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The Whole Child Approach

place Nigeria

Nurturing life-ready children

The Whole Child Approach is a Socio-Emotional Learning programme at KEY academy, which focuses on developing skills such as empathy, conflict management, and organisation through engaging, practical activities suited to the children’s ages. In addition, we have bi-weekly one-to-one conversations with the children, where we discuss their wellbeing and address all their non-academic challenges.

Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Web presence

2022

Established

100

Children

1

Countries
Target group
Students basic
Updated
May 2024
In addition to ensuring that children are generally well adjusted, we hope that this innovation will lay a foundation for encouraging an ideal school system where children’s opinions are heard, and more importantly, they are equipped with highly relevant life skills, which they have the opportunity to actively practise in daily interactions, at school and at home.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

This innovation was created to cater for the non-academic development of children at KEY academy. It includes socio-emotional learning, safeguarding, and 21st century skills. We believe that these skills are necessary for holistic development. Safeguarding is also very important, to ensure that if a child happens to be exposed to any form of harm or neglect, we are prepared to manage the situation

What does your innovation look like in practice?

The team designed a curriculum in 2023, and created a schedule to facilitate bi-weekly socio-emotional learning sessions. These sessions are facilitated within our four learning groups; the topics and activities introduced to each learning group are age specific, based on the children’s developmental needs, as well as the social dynamics we have observed over time; our youngest children (ages 1.5-3) have topics such as friendship, honesty and sharing, while the oldest children (ages 7-9) are introduced to topics like conflict management, communication, and time management. The impact of these sessions are evaluated termly through observation, and are documented in the children’s learning journals at the end of the academic year. Additionally, members of the Whole Child Approach team have one-to-one conversations with the children ages 5 and above, twice a month. The purpose of these conversations is to assess their wellbeing, and get a sense of where they need intervention, if at all.

How has it been spreading?

The Whole Child Approach began as an observational assessment method; we observed the children’s behaviours to identify areas requiring support or intervention through tailored learning activities and conversations with the children or their parents. As the process evolved, we designed a curriculum to guide the process and track their development over time. Based on our experience as educators, and research on the developmental milestones of children at various ages, we crafted context appropriate socio-emotional learning activities, for children between 18 months to 18 years old. Over the next few months, the KEY app currently being developed will feature a section dedicated to sharing details about how the ‘Whole Child Approach’ operates, and how other schools can adopt this process.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

There are numerous resources that one can consult to find socio-emotional learning topics and craft a curriculum that accounts for the environmental needs and the peculiarities of the children’s personalities. Educators are also encouraged to sign up on the KEY app which will provide a framework for the Whole Child Approach, and can be adopted by any school, not just in Nigeria but globally!

Media

Implementation steps

Research
Make a list of required, age appropriate skills and milestones that children should have attained at different ages. Study the theories of developmental psychologists such as Erik Erikson and Edith Ackermann to get a better understanding of some of these milestones.
Custom Curriculum
Identify SEL topics that correlate with the identified milestones for the children's ages, then plan out activities that can be easily related to the topic, and applicable in real life. Create a schedule using these topics, and select a designated time out of the school day (30-45 minutes), weekly or bi-weekly, to explore these topics. Share these activities with the teachers for each classroom, and explain the expectations to them.
One-on-one Assessment
Schedule one-on-one meetings with older children (ages 5 upwards); ask about how they are faring, and drive the conversation towards potential areas of concern. Feel free to ask specific questions about their friends, teachers or family members to inquire about bullying, abuse or neglect.
Documentation
Create a document to highlight each child's progress/areas of challenges for each topic. The document should include topics explored in SEL sessions, expected developmental milestones, concerns raised by child's teachers and/or parents, and research findings about concerns, if any.
Communicate with parents
After assessing a child through the various sessions, discuss findings with their parents. Engage the parents in conversation about their child's wellbeing, and share any concerns you have. Ensure to have conducted research and if possible, consulted professionals on the situation, so the parents are not only informed about child's challenges, but are also presented with workable solutions. In cases of abuse or neglect, contact appropriate authorities after discussing with the school management.

Spread of the innovation

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