A child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development, central to the Whole Child Approach, is inextricably tied to their physical and mental health—factors heavily influenced by their environment. The learning environment, encompassing intellectual, social, and physical elements, affects the learning process. How students approach learning and overcome obstacles is shaped by interactions with teachers, the course’s tone, peer interactions, and classroom demographics. Building a learning environment that caters to all students requires a strong emphasis on equality, inclusivity, and accessibility.
“When the atmosphere encourages learning, the learning is inevitable.” – Elizabeth Foss
This is where the Educating the ‘Whole Child Approach’ comes in. A ‘Whole Child Approach’ recognizes that access to rich learning opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom, as well as safe and inviting learning settings, are critical to students’ education and future success. This approach recognises the importance of ‘nurturing’ in the Nature vs. Nurture debate, moving beyond biological explanations and places importance on the social and environment influences on a child’s development. When a school adopts the ‘Whole Child Approach’ to education, they put their students’ health and happiness first and acknowledge that they have an obligation to support them beyond their academic performance.
Schools and other educational institutions can design their curriculums and employ the necessary changes to their learning environment in the following ways:
- Evaluation beyond Academics: There’s an exceptional amount on pressure placed on assessments and test grades, often to a detrimental point. Institutions need to track progress and performance in a holistic manner more value needs to be assigned to extra-curricular activities and sports – not to be treated as an option within academic spaces, but instead actively encouraged and made mandatory alongside tests and assessments.
- Creating a Safe Environment for Development: Instead of adopting punitive measures in light of wrongful behavior, Whole School policies aim to adopt restorative approaches that allow children to understand the boundaries of acceptable behavior and deal with conflict in a healthy manner – Thus, contributing to creating a safe environment for growth and learning.
- Promote Independence Within the Classroom Space: Children need to be given the space to evaluate and make their own decisions regarding matters that directly affect them. This allows them to foster confidence in their perspective and communicating them aloud, as well as deal with the wrong decisions and understanding the consequences that come with it. Such student-led decision making gives them a sense of autonomy and makes students feel like their voices are heard within the classroom space.
- Importance of Creative Freedom: Students should always feel safe and encouraged to engage in self-expression and artistic endeavors on their own, without external restrictions to the detriment of their confidence in their abilities. They should be encouraged to work in their own pace and go about the curriculum in a way that comes naturally to them.
When teachers act as facilitators, guiding students through their academic journey and allowing progress in a productive and safe learning environment; children can develop confidence in their skills, engage in creative thinking, and excel academically. The ‘Whole Child Approach’ allows for productive development by fine-tuning the child’s environment to their specific developmental needs.
