Reflection of My Genius Hour

My first experience with Genius Hour was definitely positive and beneficial. I was able to research and explore a topic that I was interested in. I learned that there are plenty of online resources about introducing yoga and meditation into the classroom. I found blogs, posters, videos, programs and lesson resources that have really given me a good foundation to start this initiative in my own classroom.

Genius Hour is definitely something that I want to use in my classroom. Not only is it an opportunity for children to take charge of their learning, its also a great way for the teacher to get to know their students. Genius Hour can get students engaged and excited about learning because they are in control!

My positive experience with Genius Hour has definitely got me excited about trying it out in my future classroom!

Blog Evaluation

TPACK - The Importance of Copyright

The Importance of Copyright

Wikipedia (January 8, 2017). Copyright symbol (Online image). Retrieved fromhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright 

I have learned that all media on the Internet has been copyrighted in order to protect people's original work. There are different types of copyright licences with different purposes and rules. There are ways to used copyrighted work by asking for permission or citing the work properly, which differs based on what type of media it is (i.e. picture, video etc.). It is important for teachers to understand the rules of copyright in order to pass on these rules to our students. At an early age students learn that they cannot copy someone else's work word for word. It is okay to use ideas from other people but we cannot use someone's work and pretend it is our own. Teachers teach their students about plagiarism in the context of their school work but now with the increased use of technology in our schools, teachers must also teach their students about how to abide by various copyright rules. I think it is important to explain to students that there are rules they must follow and show them how to do that. Once students get used to following copyright rules, they can make it a part of their routine when using online resources.

Airtech2010 (March 22, 2016). Our kids and technology (Photograph). Retrieved from http://www.airtech2010.com/2016/03/22/hello-world/#comments

Learning Object Using Class DoJo

Learning Object: Use class Dojo to motivate my students to participate and behave appropriately during our daily yoga/ meditation

Class Dojo is a great classroom management tool that is fun for students and teachers! You can customize the "Positive" and "Needs Work" skills for your class or your subject. In my case I would be using it to manage behaviour during our yoga practice. I create a sample Class Dojo to test out how this resource would work in a possible classroom!

I customized my sample Class Dojo and created some possible "Positives" like on task, helping others, and trying new poses that I would use to encourage my students to engage in these behaviours.

I also customized some "Needs Works" like being unsafe and not participating that I would use in my class to discourage students from engaging in these behaviours. These behaviours would not be acceptable in my classroom and would not benefit the student or their peers. That is why I assigned these behaviours as -1. 

This tool is extremely helpful, especially for young students, because they can directly see which behaviours are desirable and which behaviours they should avoid. This resource can be used off of a computer, tablet or a phone, which makes it very easy for the teacher to update the Dojos frequently. This resource can be used for everyday classroom management and can also be shared with parents! 

The Benefits of Yoga: Body, Mind, Spirit

As I continue to research my topic for Genius Hour, I decided today to get some solid facts about the benefits of yoga. I came across a great resource Yoga 4 Classrooms This a program that teachers can use to incorporate yoga into their classrooms. It is a self-sustaining program because it can be modified to different students' needs and be able to use it for different classes each year.

The Benefits of Yoga 

Art of Living. February 9, 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga. 

Body 

Physically, yoga practice can increase flexibility and balance. Yoga can increase blood circulation, digestion and strengthen the immune system. Yoga can also relax the body and help improve sleep. 

Terry Gustafson Kempfert. February 9, 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga

Mind

Mentally, yoga can relieve stress and improve concentration. Practicing yoga can increase thoughtfulness and reduce levels of anxiety. 

Linda Malone. March 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.tonictoronto.com/March-2015/Managing-Mental-Health-Through-Yoga/

Spirit 

Spiritually, yoga can help support emotional intelligence, self-discipline and self-respect. The spiritual benefits of yoga are ongoing and promote overall personal well-being. 

This resource has really helped me to realize the positive impacts that yoga can have on our bodies, minds and spirits. I can use this knowledge to support my reasoning for using yoga in my classroom. I think that teaching children to be mindful and giving them a scheduled time to slow down and relax throughout the day can really help their learning and overall well-being. By teaching students how to do yoga and practicing in the classroom will provide students with a stress-management strategy that they can use throughout their lives. I think it is important to share with our students the reasons why yoga is important and then let them experience the benefits themselves. Through my personal yoga practice I have experienced the physical, mental and spiritual benefits that it can have and this has only strengthened my passion and love for practicing yoga. 

Update: My Genius Hour

I have begun to research my Genius Hour question. I found a great resource that provided me with 40 ideas about how to integrate yoga into my everyday classroom routine.

Kids Yoga Stories. August 23, 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.kidsyogastories.com/classroom-yoga/

I liked their idea about introducing new yoga poses by creating a theme. For example, alphabet yoga or jungle animal yoga. This addresses one of my concerns which was, how do I switch up the poses I use in my class and what poses do I choose? By choosing a theme, I can pick certain yoga poses that fit into the theme.

We can also practice breathing techniques which are a huge part of yoga. Having this as a separate strategy can help students practice their breathing as a strategy to reduce their stress or calm them down when they are angry or upset. I think I will introduce breathing in one of my first lessons on yoga so that students can integrate it into the rest of the yoga activities we do throughout the year.

There are also a lot of ways to write and reflect about yoga. Some examples were, write affirmation sentences, write about the yoga adventure of the day, write in their Gratitude Journal. These are valuable ways to teach students how to reflect on their feelings, experiences and progress through yoga or using yoga as a way to create positive feelings and feelings of happiness or gratitude.

This resource has been so helpful to me so far and its the first one I've found! I cannot wait to continue to build up my knowledge and resource bank on this topic. Stay tunes for more updates.

My Inspiration For My Genius Hour

Goals: The goal for my Genius Hour project is to find practical ways to incorporate yoga into my daily classroom routine. I don't want to use yoga just because I enjoy it, I want to learn how to make it enjoyable and beneficial for my students. I have never taught yoga and I don't have a lot of experience seeing children's yoga. These are things that I want to research so that I can find the best ways to incorporate them into my classroom.

Motivation: The motivation that I have to complete this Genius Hour comes from my passion for yoga and teaching! These are two things that I am very interested in so it doesn't seem like a project to me, more of an expansion of my learning. This is something that I will use in my future classroom so why not prepare for it now?!

Measuring Progress: I think it will be hard to measure progress because I will never know everything about children's yoga. However, I think I will be able to tell when I'm done when I have answered the questions that I have. This is a topic that I can continuously learn about throughout my career as a teacher and a participant in yoga class.

Creating A Genius Hour Project

Tonight in our tech class we were asked to research Genius Hour. After looking at YouTube videos and different websites I became inspired to think of a question for my own Genius Hour project. It can be very overwhelming trying to think of one thing you are passionate about or one thing that you want to explore deeper. I was bombarded with many ideas having to do with my personal interests as well as things I am interested in relation to education. Then I thought why not explore something that I am personally interested in and that relates to education!?

So, for my Genius Hour I will be looking into answering the question: How can I incorporate yoga into my everyday classroom routine?

In the last few years I have fallen in love with yoga. I practiced Moksha Hot Yoga and really enjoyed the different types of classes that were offered (flow, stretch and unwind or with music) and how relaxed and refreshed I felt after each class. Not only is yoga physically demanding, requiring balance, breathing and coordination, it is also mentally demanding. I found the teachers challenging me to forget about my life outside of the studio and focus on the moment I was experiencing in the class. Allowing myself to let go of the stress or worries I had about my day really helped me to enjoy my yoga practice even more. When I was done my class I found myself ready to conquer the rest of my day with a positive attitude.

Caitlin Boyle. September 23, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/yoga-for-kids#3

I think the benefits of yoga and meditation are so great that I want to incorporate it into my classroom routine. Yoga is a part of the new Physical Education and Health curriculum but I don't think yoga and meditation only have to be used in Physical Education class. I want to incorporate even small amounts of yoga into my classroom everyday. I believe that this will help my students learn how to regulate themselves and give them a chance to relax and refresh during the day to help them keep going.

I hope that through my Genius Hour exploration I will be able to find practical ways to use yoga in my own classroom.