Life is not what you alone make it. Life is the input of everyone who touched your life and every experience that entered it. We are all part of one another. -Yuri Kochiyama, AAPI civil rights activist |
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Human development research shows that long-term, secure relationships support academic, physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. For better or worse, we are all part of one another. This is especially true of children; relationships are the key influencer of healthy development. Especially in this pandemic year, with the trauma of too many lives cut short by disease and violence, children need to know that they are not alone in what they make of life. This view of relationships is often called the “whole child approach.” The whole child approach is not a new concept, but it is one that educators have had to rapidly master this year. More than ever, teachers incorporate social emotional check-ins at the start of remote classes. Teachers ask for student feedback about lesson quality and the use of edtech. Discussions about students’ home life and community are at the center of grade team meetings. As we wind down from a year like no other, it's time to take stock of important questions we’ve regularly started to ask. How is the social and emotional health of my students? Do my students have agency in my remote classroom? What is the purpose of my lesson? How might my students’ identities change how I plan my unit? Where can I include family engagement and the wider community in the design of my curriculum?
In our return to the “new normal”, we have an opportunity to use our answers to these questions to purposefully redesign learning spaces that center the beautiful mosaic of interests, emotions, thoughts and experiences that each child brings into the classroom. We must maintain our reconfigured priorities as we reconfigure our classrooms. Relationships, well-being, the development of agency, purpose, and connection - these should be the bedrock of the new normal. Of course, our old priorities matter too. The whole child approach does not mean that rigor no longer matters. But it does mean that the idea of rigor itself might need to become more rigorous. As schools open their doors to students again, let’s strive to create academically rigorous classrooms that center every experience that enters them. |
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Head 👤 In a year when everyone is struggling with a lack of time with students we need to remember how beneficial it can be to build community with our students. Not only are there benefits to student engagement and learning which leads to a better sense of social and emotional well-being, but there are also benefits to school operations. Explore this Ed surge article which discusses how student agency can ease the pain of remote learning and teaching. Hand 🖐 Why do students engage within the classroom? What is the motivation? In this article Dr. Katie Martin explores the purpose, questions you should ask yourself and tips for encouraging engagement for all of our classroom situations! Heart 🧡 So you understand that building agency is important, but you are still struggling with how to do it? Students are remote, cameras are off, how does one build engagement? Dr. Katie Martin outlines 5 strategies that teachers can take in this article. |
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Fellow Highlight The work towards creating anti-racists classroom is work that never ends. Read the following articles for some ideas about how to address these issues in your classroom. Leaning into Vulnerability by Estefania Hereira, STEM Ed Cohort, Hydrogen |
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Anti-Racism and STEM After the attacks in Georgia, anyone who has been tuned into the media (including our students) have been perceiving mixed messages about the reasons behind the attack, and whether or not it was “racially motivated.” While there may be a variety of complicated “reasons” for this mass shooting, the targeting of Asian American women was a factor that should not be overlooked. As educators, we can use these resources to learn more about the connection between white supremacy, racism, misogyny and hate crimes against Asian Americans in order to better support all of our students. Events Registration is open for the Students for Equitable Education (SEE) Summit on April 24, a national social justice summit envisioned and led by students from districts across the country, hosted by Digital Promise. Edcamp is a powerful learning experience designed just for educators and those in the education field. You set the topics and the design of the conversations. Edcamp provides the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, share experiences, ask questions, discuss ideas, challenge your thinking, debate, communicate, and network! March 31 9-3 join any session that meets your needs. What is social justice teaching in the science classroom? Join NSTA for this special four-part, interactive, virtual miniseries, which is jointly hosted by the Association for Multicultural Science Education (AMSE) and NSTA’s Committee on Multicultural / Equity in Science Education. Scheduled throughout the month of June. Check out the free webinar series about Whole Child Teaching Strategies FOR PRINCIPALS: Join us as we explore empowered principals in action. In this engaging, half-day event, you'll learn how to lead more effectively, better manage your time, and inspire your team. FOR STUDENTS: After School STEM camps
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