9 minute read
Whole Child: Pandemic
Kathleen Briseno
Megan Willson
Whole Child
What Have We Learned So Far: The Whole Child Approach and the Pandemic
Current Context
We begin this article considering the context, directives, and varied experiences of students and educators by reviewing data relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic and align them to the Whole Child tenets. The Illinois Department of Public Health Guidance for Covid-19 referenced the results from a study reported by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) published on June 29, 2021. Their study covers the timeframe from September 2020 to April 2021, and found that, “The majority of students need full-time in-person access to their teachers and support network at school to stay engaged, to learn effectively, and to maintain social-emotional wellness” (Executive Summary, para. 2). Their study also suggests that remote learning can be challenging for students, which may lead not only to learning loss, but also to mental health issues. Similarly, the Illinois State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Carmen I. Ayala (2021), provided a statement regarding the importance of inperson learning,
“The Illinois State Board of Education recognizes and affirms the fundamental importance of in-
Students should feel safe on site and online.
person learning for the wellbeing of students, families, and communities. We know that children learn best—and educators teach best—when they are physically present together in the same space” (p. 1).
Schools in Illinois have recommended using the in-person learning modality for the 2021-2022 school year after the mandated closure of schools in March 2020. It is essential to make a connection of the impact of virtual and hybrid learning on our students while looking at the relationship of the Whole Child tenets and the data that are currently available on loss of learning and socialemotional wellness.
Alignment
Based on the limited data available and considering the Whole Child tenets, the following data were discussed by Whole Child tenet alignment and relevant to some impact.
SAFE ~ Each student learns in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe for students and adults.
Based on a recently published study conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are various reasons why students might not attend school in-person. They noted that some families have elected not to send their children to school since schools are not viewed as safe because of COVID-19, as well as for not being equitable (Oster et. al, 2021). With the return to full-time in-person teaching and learning, for the 2021-21 school year, providing an equitable safe learning environment for both students and staff became a high priority. CDC suggested that a
“K-12 operational strategy presents a pathway for schools to safely provide in-person learning through implementing recommended prevention strategies, increasing vaccination rates for teachers and older students with a focus on vaccine equity, and reducing community transmission” (Oster et. al, 2021, p. 953).
Students should feel safe on site and online.
ENGAGED ~ Each student is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the school and broader community.
Student engagement includes a student’s cognitive, academic, behavioral, and emotional connection to learning. Many
factors affect a student’s engagement in school. Active involvement into learning activities and interactions between students and teachers might not take place if students are not physically in school. Oster et. al (2021) found that “In 43 states, access to full-time in-person learning was higher for non-Hispanic White students compared with students of color” (p. 955). According to Waite (2021),
“…in March of this year, though the majority of schools reopened for in-person learning, half of Black and Hispanic children, and twothirds of Asian-American children, were still learning remotely, compared with only 20% of White students” (para. 2).
Other factors include a student’s readiness, digital skills, time management skills, and intrinsic motivation to be
SUPPORTED ~ Each student has access to personalized learning and is supported by qualified, caring adults.
A supported classroom environment, whether via in-person or a virtual platform, has embedded strategies that encompass all areas of a child’s development, personal needs, and learning. Students should be supported in a proactive positive milieu as they learn to navigate, understand, and connect with the available instruction. For children not participating in in-person learning, a sense of community and belonging is lost; this is when support from school guidance counselors and school social workers may need to be take the lead. For many students, online learning has increased their retention of information and engagement in academic
prepared to learn during current times. Student engagement is influenced by teacher and parental/guardian support, as well as access. Teachers must intentionally begin or continue to provide opportunities that will engage their students.
tasks. For students with difficulty focusing, the virtual platform or hybrid model has allowed them to have a more concentrated self-paced educational experience. Li and Lalani (2020) indicated
that material presented through eLearning increases the retention of material by 25 to 60% compared to only 8 to 10% in a traditional face-to-face classroom. This is because online learning can provide more individualized learning than that in traditional classrooms. It is
important to note that although Covid-19 has forced schools to search for more online learning options there remains a gap in equity due to the variance in available resources and training. Therefore, not all students will receive the same support.
CHALLENGED ~ Each student is challenged academically and prepared for success in college or further study and for employment and participation in a global environment.
During the pandemic, levels of academic challenge and student progress has been, to say the least, challenging. Using instructional strategies that will set students up to succeed academically, emotionally, and physically is of the utmost importance, while not neglecting to keep standards and expectations high. If students feel they are safe and supported, and teachers are able to engage them in learning, then the opportunity for students to be challenged is presented. The pandemic
has provided compulsory exposure to online learning for PK-12 students. Wei and Chien (2020) reported that online readiness does affect overall performance. Since colleges offer a variety of learning options the exposure to online learning PK-12 students have received during the pandemic will positively improve college readiness to take online and hybrid course offerings.
HEALTHY ~ Each student enters school healthy and learns about and practices a healthy lifestyle.
During the pandemic, concerns surrounding mental health and the well-being of children has been on the forefront. Ensuring that a well-rounded curriculum, one enriched with art,
music, physical education, sports, extracurricular activities, has posed a challenge during the pandemic. Restrictions enacted by ISBE may not have allowed for the usual level of mental and physical activities. In December 2020, the Illinois State Board of Education
EISEL Universal Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Screening (SEB) Workgroup
developed recommendations for best practice. This taskforce was developed in response to the growing mental health needs of youth. Lee (2020) reported that the closure of schools and need for social distancing has exacerbated the needs of children already with mental illness and has increased the number of children that are vulnerable to mental illness. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2021) reported that there was a 30 to 80% increase of reported symptoms of depression, loneliness, worry, panic attacks, and anxiety by youth due to the impact of COVID-19. With the rise of concern, surrounding the mental health of students and staff due to the pandemic, access to support for mental health cannot be ignored.
Discussion and Conclusion
We began this article considering the context, directives, and varied experiences of students and educators given the available data. Accordingly, it is apparent that school districts must be aware of the impact that remote learning, whether fully or a hybrid model have on both students and teachers in their districts.
Consequently, looking at statewide data may have little value in understanding the total impact remote or hybrid instruction has played in a single school district. Thus, if we are not ‘there yet’ we must consider what data is needed to be able to determine how to keep going in the right direction. While continuing to reassess how to get going in the right direction, each school district will need to analyze their own data since the demographic trend, technology availability for families, and the technological competency of teachers have each played a role in learning outcomes for children during the pandemic.
Whether teaching is offered remotely or face-to-face, in order to provide sustainable, high-quality education, administrators need to continue to lead with optimism and teachers need to continue to teach with balance— the balance between building student relationships, instruction, and flexibility. Worldwide 1.5 billion learners have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we are in unprecedented times, this is an opportunity to reexamine how we deliver instruction and to examine how the
integration of online learning can become an integral component of education for all students. As we consider existing research and the need for additional research on this topic, is it possible for traditional faceto-face learning and online learning to go hand-in-hand?
References
ASCD (2013). The whole child approach to education.https://www.ascd.org/
whole-child
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Operational strategy for K-12 schools through phased prevention.https://www.
cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/ community/schools-childcare/ operation-strategy.html
Illinois State Board of Education. (2021).
Current remote learning options under
Illinois law guidance for schools and district.https://www.isbe.net/
Documents/Remote-Learning-
Guidance-Chart.pdf
Illinois State Board of Education. (2020). EISEL universal SEB screening workgroup recommendations.
https://www.isbe.net/Documents_
SELTaskForce/EISEL-SEB-Screening-
Workgroup-Recommendations.pdf
Illinois State Board of Education. (2021).
Guidance for COVID-prevention in
K-12 schools.https://dph.illinois.
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Lee, J. (2020). Mental health effects of school closures during COVID-19. The
Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(6), 421. https://www.thelancet.com/
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Li, C., & Lalani, F. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever: This is how.https://www. weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/ coronavirus-education-globalcovid19-online-digital-learning/
OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19). (2021). Supporting young people’s mental health through the
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Oster, E., Jack, R., Halloran, C., et al.
Disparities in learning mode access among K–12 students during the
COVID-19 pandemic, by race/ ethnicity, geography, and grade level —United States. MMWR Morb Mortal
Wkly Rep 2021; 70:953–958. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr. mm7026e2
Waite, C. (2021, July 1). A three-tiered strategy for re-engaging students this fall. Christensen Institute.https://
www.christenseninstitute.org/ blog/a-3-tiered-strategy-for-reengaging-students-this-fall/
Wei, H. & Chien, C. (2020). Online learning performance and satisfaction: Do perceptions and readiness matter?
Distance Education, 41(1), 48-69. Dr. Kathleen Briseno is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Concordia University Chicago and an educational consultant for CCSD180. Dr. Briseno is a board member for many state and local agencies, where she provides guidance to the revisions of policies on educational issues. She is also on the Golden Apple selection committee. Dr. Briseno has been a special education and general education teacher, principal of an alternative high school, and a special education administrator. Her educational focus has included: advocating for the rights of students with disabilities, working with students at risk, improving behavioral and instructional outcomes, mentoring teachers, supporting families in navigating services in Illinois, and working with pre-service teachers.
Dr. Megan Willson is an Adjunct Professor in the Division of Teaching and Learning and the Division of Curriculum, Technology, and Inclusive Education at Concordia University of Chicago. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Teacher Preparation Program at the College of DuPage. Dr. Willson has been a general education teacher and library-media center director. Her research interests include educating the whole child, integrating technology into classroom instruction and teacher professional development as it relates to technology integration.
