Quiz: How much do you know about Whole-Learner Education?

Correct answer was “2”. The science of brain development and learning tells us that, at every stage of development, learning doesn’t happen in neatly defined silos. Much like a “constructive web,” children develop along simultaneous “strands” or pathways, demonstrating responsiveness to different yet connected constructive experiences.

Correct answer was “2”. The concept of “whole-learner” is predicated on instructional approaches that effectively weave together:

• Direct instruction, in which adults provide initial framing and explicit instruction;

• Guided teaching and learning, in which students have the opportunity to investigate, iterate, and learn through self-directed experiences within a framework constructed by educators; and,

• Open exploration, in which learners are encouraged to make their own choices about the content and process of learning.

Correct answer was “4”. Throughout the continuum of development, from birth through grade 12 and beyond, whole-learner approaches aim to provide every student with meaningful, engaging, iterative, socially interactive, and joyful experiences that promote the interconnected development of a wide range of skills.

Correct answer was “4”. Healthy learning and development is predicated on the learning opportunities available, and the context in which the learning happens. Context includes the environments, experiences, and relationships that comprise human life, and which interact to help shape our biology.

Correct answer was “2”. In considering how to design learning experiences that effectively develop a breadth of skills and set the stage for deeper learning, we can take a lesson from children themselves and the ways in which they naturally learn through self-directed, playful experiences.

Correct answer was “2”. Today, assessment systems, funding streams, and existing education policies discount the importance of positive context, narrowly define student achievement, and perpetuate outdated conceptions of learning and development as a series of separate, independently developed domains. As a result, we are leaving tremendous potential untapped and leaving children ill-equipped to thrive, especially those students already facing enormous barriers to success.

Correct answer was “2”. The breadth of skills that create the foundation for success in life exist in a potential state in all all people; outcomes are determined by opportunities, environment, experiences, and relationships.

Correct answer was “3”. Experiences that draw on the playful, engaging, self-directed learning that all children pursue intuitively help to develop deep understanding and knowledge, create high engagement and motivation in students, and support the development of the breadth of skills necessary for learners to thrive and broaden their own horizons.

Correct answer was “1”. Context includes the environments, experiences, and relationships that comprise human life, including both physical makeup and the various elements of the person’s social, cultural, and physical world (social relationships, neighborhoods and communities, social institutions, the physical ecology, and culture).

Correct answer was “4”. Together, federal policymakers—in partnership with state and local leaders, high-quality partners, educators, and families—can advance evidence-based whole-learner approaches that channel the science of learning and development to make progress toward providing every student with the engaging, meaningful learning experiences that will enable them to realize their full potential and contribute to their communities.