I use these slides often when discussing health. It starts with the tenets, becomes a pyramid, and then ends with what I call a "health iceberg." Let me show you what I mean.
The Whole Child Blog
Post submitted by whole child blogger Caroline Newton, a sophomore at Temple University. Newton is studying journalism and writes for Jump: The Philly Music Project magazine.
"You know what we're gonna lay down today?" Todd Whitaker of Indiana State University asked the audience. "A bunch of frog pictures."
As a child, Whitaker's favorite part of the encyclopedia was the frog section, where the frog's body was dissected so that he could see its entire anatomy. In his session "What Great Teachers Do Differently" at ASCD's recent Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Whitaker dissected the traits of great educators.
Post submitted by Jill Vialet, founder and CEO of whole child partner Playworks
A healthy, positive school environment transcends what goes on in the classroom. In fact, what happens at recess holds a crucial key to developing the whole child. A school that provides time and space for students to run, talk, and play helps ensure every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Experience and research tell us that active students learn better, and daily recess is proven to help students focus in the classroom.
Unfortunately, recess can also be a headache. Elementary school principals say they face the most behavior issues at recess. Recess supervision can be challenging, compounding the stresses on a staff already spread thin with other responsibilities. And the demands on the schoolyard really are greater than we remember, with students often relying more on adult support in solving conflicts and many children stepping onto the playground knowing fewer games than did previous generations.
Post submitted by Sandi Lauzon and Helen Erickson
My name is Sandi Lauzon and I am the vice principal at Byrne Creek Secondary School responsible for technology. I try to attend the Computer Using Educators of British Columbia (CUEBC) conference every year, as it is without a doubt the best way to connect with like-minded educators who ultimately leave you inspired by the techno-risks they have taken in their classrooms. Their stories of innovative practices always start with a passion to shift learning and teaching in a new direction, but more often than not they include bureaucratic hiccups; creative work-arounds; young heroic teachers willing to take risks; and students who adapt, engage, learn, and, ultimately, teach us all.
At the end of the conference, I like to mill about and catch up with colleagues from other districts. With my iPad in hand, I asked one of the board members how the iPad Inquiry project was going. CUEBC lends out 11 iPads to teachers to use in their classrooms for a month at a time, and I had been following the project online. As it turned out, the iPads did not have a home for the following six weeks and I left the conference with them and a lot to think about before Monday morning. In my role at Byrne Creek, I had already been looking at how the iPad could be used with our English language learners, and now we had the opportunity to justify a purchase of 20 iPads if this pilot project was successful. All we needed was a passionate teacher with the skills to move beyond the apps, who could embrace the iPad as a powerful tool for student learning and was not afraid to jump in and explore the potential of the iPad as means of engaging, creating, and communicating.
Helen Erickson, without dipping her toe in to test the water, accepted the challenge and jumped right in. Here is her story.
What does it take for children to be mentally healthy? Being mentally healthy is not just about emotional and behavioral difficulties. It's also about being mentally strong and resilient and having the skills and supports to deal with stressful issues when they arise. Today is National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day, established and promoted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Awareness Day national event complements activities occurring across the country, such as community events, youth rallies, social media campaigns, and activities with children that promote communication between adults and children following traumatic experiences.
Post submitted by Lily Zhang and Angela Fu. The LEO Club at Byrne Creek Secondary School in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada is one of more than 40 clubs at the school.
Hello, my name is Lily Zhang. I am our LEO Club’s outgoing president, and my friend Angela Fu will start her term as president next year. We are going to tell you a little bit about what makes Byrne Creek, and in particular the LEO club at Byrne, special.
First of all, we love being students at Byrne Creek! Everyone in our school feels welcomed and included. Byrne Creek is a small school with approximately 1,250 students. Even though Byrne Creek is small, our programs are well-developed and encompassing. The many diverse programs include Dance Company (in which Angela takes part), Theatre Company, Choir (Lily is a member), Jazz Bands, Leadership, and many IDS (Independent Directed Studies) courses, where students can design their own courses to take. Our school also offers Electronics, Metalwork, Ceramics, Photography, and Sculpture. Our Work Experience program encourages students to experience working in different environments and decide which future career they might be interested in. We believe our school is well-rounded; not only do we have amazing academic courses taught to us by exceptional teachers who make it fun to learn advanced placement material, but we also have many clubs that capture every student's interests, such as the LEO Club.
Twenty four sessions. Seven days. Six school-site presentations. Two panels of experts from Australia, Singapore, Finland, and France. Free.
Welcome to the 2012 ASCD Whole Child Virtual Conference!
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A child's mental health is influenced by her biology, social and physical environment, and behavior, as well as the availability of services. Good emotional and behavioral health enhances a child's sense of well-being, supports satisfying social relationships at home and with peers, and facilitates achievement of full academic potential. Research shows that one of five children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 experience symptoms of mental health problems that cause some level of impairment in a given year. However, fewer than 20 percent who need mental health service receive them.
But, being mentally healthy is not just about emotional and behavioral difficulties. It's also about being mentally strong and resilient and having the skills and supports to deal with stressful issues when they arise. In a nationally representative survey of 12- to 17-year-old youths and their trauma experiences, 39 percent reported witnessing violence, 17 percent reported physical assault, and 8 percent reported a lifetime prevalence of sexual assault.
Just as one can be physically healthy or unhealthy, one can also be mentally healthy or unhealthy. In this episode of the Whole Child Podcast, we discuss the importance of each child, in each school and in each community, being socially, emotionally, and mentally healthy. You'll hear from
- Erica Ahmed, director of public education for Mental Health America, formerly the National Mental Health Association.
- Jo Mason, acting national business manager and national professional product development manager for whole child partner Principals Australia Institute and MindMatters, Australia.
- Philip C. Rodkin, associate professor of child development in the Departments of Educational Psychology and Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
How does your school and community promote good mental health, build resiliency, and facilitate wellness for your children?
Post submitted by Cathy DelVento and Joe Davis
There's a massive Viking longhouse under construction in Winthrop, Mass., and its youngest architects are only 14 years old. Each afternoon—after school—students in the town of Winthrop expand their math skills as they draw plans and measure wood, social studies skills in recreating Viking food and clothing, computer skills as they plot the museum's layout, and language and leadership skills as they make Viking culture come alive for visitors.
Across the country, high-quality after-school programs are helping accelerate student achievement. And, because the programs are community-driven and tap into local expertise, resources and talent, no two programs are exactly alike. In Winthrop, for example, Viking scholars are treated to visits by area architects and engineers. At other after-school programs, participants are just as likely to have music executives or computer programmers as their guides and colleagues.
Post submitted by Laida Falsetto and Mirella Gargiulo
Byrne Creek Secondary School has been and continues to be creative and flexible in designing varying programs to meet the needs of our current population. Over 60 percent of our student population does not speak English as their first language. As a result, we have worked innovatively to develop programs and activities that pave a way for individual success and celebrate diversity. But what is success? What makes someone successful? How do you know if you or your students have achieved success? These questions help guide our program development and are the building blocks that we use to create our classroom community each year.
