Design

Holistic

The science tells us that learning is integrated: There are not separate parts of the brain that support academic skills and social skills, for example. The parts of the brain are cross-wired and functionally interconnected. For students to become engaged, effective learners, educators need to simultaneously develop content-specific knowledge and skills along with cognitive, emotional, and social skills. These skills, including executive functions, growth mindset, social awareness, resilience and perseverance, metacognition, curiosity, and self-direction, are malleable: They are not "hard-wired" but develop in response to experience. All are correlated with achievement, and all can be taught, modeled, and practices just like traditional academic skills (p.85).

Darling-Hammond, L., Cantor, P., Hernández, L. E., Theokas, C., Schachner, A., Tijerina, E., & Plasencia, S. (2021). Design Principles for Schools: Putting the Science of Learning and Development into Action. Learning Policy Institute.,