Learning Happens Everywhere: Returning to School With a Whole Child Perspective

This learning and engagement opportunity was the third of three sessions that follow-on to a spring GLR Learning Tuesdays event co-sponsored with Education Week and co-hosted with the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy, The Fall K–3 Classroom: What the Data Imply About Composition, Challenges and Opportunities. This week’s session began with a viewing of the data presentation from that session, including the stark visuals indicating what K–3 classrooms are expected to look like this fall after more than a year of disruptions. Following the data presentation, Pamela Cantor, M.D., of Turnaround for Children provided a deeper introduction to one of the promising interventions for successful teaching and learning that was previewed in the spring forum. Dr. Cantor shared an in-depth review of the science behind aspects of brain development that led to the creation of the Guiding Principles for Equitable Whole Child Design and how these principles are applied using the Whole Child Design Blueprint, a tool that can help early grade teachers and all teachers address the ensuing challenges that the data suggest they may face this fall.

Afterwards, two educators joined the conversation to share how they are implementing this approach and the positive impact they are seeing. Elizabeth Miller of Turnaround for Children and David Miyashiro, Ed.D., of Cajon Valley Union School District shared their experiences using the Whole Child Design Blueprint with teachers and students and the ways in which the approach supports brain development and student learning and nurtures critical relationship building. Miller reviewed select tools that are available to educators and discussed what the principles of whole-child design look like in practice. Dr. Miyashiro shared how his school district is implementing the principles with students at all levels and how educators and leaders can apply the science and the practice to address the challenges that pandemic-precipitated school disruptions have produced while nurturing equitable learning acceleration.