{"id":61,"date":"2017-03-16T01:49:22","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T08:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/cquock\/?p=61"},"modified":"2017-03-16T01:49:22","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T08:49:22","slug":"implications-and-exploring-links-to-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/cquock\/2017\/03\/16\/implications-and-exploring-links-to-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Implications and Exploring Links to Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Implications and Exploring Links to Practice<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

My inquiry project is about the benefits of student and teacher brain breaks throughout the teaching day. I have observed that the common school day incorporates one short outdoor recess break in the morning and a short time outside after lunch, this conventional practice left me questioning why isn\u2019t there a similar break in the afternoon. This is where my idea of incorporating short, focused brain breaks throughout the school day enters my teaching practice. <\/span><\/p>\n

During my Thursday school visits and my two-week practicum, I have noticed that the need for class management increased in the afternoons and the students were increasingly having behavioral issues and were unfocused. There is no practice of brain breaks in my grade 3\/4 combined class and I think that incorporating these activities would be beneficial and a welcomed activity for both my class and me as the teacher. <\/span><\/p>\n

The types of brain break I plan on implementing into my classroom routine would depend on my students\u2019 overall mood and would be at my discretion as I assess the classroom; in other words, it would be the students that set the mood for what kind of breaks to take. I plan on incorporating and encouraging three types of brain breaks:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Physical spurts of fun, positive energetic activities<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Mindful and calming activities <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Physical breaks that include learning content<\/span><\/p>\n

The lengths of the first two breaks are intended to be short and get the students to prepped and refocused for learning. The third break can run a little longer because it incorporates content from the topic that we are about to cover. <\/span><\/p>\n

Personally, I try to live a healthy, active, holistic life and being physically active helps me concentrate and focus on tasks that are presented to me; I took this self-reflection and thought that my students could also benefit from activities that can help them identify when they need a brain break in order to refocus and have fun while learning. I sincerely believe that these\u00a0breaks not only benefits the students but the teacher as well and I believe that when you and your students have something fun or calming\u00a0to redirect the energy or lack of energy, the need for classroom management can be decreased. I also bring\u00a0my specific\u00a0Indigenous knowledge into my teaching practice.\u00a0The belief of the\u00a0healthy\u00a0balance of the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of an individual is a new motivating factor that I have not mentioned previously in my inquiry process. <\/span><\/p>\n

During my own academic journey at UBC, I have documented the brain breaks that my instructors have\u00a0used in their classes and I observed that\u00a0these activities\u00a0resets the atmosphere and allows us to\u00a0keep engaged in our\u00a0learning throughout the\u00a0three hour classes. From January to March 2017, I completed a Music Methods course that I enjoyed very much and I have learned that teachers that bring the element of music into their classrooms can use this as a calming or uplifting brain break. In fact, I have observed during my Social Studies Methods class at a local elementary school, that classical music is played over the intercom after lunch every day to initiate a calming atmosphere. The teacher that I worked with at this school practiced a mindfulness activity\u00a0with her students before they begin their school day. She used chimes to signal the transition into and the completion of\u00a0the mindfulness activity and a calming voice to facilitate their breathing exercise. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My next move in the inquiry process is to research and gather ideas of how to incorporate\u00a0Indigenous knowledge into my inquiry and\u00a0continue to compile resources to use in my classroom. I am in the process of purchasing books and other technology to help me become an active teacher in the classroom. Here are some of the books and resources that I anticipate would be extremely beneficial to incorporate this initiative: \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u2018Brain Break 1\u2019 by Mike Smith. Youtube: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=U7jWtL7XLAk&t=105s<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u2018Brain Break 2\u2019 by Mike Smith. Youtube: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AFkVjzKoqLA<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u2018Energizing Brain Breaks\u2019 by David Sladkey. https:\/\/us.corwin.com\/en-us\/nam\/energizing-brain-breaks\/book237344<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u2018Brain Breaks Blogspot\u2019 Website: http:\/\/brainbreaks.blogspot.ca\/<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u2018The Happy Teacher\u2019 Website: http:\/\/www.thehappyteacher.co\/2012\/08\/brain-breaks.html<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u2018Take a Break! Teacher Toolbox: Physical Activity Breaks in the Secondary Classroom\u2019 by The Colorado Education Initiative. Pdf: http:\/\/www.coloradoedinitiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/CEI-Take-a-Break-Teacher-Toolbox.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u2018Candle of Concentration\u2019 by Cosmic Kids. Youtube: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yx_8bnRYL08&list=PLwFeauXd-qBoXHstQNZ0ca_Ksuj-z-Njx<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

Questions:<\/span><\/p>\n