Rainbow Seven Domains™

 

An all-inclusive approach that nurtures a child’s highest growth potential

About

Mission and Vision

rainbow seven domains™ tiles and labels
Through this model, we engage the Physical, Natural, Social, Emotional, Creative, Mental, and Spiritual aspects of human development.

Approaching education through this holistic lens ensures each child’s learning journey is personalized and balanced to foster thriving within and beyond their school-age years.

Holistic Education

This question sits at the foundation of our goal as an educational institution. To begin to answer it, we must define the term Holism.

Holism is the understanding that life is an interaction of wholes, rather than a collection of individual parts. These whole systems interact in synergy- what affects one system will not only affect the other integrated systems but will also affect the whole.

Holistic principles can be found in health care, psychology, anthropology, ecology, economics, and other disciplines. Holistic Healthcare illustrates this concept well. For example, when evaluating a patient, a holistic doctor will take an integrative approach and consider all parts of the human “system,” including diet, exercise, lifestyle, and stress.

Holistic Education follows this same premise, subscribing to the philosophy that the learning experience is a comprehensive integration not only of traditional academic subjects, but of the many facets that comprise a human being. The reductionist view that humans are simply a mind/body construct- a machine with parts that can be modified in isolation- does not fulfill the learner’s true potential.

seven domains - Kindergarten students together
Seven Domains Pre-K

The Whole Learner

Indeed, humans are far more intricate, subtle and mysterious beings. We are multi-faceted creatures with a range of complex emotions, deep connections to the natural world, seekers of the mystery, with an innate need to create, to share, to understand & to be understood. It is the Holistic view that recognizes this concept and the Holistic Education model that seeks its implementation- for the enrichment of the “whole” learner.

Yet, before we can truly nurture the “whole” learner, we must define those individual facets, much in the way that a prism defines white light into seven bands of color. At Rainbow Community School (RCS), the student is viewed Holistically through Seven Domains: spiritual, mental, social, emotional, creative, natural, and physical.

The purpose of this education model is to develop the whole learner into a healthy, intelligent, compassionate, creative, and productive human who is capable of leading an empowered and enriched life.

Holistic Education

This question sits at the foundation of our goal as an educational institution. To begin to answer it, we must define the term Holism.

Holism is the understanding that life is an interaction of wholes, rather than a collection of individual parts. These whole systems interact in synergy- what affects one system will not only affect the other integrated systems but will also affect the whole.

Holistic principles can be found in health care, psychology, anthropology, ecology, economics, and other disciplines. Holistic Healthcare illustrates this concept well. For example, when evaluating a patient, a holistic doctor will take an integrative approach and consider all parts of the human “system,” including diet, exercise, lifestyle, and stress.

Holistic Education follows this same premise, subscribing to the philosophy that the learning experience is a comprehensive integration not only of traditional academic subjects, but of the many facets that comprise a human being. The reductionist view that humans are simply a mind/body construct- a machine with parts that can be modified in isolation- does not fulfill the learner’s true potential.

Orr House Rainbow Community School
Seven Domains Pre-K

The Whole Learner

Indeed, humans are far more intricate, subtle and mysterious beings. We are multi-faceted creatures with a range of complex emotions, deep connections to the natural world, seekers of the mystery, with an innate need to create, to share, to understand & to be understood. It is the Holistic view that recognizes this concept and the Holistic Education model that seeks its implementation- for the enrichment of the “whole” learner.

Yet, before we can truly nurture the “whole” learner, we must define those individual facets, much in the way that a prism defines white light into seven bands of color. At Rainbow Community School (RCS), the student is viewed Holistically through Seven Domains: spiritual, mental, social, emotional, creative, natural, and physical.

The purpose of this education model is to develop the whole learner into a healthy, intelligent, compassionate, creative, and productive human who is capable of leading an empowered and enriched life.

Learn More About The Rainbow Seven Domains™

The Rainbow Seven Domains™ is an all-inclusive approach that nurtures the highest growth potential of each child that attends RCS. These domains underlay all teaching and the curriculum.

We use robust tools and strategies for effective instructional integration of this holistic approach. Some of the ways the Rainbow Seven Domains™ are incorporated into our education model are described below.

Spiritual

Expressed through personal beliefs, myth-making, ceremony, religious studies, states of grace & jubilation, the ‘big’ questions, and contemplative practices (ie; meditation, yoga, tai qi, blessingways).

Mental

Expressed through logic, engineering & technology, puzzles & strategy games, experimenting & questioning, reading, writing, and research.

Creative

Expressed through drawing, painting, dance, music, theater, sculpture, poetry, creative writing, storytelling, fine art appreciation, and play.

Emotional

Expressed through reflective exercises, open dialogue, conflict resolution, and the arts.

Social

Expressed through dynamic governance, peer relations, community celebrations, and collaborative learning experiences.

Natural

Expressed through time in nature, caring for the environment, gardening & animal husbandry, observation, inquiry, and discovery.

Physical

Expressed through movement, dance, physical education, sports and tactile activities

Spiritual

Mental

Expressed through logic, engineering & technology, puzzles & strategy games, experimenting & questioning, reading, writing, and research.

Creative

Expressed through drawing, painting, dance, music, theater, sculpture, poetry, creative writing, storytelling, fine art appreciation, and play.

Emotional

Expressed through reflective exercises, open dialogue, conflict resolution, and the arts.

Social

Expressed through dynamic governance, peer relations, community celebrations, and collaborative learning experiences.

Natural

Expressed through time in nature, caring for the environment, gardening & animal husbandry, observation, inquiry, and discovery.

Physical

Expressed through movement, dance, physical education, sports and tactile activities

The Rainbow Seven Domains™ in the classroom

Teacher goals & growth

RCS teachers strive to develop holistically and set personal and professional goals that are holistic in nature. In an effort to support the growth and development of holistic teachers, mentor teachers, and administrators observe and evaluate teachers using a Rainbow Seven Domains™ Goals Setting and Observation Form.

Personal domain reflections

As students become aware of the Rainbow Seven Domains™ and their place within the RCS educational model, they begin to reflect on their own learning styles.

These self-reflections vary in complexity across grades but all indicate the Domains with which the student most resonates and the Domains by which they may be most challenged. They are shared at Student Led Conferences.

Domain personas

Although we seek to foster a well-rounded individual, many people are naturally inclined towards one or two particular Domains, witnessing and engaging the world through their own unique lens.

The concept of the Domains is versatile and can be used not only for educational purposes but also as the understanding of personality archetypes, much akin to Jungian archetypes or Rudolph Steiner’s 4 temperaments.

Each Domain persona perceives and communicates uniquely. Each persona is also presented with innate challenges.

In understanding and respecting these differences, we can gain greater empathy toward others, form a stronger community ,and manage healthier dialogues. We can, as well, better understand and address the needs of our students.

Unit planning guide

Cultivating a holistic learning environment takes intentional planning. Our teachers and/or teaching teams use long-term unit plans and short-term lesson plan frameworks.

These frameworks encourage thinking and planning through the Rainbow Seven Domains™ while also inviting cross-curricular integration.

Student narrative reports & progress reports

RCS takes a balanced approach to assessment. Students are assessed using multi-faceted methods to create a well-rounded understanding of both the level of each child and the type of learner each is.

The information that is collected using a robust set of assessments is integrated into student narrative evaluations/ progress reports. These narratives are completed each trimester and are structured in a way that the classroom teacher reports on student growth and development in all Rainbow Seven Domains™.

Domain Days

"Domain Day" is an opportunity for students to gather together in groups based upon a specific elected domain and to spend the entirety of the day engulfed in the experience of that domain.

Domain Days allow children to be immersed in an educational experience relating to a domain to which they are innately attracted.

Also, since the ages will be blended, it is an opportunity for students to interact in an educational setting with peers they may not generally mingle with due to the natural age boundaries of each class.

Curriculum integration

The RCS school day does not follow the traditional schedule of 50-minute class periods. Rather, large instructional blocks that integrate the Rainbow Seven Domains™ are implemented.

While some lessons highlight one domain more than others, all of the domains are often integrated simultaneously into a lesson. For example, a Math class will primarily focus on the Mental Domain. However, students may be practicing math facts through kinesthetic learning games that utilize the Physical Domain.

Students may also ponder the deeper meaning of infinite numbers through the lens of the Spiritual Domain, or they may demonstrate how a math concept, such as the Fibonacci Sequence, is found throughout the Natural Domain, thus making the concept more memorable and relevant.

Students who are skilled in the Social Domain are proactive in asking questions and are adept in working in groups on math-oriented inquiry projects.

Further Integrating the Domains

Learners are often drawn to one or two particular domains for which they have a natural proclivity or talent. When a student is nourished in the particular domain they resonate with, their success often builds confidence and enhances growth in the other domains.

Reciprocally, the holistic approach allows for learners to explore domains that may be challenging, but in a way that utilizes the strengths they have in other domains.

This method is an intimate and nuanced approach, where the teacher will adjust their instruction and the learning environment based upon the individual needs and innate talents of the students.

Students are encouraged to participate in this process, further bolstering the synergy of the unique learner and the interactive, perceptive teacher.

physical domain icon

Physical Domain

Embodies kinesthetic awareness, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, heath & well-being.

Physical Domain
Perception:

• Intakes information through kinesthetic engagement
• Perceives self as a physical being
• Experiential learner

Communication:

• Interacts through physical engagement
• ”Doing” more than Thinking”
• Action-orientated

Challenges:

• Needs to be engaged in body
• May be difficult to be in structured academic situations
• Must occupy body to be free of mind

desaturated red physical domain tile

Thinks

in movement and through somatic sensations

Loves

moving, touching, running, jumping, dancing, building, & creating

Learning Needs

physical games, movement, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to build create

natural domain leaf icon

Natural Domain

Embodies reverence for nature, nature-engagement, stewardship & environmental action, and scientific knowledge.

Natural Domain
Perception:

• Multi-sensory awareness of the environment & surroundings
• Immersive learner desires to be engaged in pursuits
• Observant & curious •Patterns, cycles & natural rhythms frame observations

Communication:

• Collecting & sharing discoveries
• Making, building & crafting ideas
• Organization & pattern orientated

Challenges:

• Being indoors
• Especially abstract concepts
• Sensitive to plight of nature

desaturated natural domain tile

Thinks

through the senses and through connection with nature

Loves

being outside, observing & studying nature, caring for living things

Learning Needs

time in the outdoors, materials from nature

natural domain - student holding two leaves over his eyes
desaturated social domain flower icon

Social Domain

Embodies self-esteem, communication, social responsibility, and collaboration

Social Domain
Perception:

• Focuses upon connections & bonds
• Filters the world through a series of interactions/reactions
• Reflections of experience often focus on interpersonal interactions.

Communication:

• Adept at interpreting social cues
• Flexible interaction styles allow for a more varied & authentic interaction among a wider & more varied population
• Gregarious, affable & engaged communicators

Challenges:

• Needs confidence to be comfortable
• Needs to ‘fit in’ & has a hard time finding their own voice
• Being alone
• Can manipulate or be manipulated, as they are so engaged in social dynamics
• May lack empathy for those who are not as socially fluid as
themselves

desaturated yellow social domain tile

Thinks

through collaborative communication and action

Loves

friends, social events, joining groups, leading & organizing people

Learning Needs

social learning opportunities: partner, small and/or large group

desaturated emotional domain heart icon

Emotional Domain

Embodies empathy, healthy expression, self-care & resilience and emotional literacy

Emotional Domain
Perception:

• Empathetic observers
• Keenly aware of the ‘energies’ of their environment & the moods of others
• Intuitive
• Compassionate
• Sensitive to intrapersonal forces

Communication:

• Seeks to communicate with authenticity & validity
• Active listener
• Wishes to understand & reflect on the many variables & perspectives that may be present

Challenges:

• Overdependence
• May need validation & approval
• May be overly sensitive / ‘moody’
• Leadership can be difficult

desaturated green emotinoal domain tile

Thinks

with their heart and deeply inside themselves

Loves

reflecting on, talking about feelings; sympathizing & listening to others

Learning Needs

ritual and routine, centering, class meetings, and conflict resolution

emotional domain - preK kids interacting with each other
desaturated creative domain paint and brush icon

Creative Domain

Embodies imagination & innovation, process, product & execution, and art appreciation

Creative Domain
Perception:

• Perceives aesthetics: composition, beauty, form, artistry & arrangement
• Curious & passionate
• Immersive in their art
• Learns through process

Communication:

• Utilizes a multitude of mediums to share ideas
• Process orientated
• Communicate abstract ideas or emotions through artistic expression
• Seeks to be evocative & engaging

Challenges:

• Can be seen as aloof or confusing
• Can be ungrounded
• Difficult to work within a structure

desaturated turquoise creative domain tile

Thinks

in images, visuals, rhythms and melodies

Loves

the arts – drawing, designing, sculpting, creating, singing, etc.

Learning Needs

inspiration, time, space and supplies/materials to create

desaturated mental domain puzzle piece icon

Mental Domain

Embodies inquiry, organization, cognition, and retention

Mental Domain
Perception:

• Seeks purpose: what is the goal? What are the steps to achieve this goal?
• Prioritizes & analyzes
• Organizes information through structure & order
• Synthesizes tangible connections & utilizes formulaic methods

Communication:

• Direct & straightforward
• Explanatory
• Linguistic
• Symbols & Formulas can bolster ideas

Challenges:

• Unfocused discourse will challenge
• Communication style can be intimidating
• May be rigid in their thoughts & need concrete proof
• Not open to “fantasy” or other such esoteric explorations

desaturated blue mental domain tile

Thinks

in words, patterns, through reasoning and problem solving

Loves

reading, writing, word & number games, puzzles, experiments

Learning Needs

academically challenging and inquiry based learning opportunities

mental domain background - omega middle school science class
desaturated purple spiritual domain lotus icon

Spiritual Domain

Embodies mystery & contemplation, spiritual virtues, celebration & ceremony, and world traditions

Spiritual Domain
Perception:

• Intuitive
• Seeker
• Asks the “big” questions
• Seeks the mysteries & the esoteric
• Questions often
• Contemplative

Communication:

• Metaphor, myth & story all used to communicate
• Non-verbal
• Presence orientated

Challenges:

• Being grounded
• Structure
• The hubbub of modernity & social norms
• Can be seen as aloof

desaturated purple spiritual domain tile

Thinks

through reflection and contemplation

Loves

centering, mindfulness, contemplative & reflective practices

Learning Needs

time alone, quiet, space, and reflection

Our Pre-K through 3rd grade Division Head, Kate Brantley

At Rainbow, our Division Heads want to do everything possible to ensure the success of your child. We follow the Seven Domains™ model to facilitate learning and reaching the whole child.

A whole child approach