Teaching the Whole Student

"Not only do the authors make clear that teaching the whole student is an important strategy for increasing retention and graduation rates, with increased individual commitment and connections of learning to life; but they also explain that this approach is good for the community, by increasing the number of problem-solvers and critical thinkers prepared to face and heal society’s ills. This type of teaching opens up the world of service, where graduates can use their knowledge along with their hearts, minds, and spirits to make the world a better place.

I very much enjoyed this book, an excellent compilation of thoughtful, detailed, meaningful experiences of faculty who are teaching the whole student. Their stories are inspiring to those of us who are willing to consider engaging each student’s heart, mind, and spirit. With both the theoretical underpinnings and the practical stories and examples, others will be inspired and challenged to create similar meaningful learning experiences within their own classrooms and communities."

Teachers College Record

“Ultimately the strength of this book can be found in the questions that it poses more than in the answers it suggests. Each essay concludes with a set of reflection questions prompted by the content of the essay, and a patient, thoughtful reader could work her way through this book and be richly rewarded.”

Reflective Teaching

“For nearly a decade, higher education has been abuzz with the educational power of 'high impact practices' – a family of interactive, hands-on pedagogies through which students and faculty work together on complex, important questions. Teaching the Whole Student reaches through the hype to explore, in rich, evidence-supported detail, how these engaged pedagogies kindle students’ own sense of purpose and build commitment to help create a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.”

Carol Geary Schneider, Fellow, Lumina Foundation and President Emerita

Association of American Colleges and Universities

“Comprised of one-part call to action and two parts inspiration, Teaching the Whole Student offers encouragement and practical instructional strategies to college educators who care deeply about teaching and helping students discover meaning and purpose. By thoughtfully combining academic content with students’ heart, mind and spirit, each essay author reveals their unique approaches to innovative teaching, stretching the boundaries of learning, and strengthening our diverse democracy.”

Jillian Kinzie, Associate Director, Center for Postsecondary Research

Indiana University

"Exploring and justifying our attention as educators to the multiple connections of the pedagogies of engaged learning to the valuing of the wholeness of our students' lives and experiences provides the compelling case for why making those connections should be at the center of higher education – one of its core and essential purposes. Teaching the Whole Student succeeds in helping us do just that."

Don Harward, Director

Bringing Theory to Practice

“In an era where administrative strategies to increase student retention tend to miss the mark, this elegant anthology of thoughtful essays by experienced college and university faculty helps bring attention back to the essentials of genuine, effective teaching and learning.”

John R. Thelin, Professor

University of Kentucky