Want to Know More? Books of Note - Part 3 -- Creating the Peaceable Classroom: Techniques to Calm, Uplift, and Focus Teachers and Students
My elementary teaching days have passed, but I would totally be using this book if I were working in a school. I came across it in the vastly rich bookstore at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, MA.
Who wouldn't want a peaceable classroom?
Creating the Peaceable Classroom is an incredible collection of tools for teachers and their students to self-regulate their thoughts and behaviors when under stress or overstimulated. With these tools in hand, all members of a classroomcommunity can focus their attention where it needs to be.
Bothmer starts with detailed information on "Bringing Balance and Vitality to the Classroom Arrangement" through the use of Feng Shui - the ancient Chinese art of creating environments that foster individual and personal goals. Teachers have always put time and efforts into classroom arrangements - but sometimes with as much focus on neat and pretty as on truly functional. Here we go beyond desks and blackboards to new key classroom elements (from rugs and sofas to fountains and wind chimes), how to place them, and why they help teachers and students to do their best work.
Think about a store or location you've been to where traffic flow restricts access or where the shopping experience just isn't good. On the other hand, if you've been to DisneyLand/World, you know how well people can flow in and around the rides and exhibits. Those folks spend a lot of time and effort on what people see and how they can see and move around it. Don't we owe that same opportunity to our children as they learn?
Subsequent chapters describe in detail activities that foster a peaceable classroom such as doing deep belly breathing, striking yoga poses, stating positive affirmations, participating in guided imagery, and listening to music.
Teachers will be glad to see that there are actual lesson plans with objectives, materials lists, and step-by-step instructions. The background for how and why these activities connect to classroom success is another important offering. A guiding principle is that the activities are all ones that focus on "the whole self" (as opposed to just the brain...) as essential to the learning process. Some of my favorites are raisin focusing, dog and cat pose, and rocky coast visualization.
What I really appreciate about the ideas in Creating the Peaceable Classroom is that they model techniques that can extend to life outside the classroom. How wonderful to empower children to notice their own reaction/response to a situation and then appropriately manage it. Very terrapeutic, indeed!
Who wouldn't want a peaceable classroom?
Bothmer starts with detailed information on "Bringing Balance and Vitality to the Classroom Arrangement" through the use of Feng Shui - the ancient Chinese art of creating environments that foster individual and personal goals. Teachers have always put time and efforts into classroom arrangements - but sometimes with as much focus on neat and pretty as on truly functional. Here we go beyond desks and blackboards to new key classroom elements (from rugs and sofas to fountains and wind chimes), how to place them, and why they help teachers and students to do their best work.
Think about a store or location you've been to where traffic flow restricts access or where the shopping experience just isn't good. On the other hand, if you've been to DisneyLand/World, you know how well people can flow in and around the rides and exhibits. Those folks spend a lot of time and effort on what people see and how they can see and move around it. Don't we owe that same opportunity to our children as they learn?
Subsequent chapters describe in detail activities that foster a peaceable classroom such as doing deep belly breathing, striking yoga poses, stating positive affirmations, participating in guided imagery, and listening to music.
Teachers will be glad to see that there are actual lesson plans with objectives, materials lists, and step-by-step instructions. The background for how and why these activities connect to classroom success is another important offering. A guiding principle is that the activities are all ones that focus on "the whole self" (as opposed to just the brain...) as essential to the learning process. Some of my favorites are raisin focusing, dog and cat pose, and rocky coast visualization.
What I really appreciate about the ideas in Creating the Peaceable Classroom is that they model techniques that can extend to life outside the classroom. How wonderful to empower children to notice their own reaction/response to a situation and then appropriately manage it. Very terrapeutic, indeed!
Posted by Jean C. Lawler at 9/6/2009 3:52 PM 
Categories: Books
Tags: environment calm school yoga education behavior books teaching focus affirmation
Categories: Books
Tags: environment calm school yoga education behavior books teaching focus affirmation
What is the best time for stretching exercises and can i do them after eating something ?
Reply to this
It is important to note that active stretches and isometric stretches should not be part of your warm-up because they are often counterproductive.Back stretches are probably the most commonly used tool in back pain relief. You may have seen many different types of back stretches over your travels, yet found most to be less effective than you like.
Reply to this