Flourish / flourishing is a new educational "buzzword" being used to describe a healthy learning environment and a positive educational experience for students. It is a term that my school is using in discussing our next strategic plan ... how can our school and each student flourish now and in tomorrow's world? ... but what does it mean to flourish?
Defining Flourish / Flourishing
I love the term "flourish" to describe a thriving school or student (and the more I research this term, the more I like it), but what does it mean to "flourish" as a school? as a student?
Oxford's online dictionary (www.lexico.com) defines "flourish" as
Flourish (verb). grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.
What a great way to describe a school! A flourishing school is a "particularly favorable environment" where students can "grow ... in a healthy or vigorous way." While this is encouraging to think of a school in this definition, it still doesn't define what it means for students and schools to flourish.
Another way to think about the term "flourish" is in relationship to plants. Soil, climate, water, fertilizer, and the gardener all impact how the plant grows; metaphorically, each of those elements can apply to a school and how a student grows.
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| Flourishing Schools Model |
Dr. Lynn Swaner and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) have developed an instrument that measures school "flourishing." This excellent research helps us to better define and apply this term. The categories used in their research focus on the following areas:
- Purpose
- Relationships
- Well-Being
- Learning Orientation
- Expertise and Resources
Not wanting to just repeat the good work done by ACSI, I want to spend the rest of this blog looking at flourishing in light of another educational buzzword ... whole child education.
Whole Child Flourishing
Student flourishing occurs best when parents, teachers, and schools focus on a student's whole being. Unfortunately, we see more and more examples of students who are not flourishing because they only have one focus. Like a baseball player who blows out his shoulder due to "over-pitching," focusing solely on one area of development will be detrimental to the whole person.
Our western educational system is heavily influenced by a Greek philosophy that is focused primarily on head knowledge ... and this sole focus has led to high schools around the country filled with stressed out students, walking their halls anxious about grades, high-stakes standardized tests, and college acceptances. This is not a flourishing student.
In contrast a Hebraic philosophy in education focuses more on the whole child, a student becoming like her teacher in maturity, character, and wisdom, and understanding truth about themselves, others, and the world. Whole child education definitely looks toward academic excellence and cognitive development, but it is only one of areas of focus.
Without taking the time to fully define whole child education, students (and schools) will flourish if parents and educators partner in successfully addressing each of the following categories. The home-school partnership is key for students to flourish.
Cognitive
Of course, schools focus on cognitive (academic) development and most educational research measures effectiveness of pedagogy and student learning. Learning effectiveness could be defined as flourishing cognitively. Quite simply, students flourish academically when taught by teachers who care passionately for both the student and the content area. This dual-focused caring will drive teachers (and schools) to pursue student learning and cognitive flourishing.
Cognitive development happens outside of school, and I'm not talking about structured homework time (which can help the school learning). However, parents who abdicate cognitive development completely to the school, do not help students flourish. Parents must fan the spark of curiosity at home, read to/with their child, plan learning experiences along with vacations, discuss current events, and actively discuss life decisions with their children; this will facilitate flourishing.
Social-Emotional
Schools are an active learning lab for students to grow and develop socially and emotionally. Because all students in this SEL"lab" are still developing, this can be filled with hard lessons ... how do I respond when someone is mean? How do I move on from a dating relationship, especially when I still see the person every day? What do I do when I can't get along with a classmate? Schools, in the past, have approached these issues from a "laissez faire" perspective, but more and more schools are realizing the importance of intentionally teaching a social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, training teachers how to walk alongside students in social-emotional situations. Schools are adopting SEL curricula and character education initiatives, testing organizations are developing SEL measurements (eg. ACT Tessera), and states are creating standards because in order to flourish as a whole person, students need to develop socially and emotionally.
Parents must partner in this area also, recognizing that social-emotional growth often comes through difficulty, helping to develop character traits of grit, resilience, perseverance, and teaching/modeling coping strategies. The home learning should include time management, balance, rest, along with kindness, care-taking, and responsibilities. In some cases, students also deal with mental illness and anxiety that should be addressed by a counselor or psychiatrist. If social emotional development is addressed and reinforced at home, students are more likely to be successful navigating the school dynamic.
Creative
Those who believe in a creator-God, as I do, understand the pre-eminence of this characteristic. Students are created in God's image (imago dei) and the first characteristic we see displayed by God is creativity. We see creativity in every sunrise, blooming flower, and insect; therefore, schools need to identify and honor these gifts by encouraging students to create. Creativity can also include "gap thinking" where students identify creative and innovative solutions to address real needs.
Creativity can be developed outside of school also. Parents can look for creative outlets and encourage creation (instead of purely consumption) in recreation, play, and entertainment. Using one's own gifts to create something for another is one of the greatest ways to image our Creator and encourage whole child flourishing.
Physical
In the pursuit of higher test scores, physical activity, recess/play, and athletics has moved to the back-burner, with many schools cutting these programs. However, research supports the benefits of physical activity in both social-emotional development and academic achievement. Even if a student doesn't have a PE class, taking breaks in the class to stretch, move, and exercise will lead to better whole child health and academic engagement.
Schools used to be the primary vehicle for physical education; however, more schools are dropping those classes for more "academic" electives. Physical activity must be a part of home life and learning. Exercise releases endorphins, a "feel good" chemical, that helps people flourish by having a more positive outlook about self and situations. Students involved in club or recreational sports get physical activity through these programs, but many students are sedentary while at home. Encouraging simple routines of walking the dog, yard work, and morning stretching/yoga will help students flourish at school and in life.
Spiritual
A taboo topic in education is the importance of spiritual development. Public schools cannot endorse a specific religion's beliefs or practices, but they can address spiritual elements of reflection/meditation, sabbath rest, times of silence, seeking wisdom from transcendent texts, singing, and service. Of course, private, religious schools can focus on faith formation in a specific religion, and in this element of whole child education, religious schools have such an advantage.
With our western perspective of individualized religious expression, many parents are hesitant to "force" their religious beliefs onto their children. Therefore, students are given the freedom to decide about religious practices and choose not to participate. This has been detrimental to student flourishing. Students need "church" in order to flourish (see my previous blog for more on this topic). Spiritual development should be emphasized at home, in the family's religious beliefs. This will provide students, at the very least, with a community to belong, a place in a grand story, and an otherness (rather than egocentric) perspective.
With the elements above, partnership is essential ... parents/families working together with educators/schools to help student flourish.
Hopefully, this blog has clarified this new educational buzzword of flourishing. Stay tuned ... there is much more to discuss with flourishing and whole child education.
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