Relationship of the Whole to the Parts in a Conceptual Framework
In the previous blog post, I shared with you the conceptual framework that informs our work in the Southwestern Union. The consideration of the whole is a critical first step for any organization as they plan for the future. In constructing the whole for educational programming in particular, it isimportant to identify the key components that impact teaching and learning. This is what we have attempted to do in The Journey to Excellence Framework.
I first became aware of the significance of this step in graduate school, where I was encouraged by one of my professors to explore the concept of holism in an independent study. My fascination with the topic lingered beyond the course, with holism eventually becoming the focus of my dissertation. The study was philosophical in nature, and since this was a first for the UNT Graduate School of Education, my committee allowed me much flexibility in the organization and content of the dissertation.
I ended up exploring such diverse schools of thought as structuralism, post-structuralism, dialectics, quantum theory, hermeneutics, historicism, etc. What emerged was a set of philosophical constructs that defines the characteristics of any whole, such as longitudinal, latitudinal, expressive/decentered, boundaries, etc. We typically think of wholes as a sum of their parts, but my study revealed that this was a much too simplistic view. Wholes are more than a sum of their parts; rather, it is the relations among the parts that define the whole. Relations are primary!
As we use The Journey to Excellence Framework as the lens for our work in the Southwestern Union, it is important to keep this construct in mind. For example, our vision should not be considered in isolation from our mission or the implementation of the vision. Each part informs the creation and development of every other part. Sometimes it becomes necessary to isolate a part for consideration in more depth, but we should never lose sight of its connections to other parts ofthe whole.
