Mapping Holistic Learning

“This book has at its core art and aesthetics. It is beautifully written prose about the use of aesthetigrams, and other arts-based and creative approaches, with both under and post-graduate students. The method and way of thinking with aesthetigrams allows students and researchers to visually map their individual interactions with art, aesthetics and philosophy. A theoretical, strong text, the book provides accessible and practical implications for the use of aesthetigrams across a range of contexts. Boyd, for example, shares his experiences teaching in higher education whereby students, who come from a range of personal, social and cultural backgrounds, are encouraged to utilise their own capabilities to perceive art and aesthetic experience. Through the use of aesthetigrams students reflect, ponder and ‘feel/smell/taste’ art. Later in the text, another example with a focus on poetry shows the powerful results of such reflective and reflexive approaches. Lemieux applies the method in a secondary school classroom context in relation to literature. Students are requested to respond to a literary play through ekphrastic writing as well as aesthetigrams. Students show deeper understandings of artistic works as a result of the methods outlined in this text. I would recommend other educators who work in similar areas to embrace this book. While the ultimate goal is for students to appreciate and critique art, what happens in reality is their own personal transformations in ‘living,’ ‘engaging,’ ‘being in flow’ and ‘becoming wide-awake.’” —Georgina Barton, Associate Professor of Literacies and Pedagogy, University of Southern Queensland
"In this book readers can find some important clues and insights regarding ways to capture, share, and discuss the emotional and aesthetic reactions of young readers to texts of all types: written, visual, and auditory. Based on a solid grounding of phenomenological theory, the authors provide lots of examples and illustrations of ways to tackle one of the most persistent issues of teaching and learning. My favourite participant quote is from the second grade student who described the way his body feels like a volcano during philosophical enquiry! This is a feeling that we can relate to, and seek out in our classrooms. An original and highly recommended text."—Ralf St. Clair, Dean of Education at Victoria University
“This book fills a great need that has existed since our world of reading and writing became so multimodal. Boyd White and Amélie Lemieux provide an entrée into the world of aesthetics for any teacher who is interested in adding to their students’ responsive palettes. The technique of using ‘aesthetigrams,’ as described by White and Lemieux, will enable teachers and students to share a common vocabulary for articulating what is often difficult to articulate.” —William Kist, Professor, Kent State University, Author, New Literacies in Action and Getting Started with Blended Learning