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A Tech Teacher on a Mission

First Days: Mindful Learning

9/5/2013

 
The first week of school in my district can be confusing, stressful, and nerve-wracking for some, perhaps even most.  Our classes are not set until the end of the first week as we wait for upper management to confirm and crunch the final numbers for student enrolment at each school.  Careful thought is put into class composition as we move forward to determining which students we will be working with this year. 

But while all of that is going on, we are still teaching.  We are not necessarily teaching our kids that we will receive, though we might have a few of them in our midst.  We don't know that until the classes are set on Friday.  This is something that challenges me year after year as I always strive to create purposeful learning opportunities.  I stress over planning aspects because I find it difficult to make my teaching meaningful when I can't continue the journey with the same students.  It's all about relationships.
PictureThe MindUP Curriculum for Grades 3-5
But the group I have been working with are a wonderful bunch of Grade 4 students who have made me feel incredibly at home in my new job.  Not only have they been welcoming, kind, and receptive to my style, but we have had so much fun in the little time I've gotten to know them.  Needless to say, I'm going to be sad to see many of them move on to other classrooms.  Luckily, a few of them will be staying with me as I am teaching a Grade 3/4 split this year. 

Today we journeyed through the first stages of the
MindUP program.  I am a huge advocate for promoting social responsibility and self-regulation within students.  I believe that everyone, no matter the personality or background, deserves an opportunity to develop the skills needed to become an independent and contributing citizen to their communities.  This can translate in many ways depending on the needs of the learner, but as always, I'm challenging them to meet a higher standard than the one in which they enter my classroom.  

MindUP is based upon deep-breathing exercises and metacognition.  It allows students to understand the parts of their brain at work in social processes and to become more aware, or "mindful," of the impact they have on themselves and others.  By using a common language in class that includes brain anatomy and neural processes, students begin to understand that they are truly in control of their reactive selves in social situations, both in the classroom and in real-world contexts.

Picture
The digitized brain model students got to experience using the Daqri app for iOS. This is "4D" augmented reality model allows you to interact with it to learn brain anatomy.
My big edu-win today was that even though I may never teach some of these kids again, the lessons we experienced together were meaningful, filled with enriched discussion, and curiosity.   I even had a couple who approached me to say that they wanted to continue learning about "self-control by using their brain."  This day made me forget all about being stressed out about creating "one-off lessons" and to remember that every day, every moment, can impact the life of a student.

Thanks for reading!  I encourage you to comment below to tell your classroom's stories of building community, relationships, and mindful learners. 
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Dave Shortreed link
9/11/2013 02:13:43 am

Thanks for sharing this post Victoria. It is so important to provide this kind of space in school, and you are right, it will be just as memorable for your students as it was for you.

MN teacher
3/3/2016 11:53:05 am

What is the app you used for this? Where did you find the targets??

vicky link
8/18/2016 12:37:25 am

Modern Residential Monastery, Online, Interactive Mindfulness Education. ... of Winooski to practice 10 minutes of mindfulness every day using one of the three ... Danny first came to mindfulness practice with a deep interest in the nature

Manuel Franco
12/1/2023 03:05:54 pm

I just want to say Thank You to everyone who supported me through the years. My name is Manuel Franco, New Berlin, Wisconsin. My story of how I won the Powerball lottery of $768.4M is a bit of a tale. I have been playing Powerball tickets for 6 years now since I turned 18. I bought my first ticket on my 18 birthday. I was feeling very lucky that day because I had contacted Dr. Odunga Michael to help me with the winning Powerball numbers. I really had that great great feeling that I looked at the camera wanting to wink at it. I only did a tiny part of it and trusted him. He gave me the numbers after I played a couple other tickets along with it for $10. I checked my ticket after the winnings came online and saw the numbers were correct including the Power play. I screamed for about 10 minutes because it felt like a dream. I had won $768.4M. You can check my winning testimony with the lottery officials just with my name search. Thank you Dr Odunga. Well, his email is [email protected] and you can also call or Whats-app him at +2348167159012 so you guys can contact him


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    Victoria Olson
    A curious and passionate educator in Langley, BC

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