Mind-body Holism, Paradigm Shifts, and Education

In this essay, I examine claims made for the significance of mind-body holism. I look for thepromised earthquake-like impact of holism on sport pedagogy by reviewing concepts of special education,curriculum development, and assessment. By relying on holistic insights generated by Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Polanyi, Sheets-Johnstone and others, I attempt to show how traditional pedagogies are turned, as itwere, upside down by holism. I discuss play handicaps, the reciprocal process of growing players andplaygrounds, and the need for ambiguous, meaning-inclusive play assessments. I conclude by underliningpedagogical ironies generated by an earthquake of holism that many have never experienced.