Just connect!

Developing the whole child

I introduced Armando Di-Finizio in a recent blog (A simple idea!), in his most recent blog he says: “For example, when we see a student having difficulty with a maths problem, we help the child without question. If they are late to class, however, we tend to sanction them. This example highlights two different aspects of a child's development, but we tend to treat each aspect differently.”

In the past, the role of the teacher was simply to teach, and the role of the student was to be present and attentive to the teacher’s instruction.  The world is no longer like this.  Now, a student is required to go to school to learn and, as Armando points out, learning is not limited to the explicitly taught curriculum.

We can maximise student learning – in all its aspects – when, as teachers, we have deep, reciprocal connections with students.These are not friendships, these are relationships characterised by mutual, unconditional respect.

John Everett Millais - Chill October - 1870

Such relationships are already modelled by a minority of teachers – those we remember our whole lives.  What they are doing is now well understood:

• they use sustained attention (rather than focused attention) when engaging with students either singly or in groups, and

• whatever the student(s) say or do they respond with kindness and compassion (meaning that their red brain is never triggered by their students)

It is increasingly the role of the modern teacher to initiate and sustain such relationships so that maximum learning takes place.

Yes, as healthy growth towards adulthood of the whole person follows its natural course, academic outcomes will improve, too.

We are social beings.  We thrive in deep, reciprocal relationships.

 John Corrigan is an expert in helping individuals to bring their whole of mind to their daily life and increase their effectiveness and the effectiveness of those around them. This expertise scales from the individual to the team to the organisation. At the core of this work is the practice of encounter.  Earlier blogs can be found here.

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