Universal Education Foundation Education by All for the Well-Being of Children 1 The Universal Education Foundation

Universal Education Foundation • Education by All for the Well-Being of Children 1

The Universal The Universal Education FoundationEducation Foundation

ReflectionsReflections on Educationon Education

and and

Well BeingWell Being


Education for well being means:

Focusing not only on what children learn but on how they learn

and

…requires attention to every aspect of the educational environment such as:


The content and style of teaching and learning

The prevalent attitudes and feelings involved

The quality of the relationships involved

The physical environment and manner in which the body-minds of teachers and students are engaged in the learning process

The intention and spirit of the educational endeavor.


What are some of the key elements of education for mental, emotional, social, physical and spiritual dimensions of well being?


Education for mental well being

entails cultivating curiosity, knowledge and skills, creativity, the capacity to learn and the love of learning, the ability to be inner directed, to discern and to evaluate situations and to make reflective, effective decisions that nurture ones own and other’s well being.


Learning what? Providing each child with the basic content and skills such as literacy, health literacy, arithmetic and ICT to function in today's world as well as the individually relevant breadth and specificity of knowledge that will contribute maximally to his/her self actualization.

Learning how? Cultivating multiple intelligences (Gardner) by rich, pleasurable, experiences that optimally foster the child’s different ways of learning and knowing.


Education for Social and Emotional Well Being

There is growing research showing that: social and emotional learning programs

significantly improve students' academic performance (Timothy p. Shriver and Roger P. Weissberg aug 16 n.Y. Times)

emotional intelligence and interpersonal

skills are important factors in professional success in adult life. (www.eiconsortium.org/research/what_is_emotional_intelligence.htm)


According to CASEL:

Social and emotional learning is the process of acquiring the skills to recognize and manage emotions, develop caring and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships, and handle challenging situations effectively.


Learning for social and emotional well being also involves cultivating the child's

self acceptance, self esteem, competence, self directedness and self expression.

awareness and caring about oneself and others.

respect and curiosity in relation to differences between people and a capacity for understanding interdependence.

the capacity for joy, wonder, playfulness, spontaneity, empathy and compassion

tools for managing and transforming painful and unpleasant emotions and conflict.


Education for physical well being

entails cultivating healthy body minds and healthy life styles in students by offering knowledge, activities and experiences that contribute to physical well being, to health literacy and to the awareness of the relationship between physical well-being and the mental, emotional, social and spiritual dimensions


This means:

Providing safe, stimulating, well maintained learning environments

Engaging the child’s mind bodies in learning in ways that develop physical health and a full range of kinesthetic and mind body skills and pleasure in healthy physical activity

Offering mind body techniques for dealing with stress and trauma, for strengthening the immune system and for nurturing optimally healthy minds and bodies

Encouraging a deeper understanding, care for and engagement with the natural environment and ecological issues


Providing age and culturally appropriate information, learning experiences and counseling services relating to optimally healthy lifestyles that address:mind body potential, health and fitness nutrition tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs,personal/consumer healthsafety and injury prevention (including

violence prevention) family lifehuman sexuality; disease prevention and control


Education for spiritual well being

The aim of development is the complete fulfillment of man, in all the richness of his personality, the complexity of his forms of expression and his various commitments – as individual, member of a family and of a community, citizen and producer, inventor of techniques and creative dreamer.

1992 the UNESCO task force on “learning to be”:


Education for spiritual well being entails cultivating

a sense of meaning and purpose in discovering and expressing one’s unique gifts in service of community.

a sense of awe and wonder in nature and the universe and a deep understanding of interconnectedness to all that is. The experience of “inter-being” (Thich Nhat Hahn)

the experience of joy, mindfulness and lovefullness in relation to self and others.

an understanding of ongoing personal growth and healing in relation to one’s unique life path.


Components of a coordinated school health program include:

Family and Community Involvement

Comprehensive School Health Education

Physical Education

School Health Services

Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services

School Nutrition Services

Healthy School Environment

School-site Health Promotion for Staff(Making the Connection: Health and Student Achievement: Healthy children learn better! Powerpoint presentation by theSociety of State Directors of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation 2003)


Some Subjective Key Elements of Well Being:

Coherence between the way one’s life is and the way in which one would like it to be.

A deep sense of being safe and supported by one's environment or one’s spiritual belief system.

A pervasive sense of self-esteem, joy, curiosity, wonder and gratitude, with the capacity to navigate and cope with a full spectrum of emotions.

A satisfying sense of self-awareness, self-expression and self-actualization, and meaningful and rewarding engagement in relationships, learning, work, creativity, leisure and play.


A pervasive sense of physical health and vitality and rewarding engagement in physical activity

A sense of belonging, interdependence and pleasure in contributing to one’s communities and human and non-human environment

A confidence in one’s ability to manage challenging situations and ambiguity with competence, choice and flexibility.

A prevalent sense of acceptance, optimism, resourcefulness, resilience and capacity for growth and healing in the face of life’s challenges.


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Universal Education Foundation Education by All for the Well-Being of Children 1 The Universal Education Foundation