BubbleUp Take5: Positive Nudges, Cardboard, Meditation and More

Happy November from BubbleUp Classroom!  We know that despite the Fall leaves and crisp autumn air that this is a time when teachers and students can start feeling burned out. While everything is shiny and new in September, now kids and adults are feeling the grind and in need of a break. As educators, we all have to work hard to keep ourselves grounded in our practice and positive so that our students will reflect that back to us in their learning. We hope this Take 5 will help inspire you in the weeks to come to try something new. Remember to breathe; you aren't that far away from a very well deserved Thanksgiving Break! ​

A few things I have come across in recent days have really resonated with me. I was struck by this New York Times Article entitled Nudges that Help Struggling Students Succeed. As someone who just this year started teaching Growth Mindset, it really reaffirmed to me that the small things that we say to individual students really matter. Perhaps even better, it gave me even more ideas for putting these positive "nudges" into my practice. 

Another thing that caught my attention was this heartwarming video about Caine's Arcade in Los Angeles. The video was used to introduce the Global Cardboard Challenge at my daughter's elementary school this past weekend. After viewing it, the students went on to create their own cardboard creations. The room was a buzz with creativity, innovation, and excitement. Kids made everything from trucks to rockets to computers to robots with parents acting as assistants. The Global Cardboard Challenge would be a great way to bring collaboration and communication to a middle school setting. The wheels in my head are definitely turning. 

That's all from me. Gretchen is going to take it from here. She's found three things that have caught her attention this week.  Read on for more ideas and inspiration.
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-Corey

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An article on MindShift titled How to Help Students Develop a Love of Reading  emphasizes the role of parents and family on reading culture. The article asserts that it is key that "learning about the world through books become a family value instead of a school responsibility." I love this idea and wish that we would take away minutes and pages from regular homework assignments, however, I wonder if this shift is possible in all families. The piece had some great ideas that I think parents and educators alike can use, such as don't be the literature police (any and all reading counts) and use technology to get students involved in online reading communities. 

I have thought a lot about mindfulness in relation to parenting my own two boys, however, Pause, Refocus, Assess: Meditation in the Classroom discusses the value of a regular classroom meditation practice. I think that his practical approach and impact assessment make this kind of practice accessible and approachable.

STEM Bins, Teach Outside the Box www.teachoutsidethebox.com

I think that it''s time to build some maker tubs, aka STEM bins. Initially sparked by an idea shared by librarian Anita Mays at the VAASL 2016 annual conference, and then highlighted again when I just ran across this post on the Teach Outside the Box Facebook page, a slightly structured approach to making and STEM could truly help support our students. I love the idea of a makerspace as open, free, messy and creative, but some students need a bit more focus and these tubs offer just that. Easy to put together with what is on hand and appropriate across grade levels, I think we'll start with just a few and see how they go. These could work nicely in the classroom as well as the library!

-Gretchen

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You might also like:

• BubbleUp Take5: Writing, Art, Growth Mindset, and more (January 24, 2017)
• Making Our Makerspace Even Better (June 14, 2016)