Equestrian Endurance team for the 1996 Olympics and has participated in the International Old Time Piano Playing Contest have won the duet division at the University of Mississippi in 2016. He lives with his artist wife in a small village in Mexico.  He is a popular presenter and radio guest and can be reached at djacobs@fielding.edu.
Websites:  https://www.fourarrowsbooks.com    https://www.teachingvirtues.net

 
HTLC Fred Korthagen Resized 
Prof. Dr. Fred Korthagen
Utrecht University

 Fred Korthagen is a professor emeritus of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. His academic fields are the professional development of teachers and teacher educators, the pedagogy of teacher education, and more particularly, reflection and coaching. He has published numerous articles and books, and given keynotes on conferences and workshops all over the world. His work on core reflection has influenced many working with holistic education. Fred Korthagen has received awards for his publications from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE). In 2015, he became Fellow of AERA, as an acknowledgement for the quality and impact of his work. 

 

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David West
Southern Oregon University

David West is a member citizen of the Potawatomi Nation. He is recently retired from 21 years as Director of Native American Studies at SOU. With a Master's Degree in Community Psychology from the University of Alaska, he has also taught at Rogue Community College and been a leader in facilitating Native community events, traditional ceremonies, and educational visits to schools. He is also a veteran of the US Air Force. He has been the recipient of awards from the Oregon Indian Education Association for Indian Educator of the Year. His focus is on revitalization of Native American ecological practices to promote the welfare of Mother earth and all our relations.

 

Session Leaders (Bios. Received to Date)