A Holistic Approach to Learning and Teaching Interaction: Factors in the Development of Confident Independent Learners

The author independently developed the Holistic Approach to Learning and Teaching Interaction over nine years of reflective teaching practice in the field of information systems and computing across three higher educational institutions. It has been taught on undergraduate and post-graduate degrees and doctoral programmes. Though its roots are in the computing field, the holistic approach can be generalised to other disciplines in higher education. The holistic approach develops students to be critical, confident and independent. It aims to make learning a process of self-improvement that explicitly recognizes the self and the social context of learning and teaching, and recognizing the needs of the individual learner in the interaction. Its premise is that the social context of the interaction is significant. It recognizes that the exchanges that take place within this social action are the foundation for developing critical learners, thus including experiential knowledge of learners and teachers to improve the quality of the teaching situation and levels of achievement of learners. Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory (PCT) is invoked to explain how the holistic approach leads to the development of learners as critical thinkers. This paper describes the approach in the context of PCT and shows how it has been incorporated practically into teaching. The result of practicing the holistic approach has been sustained high levels of student attendance at lectures and seminars, improved progression, and appreciative and satisfied cohorts.