The mind and body are connected. This core and undeniable principle is the premise of ASCD Whole Child approach to education. It reflects an understanding that students' health and well-being affects their ability to learn, grow, and develop. It is an appreciation that students are, and should be educated as, whole learners.
We know that the social-emotional well-being of the student impacts his or her ability to learn. We know that there is a detrimental relationship between unsafe environments and the effects of trauma and the ability of an individual to focus, synthesize, and learn. But we also know that there are positive things that we can do to enhance, promote, and boost learning. This relationship between the mind and the body, between the brain and learning, is not just a deficit-based equation—it can also be the basis of a strengths-based approach.
We know, for example, that being physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy can improve brain function. And that learning environments where we feel safe, supported, connected, and included also boost learning. It is time for us to put aside what we have done because of convention and tradition—antiquated processes based a on a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement—and to replace them with practices, environments, and whole-learner supports that we know aid learning.
—Sean Slade, ASCD Sr. Director, Global Outreach
Key Whole Child Indicators on Mind-Body Connectedness
This table highlights the five Whole Child tenets and related indicators for schools to assess their progress.
Whole Child Spotlight / On Mind-Body Connectedness - table
Healthy | 8 | Our school sets realistic goals for student and staff health that are built on accurate data and sound science. |
|---|---|---|
| Safe | 3 | Our physical, emotional, academic, and social school climate is safe, friendly, and student-centered. |
| Safe | 4 | Our students feel valued, respected, and cared for and are motivated to learn. |
| Safe | 9 | Our school climate, curriculum, and instruction reflect both high expectations and an understanding of child and adolescent growth and development. |
| Engaged | 5 | Each student in our school has access to a range of options and choices for a wide array of extracurricular and cocurricular activities that reflect student interests, goals, and learning profiles. |
| Supported | 2 | Our teachers use a range of diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment tasks to monitor student progress, provide timely feedback, and adjust teaching-learning activities to maximize student progress. |
| Supported | 3 | Our school ensures that adult-student relationships support and encourage each student's academic and personal growth. |
| Supported | 4 | Each student has access to school counselors and other structured academic, social, and emotional support systems. |
| Supported | 5 | Our school staff understands and makes curricular, instructional, and school improvement decision based on child and adolescent development and student performance information. |
| Challenged | 2 | Our curriculum and instruction provide opportunities for students to develop critical-thinking and reasoning skills, problem solving competencies, and technology proficiency. |
Visit www.ascd.org/whole-child for more information on ASCD's Whole Child indicators.
