ISB’s Whole Child Approach Transforms Its Students

(Newswire.net — March 20, 2018) Shunyi District, Beijing —

The International School of Beijing (ISB)’s commitment to innovation means more than leading edge technology and academics.

It means focusing on the whole child, integrating volunteering, mental health, and social and emotional programming into the classroom to incorporate 21^st-century learning and prepare students for the future.

“It’s part of our commitment,” says Patrick Hurworth, Head of School at ISB. “If we have information that tells us things are beneficial to our students, we’d be doing the wrong thing if we didn’t do something about it.”

The school has developed a framework for learning called “Learning21@ISB,” or “L21,” where two key ingredients include mindfulness and service learning.

Organized around three concentric rings, the framework encompasses a standards-based academic curriculum at its core. L21 Approaches form the second ring, including project learning, technology infusion, integrated learning, experiential learning, social and emotional learning, and comprehensive assessment.

The outer ring then encompasses L21 Skills such as inquiry, critical thinking and problem solving; leadership and responsibility; creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; and global thinking.

 

Developing empathy through service learning

“One of the most important things, really, is the transformative power of service learning,” says Hurworth. “That’s where the rubber hits the road in terms of students developing genuine empathy and being forced to consider who they are, and what they’ve got, and what their responsibilities are.”

ISB will welcome its first service-learning leader next year to align these activities and opportunities into a concerted, school-wide philosophy.

As current volunteering opportunities can often fall into the realm of after-school or holiday breaks, the leader will further integrate service learning into school hours throughout the year, demonstrating its importance.

The hope is to foster a sustainable commitment between the school, its students, and community, making volunteering an integral part of a student’s life instead of a box to tick off.

“It’s transformative,” says Hurworth. “Empathy and compassion are hugely underrated. The landscape is changing, but not quickly enough. It takes schools to be very bold about it. We can’t just present those characteristics as something students acquire by accident. There needs to be concerted effort.”

Opportunities for students range from the local level in pet shelters and seniors’ homes, to the global context such as volunteering in a Cambodian village.

As an added bonus, Hurworth has noticed the increasing value of service learning for university admissions officers.

 

Mindfulness for both teachers and students

Mindfulness is yet another tool to promote student and faculty wellbeing. The school remains up to date on the latest education research, incorporating it into strategic plans and daily routines.

“We keep our ears to the ground to find out what science is telling us,” says Hurworth. “The discussions about mindfulness in education are not new, but it takes a commitment and some courage to talk about the why and the how and the necessity of it.”

Both families and teachers at ISB recognize the need for integrating mindful practice into the classroom, according to Hurworth. Parents across cultures have expressed a desire to develop social and emotional programming in their children.

As such, mindfulness appears in various manifestations at ISB. At least two to three times per week, it is incorporated into students’ first classes of the day, but individual teachers can practice mindfulness at the beginning of any class. Visiting experts have also trained students, teachers, and school leaders.

“One of the essential ingredients of mindfulness is for every person in the organization to have access to it,” says Hurworth. “It’s important for both students and teachers. We have a significant number of teachers training online or in person, which we support through professional development funding.”

Although integrated from K-12, more attention is paid on students as they reach high school to combat the increased pressures they face.

“That’s when we start to see signs of depression, eating disorders—it happens in every school at that age,” says Hurworth. “We have the responsibility to de-stigmatize it. These students don’t need an organization that tacitly stigmatizes those conditions that are very real. They need our support.”

Ultimately, ISB’s focus on the whole child is about looking at the full picture and not prioritizing one part over the other. For example, academics aren’t more important than service learning, or the arts aren’t more important than sports.

“This approach allows students to be more confident, healthy citizens, and to know themselves better,” says Hurworth. “When they’re secure and comfortable, their academic performance also improves, and when teachers are settled, they teach better.

“It’s not at odds with academics. In fact, it’s an infrastructure that supports academics. It’s about values and character as much as what you know.”