Harmony of Heart and Mind: Waikiki Elementary School’s Approach to SEL
Toby Yos & Jenna Kunihiro With Leila Durazzo, Anolani Leafchild, ‘Eleu Lukey, Jack McLellan, Shay Melton, Alison Namiki-Roberts, Lam Nguyen, Andrew Ohira, Joshua Ohira, Deborah Park, and Alexandra Safi 10/27/2017
Part I (Toby’s Story): My experience during 22 years at another school (this experience, I think, is typical but not universal)
SEL: Occasionally talked about but not a top priority
Before I came to Waikiki School…. • My former school was primarily focused on priorities connected to reading, writing, math, STEM, and raising test scores. • We talked about the importance of both Rigor & Relationships. • But our heavy focus on Rigor distracted us from the work of cultivating Relationships and implementing SEL approaches. Image from: http://www.casel.org/what-is-sel/
Why wasn’t there more of a focus on SEL? An answer can be found by tracing a core educational assumption back 2,500 years to its philosophical roots.
“The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.” Albert North Whitehead Image from: https://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/wa rnerr/plato.htm
Plato’s conception of the soul. Things to notice: 1. Reason (mind) is separated from emotions (heart) and desire (body). 2. Reason is superior to emotions and desire. Image from: https://aquileana.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/platos-phaedrus-the-allegory-of-the-chariot-and-the-tripartite-nature-of-the-soul/
As a consequence of this view, we tend to divide Mind from Heart and focus more on the Mind side. Mind
Heart
Reason
Emotion
Rigor
Relationships
Inquiry
Community
Academic Instruction
SEL
Smart
Good
Teacher
Counselor
This can lead us to focus on only part of the child‌
We do a good job of shooting at too small of a target.
Thinking too little about the Heart and SEL, our decisions and practices are based on an impoverished conception of the self. Image from: http://clipart-library.com/clipart/6Ty5bEKRc.htm
Educational Implication: Paying too little heed to SEL compromises educational progress. Abraham Maslow: If underlying physical, social, & emotional needs are not met, children are not fully ready to learn. Image from: http://theskooloflife.com/wordpress/se lf-actualization-in-the-maslowhierarchy/
An Analogy Sometimes I think of teachers as being like mechanics who are being asked to make the cars (students) go really fast: • They’re asked to soup up the engine. • And streamline the aerodynamics.
Image from: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ pin/157133474470557597/
But, there’s a problem! Oftentimes the cars have flat tires The Children’s underlying physical, safety, social, and/or self-esteem needs are unmet.
Consequence: Tired and Frustrated Teachers Good people trying so hard but fighting an uphill battle. There has to be, I would think, a different way of doing things.
Part II: A Different Approach Waikiki Elementary School
Image from: http://goodmorningmisscampbell.blogspot.com/2015/03/my-visit-to-waikiki-elementary-school.html
We don’t do a SEL program. SEL is part of who we are.
SEL is thoroughly imbued within the culture of our school. Image from: http://www.waikikischool.org/
A Core Belief
This is a sign that you see when you first enter Waikiki School. Image from: http://goodmorningmisscampbell.blogspot.com/2015/03/my-visit-to-waikiki-elementary-school.html
Conceptual Foundations: Found in Dr. Art Costa’s Habits of Mind and also in Hawaiian thought [Hawaiian Dictionary(Hwn to Eng)]
Naʻau n. Intestines, bowels, guts; mind, heart, affections; of the heart or mind; mood, temper, feelings. Fig., child. Cf. naʻau aliʻi, naʻau ʻino, naʻaupō. Helu naʻau (name of an arithmetic book), mental counting. Pōkole ka naʻau, short-tempered, cross. Hoʻopaʻanaʻau, to memorize. Naʻau pōkole, shorttempered; lit., short intestine. (PPN ngaakau.)
Not a dichotomy between Heart and Mind A unity: Heart/Mind Image from: http://wehewehe.com/gsdl2.85/cgi-bin/hdict?l=haw&v=2
As with a good marriage, Heart & Mind are Mutually Reinforcing Relationships precede Rigor‌ Without trust, without compassion, without an intellectually safe community, genuinely rigorous inquiry is impossible. (When people care about each other, they do cool stuff together.)
And Rigor deepens Relationships‌ Sharing intellectually significant and meaningful experiences bonds us closer together. (And when they do cool stuff together, they become closer.)
Heart & Mind, Relationships & Rigor, Community & Inquiry, SEL & Academic Instruction‌ When nurtured in unity, they support each other and create an ever-deepening spiral of meaning, compassion, and understanding.
Image from: https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/activities/life-spiral-exercise
Nurturing the Spiral: Waikiki School Practices Making time for relationships Outside-In CSEL (Cognitive Social Emotional) Practices (School-wide: Peace flows from the community to the individual) Habits of Mind (HOM) Philosophy for Children (p4c) Inside-Out CSEL Practices (Selected students: Peace flows from the individual to the community) Resiliency Theory Based Mentoring (Individual & Group) Peer Mediation
1. Making time for relationships. “We’re not in a rush” – Dr. Thomas Jackson
(because being in a rush undermines both relationships and the accomplishments that grow from these relationships.)
“With understanding comes compassion.” -- Dalai Lama Image from: http://www.tibetanreview.net
When we understand one another, we are able to build deeper, more compassionate relationships.
Understanding
→
Compassion
We understand others when we hear their stories.
Hearing people’s stories
→
Understanding
→
Compassion
And we can only hear people’s stories when we aren’t in a rush and take time to listen.
Not being in a rush
→
Hearing people’s stories
→
Understanding
→
Compassion
Making time for relationships: Examples
Image from: http://www.alohaturf.com/gallery4.htm
Image from: http://waikikipto.blogspot.com
Image from: https://carlthemuse.wordpress.com
Image from: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008
2. Outside-In Approaches Habits of Mind (HOM)
Image from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108008/ chapters/Describing-the-Habits-of-Mind.aspx
Philosophy for Children (p4c)
Image from: https://www.uhfoundation.org/news/ 125-million-uehiro-foundation-promotes-philosophy-young-minds
Habits of Mind
Mind Mind & Heart (and other dimensions too)
A broader, deeper, and more complete vision of what a person can be. Image from: http://clipart-library.com/clipart/6Ty5bEKRc.htm
A brief history of HOM & HOM @ Waikiki School • Dr. Art Costa brings Habits of Mind to Waikiki School 25 years ago. • What are the HOM? 16 Intelligent behaviors interwoven into the fabric of our culture, empowering good thinkers, thoughtful human beings, and life long learners.
Habits of Mind
Image from: https://sites.google.com/a/wesvt.net/library/habits-of-mind
Philosophy for Children (p4c)
A purposefully constructed how that interweaves rigor (mind) and relationships (heart).
A brief history of p4c & p4c @ Waikiki School • Matthew Lipman begins p4c in the late 1960’s. In the subsequent decades it spreads across the world. • Thomas Jackson (Dr. J) brings p4c to Hawai‘i in 1984. Influenced by Dr. J and this place, it evolves into p4c Hawai‘i. • In 2001 Dr. J and Principal Bonnie Tabor bring p4c to Waikiki School. Nearly all teachers at the school implement p4c practices.
Image from: http://www.philosophyforschools.co.uk/
Community of Inquiry Community: A newly recognized SEL approach. We can create a social environment where relationships are nurtured and vital habits of the heart are practiced, modeled, and learned. “Values are caught not taught.” (old adage)
Inquiry: A long accepted Critical Thinking approach. We can create a social environment where rigorous thinking and vital habits of the mind are practiced, modeled, and learned. “Thinking is internalized speech.” (Vygotsky)
3. Inside-Out Approaches Waikiki School’s Mindful Mentoring Center (Jointly funded by Waikiki School, the Hawai‘i Community of Foundation’s Pillars of Peace SEL grant, and other Community Partners.)
Providing an extra dose of SEL to selected students • Resiliency Theory Based Individual Mentoring • Resiliency Theory Based Group Mentoring • Peer Mediation
Image from: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/home17
Image from: https://pillarsofpeace.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org /sel/socialemotionallearning
Resiliency Theory (RT) • Arises out of Emmy Werner’s longitudinal study of at-risk students on Kauai. (1955) • Around half over-came their circumstances. Half did not. • Why? The presence of certain “Protective Factors” in children’s lives makes the difference. Image from: https://www.viator.com/Kauai-attractions/Na-Pali-Coast
• Medical Model: The traditional approach to counseling is a medical model. One aims to diagnose and fix problems. • Resiliency Theory: RT doesn’t aim to “fix” kids. It simply aims to add Protective Factors to their lives. It is proactive counseling or mentoring. • Key Protective Factors: Being connected with unconditionally caring adults. Feeling a sense of belonging. Having a chance to shine; developing one’s talents & achieving.
Resiliency Theory Based Individual Mentoring • Protective Factor: Being connected with unconditionally caring adults. • Child-Led Play: Not trying to counsel, teach, or modify the child. Simply listening and fully attending to him/her. • Historical roots: Primary Project and PSAP. The presence of an unconditionally caring adult listener in a child’s life reduces anxiety and increases academic performance. • Mentoring conducted by Mindful Mentoring Center Staff and Community Mentoring Partners (Common Grace).
Images from: http://www.tv3.ie/xpose/article/parent-trap/ https://www.childrensinstitute.net/ http://www.wilcox.k12.hi.us/programs/psap
Resiliency Theory Based Group Mentoring Protective Factors: Feeling a sense of belonging. Having a chance to shine. Extra-Curricular activities with a twist: An added emphasis on creating an exceptionally close and caring community where students are heard, accepted, feel that they belong, can develop their talents, and gain confidence.
• Selection criteria: Match student passions & talents to activity. Some groups take any who have interest. Some groups take selected students who would benefit from an extra dose of SEL & RT Protective Factors.
Examples: On campus: Drama, band, news broadcast, Japanese language, unicycle, PE, art, maker space, and more….
Off campus (high impact): Art Mentoring, p4c @ the Art Museum, Hawaiian Inside Tracking
Peer Mediation
• Our Peer Mediators are a selected cohort of 4th & 5th Grade students who have been specially trained in SEL and Conflict Resolution strategies. • They help their fellow students resolve conflicts. On the playground. In the classroom. (Coming soon) Image from: https://www.smore.com/g0qye-peer-mediation-workshop
Part III: Demonstration & Discussion Enough of listening to adults talk… Now us kids take over! Demonstration: Using p4c to reflect upon HOM and our school’s SEL culture.
• Student Generated Inquiry Question:
Why are Habits of Mind important?