ENHANCING EDUCATION A Creative Approach to Teaching Health to Adolescents
Danielle Schostak, Senior Project 1 Capstone, 2016 photo by Jenn Richardson
TABLE OF CONTENTS Topic Proposal 1 2 4
Research Topic Impact Statement Project Summary
Discover 7 14 15 16 18 25 27 28
Case Studies & Scholary Articles Assumptions, Limitations & Delimitations Causes Diagram SWOT Analayis Interviews Personas Stakeholders Map Research Plan
Develop 29 45 51 53
Prototype Strategy for Implementation Value Proposition Business Plan Moving forward
RESEARCH TOPIC Research shows that teens are experiencing incredibly high levels of stress and anxiety that rivals the levels of adults. Thus an educational and non-stigmatized source for the next generation can help facilitate knowledge about managing their increasingly high levels of stress and anxiety leading to healthier lifestyles.
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INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION TO LEAD HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES
PROJECT DESCRIPTION Nobody’s perfect. Everyone knows that is the truth, but for many it is hard to understand why. Growing up in the United States we are labeled and measured by grades, statistics and scores, all of these numbers imply a level of perfection. Having that mentality ingrained into our brains as young developing children by trusted educators and parents make it difficult to understand that nobody is perfect, when somebody can score 100%. In 2014, 15 million children in the United States were recorded as struggling with their mental health and that has caused interference with their school and home lives and less than 25% receive treatment (Melnyk, Kelly, Lusk, 2016). Today, at the end of 2016, child suicide has surpassed traffic accidents to be the leading cause of death for adolescents (Tavernise, 2016). Sadly each year these statistics consistently increase and many
are wondering why more and more children are struggling with their emotional and mental health. As our society and culture rapidly changes, it is important to have our education support those changes, to teach and discuss the differences in our world in order to raise more empathetic and strong children, who deeply understand their struggles and how to cope. By tailoring education in and out of school to approach topics of stress, anxiety, depression and empathy will help direct these statistics in the opposite direction. The University of Michigan asked parents across the United States about their children’s education, they discovered that one of the topics they wished their children learned about in school was mental health (Science Daily, 2016). This revelation validates my plan to enhance education. Through avid research, interviews and personal experience, I have created a curriculum prototype to
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help meet the changing needs of students across the country. The Enhancing Education curriculum consists of empathy education, problem based learning and project based learning in both collaborative and individual arenas. Inductive learning, is a path that engages students to retain information through interaction, strategic thinking and reflection (Felder, Prince, 123). Through Enhancing Education, I have created a curriculum to serve adolescents in both public and private schools. With a staff of educators, designers, psychologists and parents, the Enhancing Education team will help train and lead activities at each school, tailored to their specific needs. With the launch of this program, grades 5-8 will participate at each school and the curriculum will be broken down into six main components: Awareness of others and self (Empathy), Recognizing and Accepting Emotions (Managing Destructive Feelings), Problem Solving Learning, Project Based Learning, Mindfulness and Meditation and Next Steps (Take Away portion). It is crucial to begin the year learning and understanding the people and environment around us, because building empathy towards ourselves and others will help to better understand with
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less judgment conditions of mental health. Through journaling, reflection and discussion students will each be able to individually express their ideas and collaborate. Additionally, beginning each day with a short ten minute meditation sets a neutral, calm tone for the day and allows students to remind themselves who they are and how they feel. Following empathy training will be the topic of Recognizing and Accepting Emotions, which correlates strongly to empathy and the reflection journals, through understanding mindfulness and self-acceptance. Additionally, how to manage feelings through establishing an anchor point on one’s body to come back to each time a feeling of insecurity, anger or anxiety becomes overwhelming, this helps refocus and reset (Simao, 2016). Problem Based Learning for Enhancing Education will consist of a combination of journaling individually and collaborative problem solving in small groups. Each week the teacher will give each group a problem statement or question (realistic scenarios) and the groups will have to talk through the problem and come up with a few solutions to propose to the educator and the class.
The educator will then explain and help guide the students to be sure that all options are covers. Topics and problem statements will be curated by the leader from the Enhancing Education team at each school with the help of parents and teachers. Next students will engage in Project Based Learning through exploring mediums in art, music and drama. Then students will pick a pathway to continue to explore for the next coming weeks. Educators in each classroom will guide their own therapeutic sessions in whichever way they see fit. At the end of the sessions there will be a collaborative 5-8 grade collage that will begin as individual projects and then come together as class and eventually a school-wide collage that will foster discussions and challenges of similarities and differences of each individual student with the school. Finally, the year will close with reflection and take aways from each portion of the education to ensure that students can apply what they have learned as they move up in their education. With a schedule in place and validation from students and educators, the next steps for Enhancing Education will include putting the Business Plan and Scaling Plan into action by connecting with schools and
understanding their interest and budget as well as possibly testing the prototype in a class. Additionally, continuing to validate the proposal prototype through sharing it with network of interviewees. The goal of Enhancing Education is to create an educational system that raises self-aware, socially and community conscious students who are open, creative and strong young adults who value their health and the people around them.
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CASE STUDIES AND SCHOLARLY ARTICLES
Bethune, Sophie. “Teen Stress Rivals that of Adults.” American Psychological Association, Vol 45, No. 4 (2014): 20. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/04/ teen-stress.aspx According to the APA, teenagers are experiencing higher level of stress and anxiety compared to adults during the school year. The report also discusses the importance of parental and adult support for teens during these years. Britton, William B. Gold, Jonathan S. Fisher, Nathan E. Lepp, Nathaniel E. Niles, Halsey F. Rocha, Tomas. “ A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of Classroom-Based Mindfulness Meditation Compared to an Active Control Condition in Sixth-Grade Children.” Journal of School Psychology 52 (2014), 263278. In this study, over 100 healthy sixth-graders were randomly split into different classes, one that had a daily mindfulness meditation practice and the other as a control group. The group of students who meditated were less likely to have thoughts of suicide or self-harm than the others (263). The meditation includes breath awareness, awareness of thoughts, feeling and sensations as well as body sweeps (268). Dumont, Ian P. Olson, Ardis L. “Primary Care, Depression, and Anxiety: Exploring Somatic and Emotional Predictors of Mental Health Status in Adolescents,” Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Volume 25, No. 3, May-June 2012, pages 291-299, http:// www.jabfm.org/content/25/3/291.full. pdf+html Accessed 9 September 2016.
In this study, questionnaires were giving out as part of primary care visits for adolescents between the ages of 11-18 years old. This helped physicians and parents see the risk factors and protective factors (strengths and assets), which allows them to work with the patient and their families better. Eyre, Linda and Richard. “Joy School,” “Alexander Series.” Value Parenting. 1998-2016. http://valuesparenting.com/ joy-school/ Joy School was developed by parents and experts, Linda and Richard Eyre and their family. The goal is to create an empathy based education foundation for pre-school aged students through a carefully designed curriculum that heavily relies on the parents. With the hope of starting to teach emotional and social health before beginning academics, Joy School consists of a small group of families that rotate teaching and hosting, with lessons provided by the schoolfor the lengths of two semesters (10 Joys of Childhood: Body, Earth, Honesty and Communication, Sharing and Services, Goals and Order, Confidence, Wonder, Imagination and Creativity, Family and Uniqueness). Felder, Richard M. Prince, Michael J. “Inductive Teaching and Learning Methods: Definitions, Comparisons and Research Bases.” Journal of Engineering Education, (2006) 123-138. The above study informed a lot of my prototyping stages through defining and understanding the different types of learning styles. First, inductive
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learning and teaching, which begins with specific observations, data, scenarios to interpret and solve as opposed to starting with general principles and then analyzing (123). The scenario portion of my curriculum was informed by Problem-Based Learning, in which students are given an open ended, real problem to solve in teams (128). Lastly, the collaborative collage portion of the curriculum support Project-Based Learning, which is carried out through one or more tasks that lead to a final project (130). Gregoire, Carolyn. “American Teens Are Even More Stressed Than Adults.” The Huffington Post. 13 February 2014. http://www. huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/11/americanteens-are-even-m_n_4768204.html In this article, it is clear that rise in teens’ levels of stress and anxiety is real and has even rivaled those of adults, however, teen are more likely than adults to report that their stress has no effect on their physical or mental health. This unawareness combined with the amount of media teens consume and their lack of sleep are scary facts of how little educated they are on the importance of healthy living. Jones, Stephanie. Weissbourd, Rick. Anderson, Trisha Ross. Kahn, Jennifer. Russell, Mark. “The Children We Mean to Raise: The Real Message Adults are Sending About Values.” Making Caring Common Project, Graduate School of Education, (2014), 1-19. http://sites.gse.harvard. edu/sites/default/files/making-caring-common/files/mcc_report_7.2.14.pdf The research conducted by Harvard Graduate School of Education has revealed the interesting facts that young people do not put caring for others as a high priority nor do they see an example of that happening around them (6). The ‘Zoom in,’ ‘Zoom out,’ model (15) helps students
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become more aware of those around them along with data provided all helped inspired the empathy portion of my curriculum. Katz, Jonathan. “Educating Next-Generation Innovators.” Industry Week, 2009. Within this article, the importance of collaborative group work is emphasized, especially for young people. Additionally, they highlight the criticalness of keeping arts and creative learning within our education system, both crucial components of my curriculum. Keller, Thomas. Salazar, Amy. Courtney, Mark. Prevalence and Timing of Diagnosable Mental Health, Alcohol, and Substance use Problems in Older Adolescents in the Child Welfare System, Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier. December 2009. In this study it was found that when teens are released from the welfare system the transition to independent life is very difficult, which has revealed the severity of mental health issues and substance abuse this segment of adolescents experience. This is important to consider, especially in certain school districts around the United States. Kim, John B. Kirchoff, Maureen. Whitsett, Stan. “Expressive Arts Group Therapy with Middle-School Aged Children from Military Families.” The Arts in Psychotherapy, Vol. 28 (2011) 356-362. http://search.proquest. com/docview/261218123/fulltext/E9A76FB6CC414C7FPQ/1?accountid=12261 In this study middle school aged students from military families participated in group art therapy sessions. The sessions include assignments of drawing their first name using a variety of materials, group activities to arrange themselves in order to see their similarities and differences(358),
music composition and self surveys (359). Lahey, Jessica. “Teaching Children Empathy.” The New York Times. 4 September 2014. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes. com/2014/09/04/teaching-children-empathy/?_r=0 This blog on the New York Times, introduced my research to Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project and synthesizes the report by touching upon the five takeaways: empathize with your child and model empathy, make caring a priority, provide opportunities to practice, expand your child’s circle of concern, help children develop self-control and manage their feelings better. This article highlights the parental side of education, but it is important to be able to integrate them into the educational process in schools. Malchiodi, Cathy. “Child Art Therapy: How It Works.” Psychology Today. 31 January 2016. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ blog/arts-and-health/201601/child-art-therapy-how-it-works This article describes the differences between art therapy and play therapy as well as how they are connected. Art therapy is a way for children to visually express non verbally, while showing a lot of the child’s development. Additionally, certain sensory portions of creating art improve mood and help calm the body and the mind. McGraw-Hill, Glencoe. “The Developing Child, Chapter Four: Children Understanding the World through Play.” (2006) 95-125. This chapter goes into details about the importance of play in a young child’s development. Jean Piaget referred to children’s plays as their “language of childhood,” stating that in order to think things through, children had to play with
them (97). Within play, children problem solve and create scenes that relate to their own lives (98). Play is also the main form of expression and fun for a child (101). Play is different in each kid, showing their uniqueness, but also can bridge a gap because of the commonality of the action (122). Melnyk, Bernadette. Kelly, Stephanie. Lusk, Pamela. “Outcomes and Feasibility of a Manualized Cognitive-Behavioral Skills Building Intervention: Group COPE for Depressed and Anxious Adolescents in School Settings.” Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, February 1, 2014. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libproxy. newschool.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer ?sid=6db2d60d-ec7a-4302-8d0e-099fabc627ce%40sessionmgr120&vid=1&hid=128 Accessed last 12 September 2016. There are 15 million children in the U.S. have mental health problems that interfere with their lives in school and at home and less than 25% of those affected receive treatment. In this study, group session were held with the title COPE: Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment in two different high schools, addressing, healthy lifestyles, TEEN (thinking, emotions, exercise and nutrition.) Cognitive based therapy styles like goal setting, mood monitoring, self-regulation, social interaction, etc. all help contribute to the reduced levels of anxiety and depression as well as the increase in personal beliefs about managing negative emotions. Nadworny, Elissa. “Middle School Suicides Reach An All-Time High.” NPR Ed. 4 November 2016. http://www.npr.org/sections/ ed/2016/11/04/500659746/middle-schoolsuicides-reach-an-all-time-high
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This article reveals that recent statistics show that suicide has now surpassed deaths by traffic accidents amongst adolescents. Along with this shocking discovery, the NPR Ed team discussed the myths of suicide, including the often assumption of depression and suicide being interconnected as well as the myth that schools should hold school wide events and ceremonies in the case of a suicide.
home-base/201609/how-art-break-helpskids-learn This story about a school counselor’s way of integrating creativity into helping young students manage stress and emotional challenges. Her idea of “ArtBreak,” allowed fun and joy to be brought into everyday learning. Play has a large role in children’s development of thinking, conceptualizing, reading, writing, comprehension, behaving, expression etc.
Patterson Jr., Thomas F. “The Rise and Fall of Innovative Education: An Australian University Case Study.” Innovative Higher Education Vol. 32 (2007) 71-84.
Sifferlin, Alexandra. “The Most StressedOut Generation? Young Adults.” Time. 7 February 2013. http://healthland.time. com/2013/02/07/the-most-stressed-out-generation-young-adults/
While this case study is about a University, it gave some insights about the experiences of learning without classrooms, with facilitators, no formal exams or grades only assessed through written and based upon progression and evaluations (71). Additionally, the collaborative, non-competitive learning styles as well as the reflectionary portion of the University’s curriculum resemble the values sought after in the curriculum created here (72). Ruskin, Hillel. “A Conceptual Approach to Education for Leisure.” European Journal of Education, Vol. 22, (1987) 281-332. This journal article touches upon leisure within education systems. First, the author states that public schools should view education for leisure as equal to vocational preparation and thus should be fully responsible for integrating it within the system (282). I agree with this idea and it is the basis of my project. Additionally, it mentions creating opportunities for self-expression and social development (284).
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Saxbe, Darby. “How an Art Break Helps Kids Learn.” Psychology Today. 27 September 2016. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/
The Millennial generation has grown up in a tough time, starting jobs when the economy collapsed and with high expectations of achievement, which can contribute to anxiety and stress as one experiences failures of everyday life. Simao, Laura. ReSet Studio, 2016. http:// www.reset.studio Laura’s vision and philosophy for business apply to my curriculum and vision for middle school students and families. By combining neuroscience and design, Laura focuses on creativity and empathy as a base for helping people build strong and independent mindsets. ReSet uses visualization and meditation mindfulness to help acknowledge, understand and accept fears and anxieties. Tavernise, Sabrina. “Young Adolescents as Likely to Die from Suicide as From Traffic Accidents.” New York Times. 3 November 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/04/ health/suicide-adolescents-traffic-deaths. html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
In this article, it is discussed the likelihood of a middle school student to die of suicide compared to a traffic accident by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Attributing this change to our fast paced cultural changes since the increase has occurred in the last few years. Additionally, young girls are increasingly using social media as a platform for aggression, with the ability to make private matters public, also social media widens the knowledge, sharing everything with everyone no matter if it is good or bad. Another major factor is that puberty is beginning at a younger age in girls, which many are not mature enough or knowledgeable enough to handle and as a result there has been an increase in depression. Also, with instant gratification from media, it is the perception of adolescent to feel that how they look now will how it will be for the rest of their lives, which is not the case. University of Michigan Health System. “Let’s Talk about more than Sex: Parents in Favor of Expanding Health Education.” Science Daily. 19 September 2016. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160919084849.htm The University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital ran a study of nationally representative sample of parents with middle school and high school aged children about health education. Their findings revealed that 67% of parents said that they wanted their children to learn more about emotional and mental health. Additionally, as parents are seeing the rise mental struggles amongst young people, the stigma of mental health is less prevalent.
ASSUMPTIONS, LIMITATIONS, DELIMITATIONS High expectations from friends, family and school causes teens to experience high levels of stress and anxiety. Adolescents are not receiving enough education and support about the importance of their mental health. Not enough access to schools and the target market. Appealing to and engaging such a young age in order to make it worth while, relatable and meaningful. Do I want to limit to Elementary School or Middle School? What about High School Students? and University students? Within the education system or as an outside resource? System A digital resource or a interpersonal resource? Format
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CAUSES DIAGRAM
Core
Direct Symptoms
Underlying Symptoms
Contributing Factors
High levels of stress, anxiety depression, panic leads to unhealthy habits like substance abuse
Negative self- image, critical views of onself, lack of self-love
School work load Social life Expectations Family history Lack of education
Direct Causes
Underlying Causes
Contributing Factors
External pressures from the media, social networks, school, peers; internal pressures of self-worth, family and finance
High expectations of the world surrounding
Family life, support system, stigma and judgments
Core Problem Increasing levels of stress, anxiety and depression among adolescents and the lack of education about the importance of taking care of onself
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Source: DI Y Toolkit
SWOT ANALYSIS Lots of research, psychological need, proof Creative approach, easy to understand Insight into working in the education system
Close to the core the issue, sister, cousins > strength, passion
Need: Lack of treatment, education and recognition in primary health care Anxiety and depression disorders begin at ages 11, 14
Survey shows parents (67%) want more education in school on mental health
FACTORS
Rise in technology, social media > no boundaries, difficult to protect, monitor, sensor
EXTERNAL
OPPORTUNITIES
FACTORS
Understanding of young children and organizations, experience
INTERNAL
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES Improvements: awareness, education, creativity What to avoid: judgment, stigma Weaknesses from users’ perspective: Level of maturity, handling serious topics, exposure Fear of over-thinking, overprotective parents Does this relate to me?
THREATS Stigma and judgments Unnecessary Social Media > how does one really avoid it? or disassociate from it? Schools financing it in order to build it into education
Source: DI Y Toolkit
INTERVIEWS AND PERSONAS
Educators Parents Students Psychologists
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Name: Age: Grade: School: City/State:
Name: School affiliation/title/position:
What age students have you worked with?
What is your favorite part of school and why? What have you noticed is the biggest contributor to stress amongst your students/children?
What is your least favorite part of school and why? Do your students/children learn health education in school? What specifically do they learn about?
If you could choose any topic to learn in school that you do not already learn what would it be? What kind of improvements or changes would you recommend to the health education programs at your school?
What is your after school routine like?
What do you think it the best way for students/children to learn about their health?
How much time do you spend on homework?
What kind of skills do you wish your students/children could learn in school beyond academics?
Have you learned about health in school?
What is the toughest part of school for your students/children and why?
If so, what do you remember learning about health?
Name: Lillian School affiliation/title/position: Mother of 4, preschool educator
What age students have you worked with? Pre school students, 2,3,4,5
What have you noticed is the biggest contributor to stress amongst your students/children? Having a lot of homework and assignments, peer pressure and competition and social media-balance all it together
Do your students/children learn health education in school? What specifically do they learn about? Yes, they learn about sex education, Internet safety, bullying
What kind of improvements or changes would you recommend to the health education programs at your school? smaller groups of kids where they feel safe.
What do you think it the best way for students/children to learn about their health? Questionnaire at the pediatrician office that and seeing reaction because was away from school and her friends, very effective, Doctor went over it and then talked about it after mom and daughter What kind of skills do you wish your students/children could learn in school beyond academics? Meditation, life balance
What is the toughest part of school for your students/children and why? coming home and doing homework, because of the dual curriculum--stressful long day, balancing more classes
Name: Nicole Miller School affiliation/title/position:
Hillel Day School/Physical Education Teacher
What age students have you worked with?
K-8
What have you noticed is the biggest contributor to stress amongst your students/children? In my opinion, young children are often stressed from being over programmed in addition to relationships including both family and social. As children reach the grades 3-8, I notice academics playing a larger role in a child’s stress. Do your students/children learn health education in school? Health education in taught directly on a small scale to our K-8 students. However, healthy messages, physical activity as a means to a healthy lifestyle, and good eating habits are instilled throughout our school day. What specifically do they learn about? Each grade has a different focus for their health curriculum. I have attached a draft our K-4 health outline that is aligned with our science curriculum in most grades. This is a changing document. As you will see it includes sixth grade which we are currently developing. I have also included the framework for grade 7 which focuses on Maintaining a Healthy Body. Our 8th grade health curriculum focuses on risk taking behaviors such as drugs and alcohol. All of this is run through physical education class. I am confident that in science classes more health related topics are discussed. What kind of improvements or changes would you recommend to the health education programs at your school? It would be nice to see a regular health class, however, I am not sure that is a reality with our dual curriculum. What do you think it the best way for students/children to learn about their health? I think the best approach is one that is supported at school and at home. It has been part of the physical education departments goal this school year to create more family activity opportunities, including sharing healthy tips and physical activity incentives.
What kind of skills do you wish your students/children could learn in school beyond academics? In general students need to learn to be successful in life which looks different for all students. We aim for our students to do so through our core values, school mission and the seven Cs..
Core Values: Talmud Torah—Studying Torah, Derekh Eretz—Honor and Respect, with God,Tikkun Olam—Perfecting the World, “Ve-Ahavta”—A Personal Relationship —Holiness, Tzionut —Zionism, K’lal Yisrael—Unity of the Jewish People Kedushah Mission: Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit delivers an outstanding general and Jewish education to Jewish children from early childhood through eighth grade. At Hillel, we inspire a passion for learning, responsibility to self and community, and devotion to Jewish living in a warm, innovative, and engaging environment. 7Cs: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Character, Community, and Core Values.
PRESENT INTERNET SAFETY
SEXUAL EDUCATION
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE
EMPATHY
H E A LT H E D U C AT I O N
CREATIVE THERAPY
BULLYING
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION STRESS MANAGEMENT
ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
FUTURE
HOLISTIC PROACTIVE FREQUENT CONTINUOUS
PERSONAS Hannah
Stephanie
Student, 13
Educator, 31
8th grade
10 years in the education
Curious Health Class “Stuff she already knows” Diligent worker Plans ahead for school work
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Helped with curriculum development Caring and sensitive Trustworthy Creative
Seth Parent, 43 2 middle school age children School board member Active parent Fun and resourceful Big extended family
STAKEHOLDERS MAP International global education policies
National U.S. public school systems
Local Community schools, school board
Other Stakeholders parents, teachers, administrators, staff, psychologists Target Audience: Middle School Students Ages 11-13
RESEARCH PLAN 1 Tuesday
Week 5
Week 6
2
3
4
9/20-9/21 Create waiver for students under 18, create interview questionnaires for TM and stakeholders
9/22 Contact potential interviewees to set up times
9/27-9/28 Record interview findings
9/29-9/30 Analyze interview findings
10/4
10/5
Week 7
5
6
7
9/23-9/26 Begin and complete interviews
9/29-9/30 Analyze interview findings
10/6-10/9 Compile all research for Petcha Kucha and create presentation
10/10 Practice Petcha Kucha
Assignment Due Ethnographic Research, 10 Interviews
Ethnographic Research, 3 Personas
Petcha Kucha Presentation
Prototype
Week 8
10/11-10/13 Continued research
10/14-10/17 Draft prototype
Week 9
10/18-10/19 Compile Feedback
10/20-10/24 Revise prototype
Prototype Revision
Week 10
10/25-10/26 Compile Feedback
10/27-10/31 Continue to revise prototype, test prototype?
Prototype Revision
Week 11
11/1-11/2 Compile Feedback
11/3-11/7 Final revisions and testing
Prototype Final Revision
Week 12
11/8-11/18 (combined weeks) Annotate bibliography
11/19-11/21 Create implementation plan
Strategy for Implementation
Week 13
11/22-11/24 Work on rough draft of report
11/25-11/28 Work on final presentation
Rough Draft of Report and final presentation
Week 14
11/29-12/1 Finish compendium
12/2-12/3 Revise
12/14-12/5 Continue to make revisions
Revised Draft of Compendium Report
Week 15
12/6-12/8 Final presentation
12/9-12/10 Revisions
12/11-12/12 Continue to make revisions
Revised Draft of Compendium Report
Week 16
12/13-12/15 Make final revisions
12/16-12/18 Revise
12/19-12/20 Revise
Final Compendium
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PROTOTYPE
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1 EMPATHY 2 MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION 3 MANAGING DESTRUCTIVE FEELINGS 4 PROBLEM BASED LEARNING 5 PROJECT BASED LEARNING 6 TAKE AWAY
EMPATHY DE-STIGMATIZE TEACHING EMPATHY AWARENESS ACKNOWLEDGMENT REFLECTION Journals Inclusive Freedom Prompts
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In order to teach students about mental health, it needs to be de-stigmatized in order for that to occur, students need to be empathetic. From my interviews, observations and research, introducing empathy into the classroom is a topic of high need and want by teachers and parents and it has been proven to be helpful in development. A large part of developing empathy for students starts at home with parents and siblings, acting as role models for their kids, engaging them in understanding moral behavior and accepting when wrong and taking responsibility, doing what is right Writing Assignments/Journals: Allowing the students to each write their own personal reflection is the a good way to be sure that they all feel included and like they have a say in the conversation. Prompts for Empathy exercises: Write about one thing new you learned about one of your friends or classmates today. **Concept of “zooming in” allowing students to really reflect on how they are listening to those around them Write about one thing new you noticed about or around school today. **Concept of “zooming out” considering multiple perspectives and noticing things that may usually be invisible to them (ex. New kid, school janitor, etc.)
Making Caring Common Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education, (2014).
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
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SELF-AWARENESS SELF-REFLECTION 10 mins Each morning Breath Awareness: paying attention to the belly and to the tips of our noses and when attention wanders to bring it back to one of the focal points. Awareness of thoughts, feelings and sensations: Learn and understand what comes into your mind and what to call it, because that awareness will help you refocus to breathing. Body Scans: Sweeping or scanning your attention throughout your body, noticing each part.
Britton, William B. Gold, Jonathan S. Fisher, Nathan E. Lepp, Nathaniel E. Niles, Halsey F. Rocha, Tomas. “ A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of Classroom-Based Mindfulness Meditation Compared to an Active Control Condition in Sixth-Grade Children.� Journal of School Psychology 52 (2014), 263-278.
MANAGING DESTRUCTIVE FEELINGS
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INDIVIDUAL RE-SET ACCEPT Focal point to concentrate Reminder Visualizations Finding anchor points: When feeling a certain way: anxious, angry, frustrated identify a place in your body where you are feeling that and imagine a calming effect Find an anchor point where one can come back to each time they are experiencing those feelings (ex. Gripping your wrist, touching your chest, holding your earlobe). Help yourself to pause, re-evaluate and think before taking action.
Simao, Laura. ReSet Studio, 2016. http://www.reset.studio
PROBLEM BASED LEARNING
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INDIVIDUAL COLLABORATIVE REALISTIC Journals 3-4 per groups Facilitation by teacher Relevant prompts Children are interested in ethical questions, so when adults ask about their opinions they gain interest. Problem Based Learning: Students confronted with opened ended, real problems and in teams they identify solutions, with facilitation from teachers. Constructivism: doesn’t matter if it is absolute, individuals actively construct their own reality to make sense of the situation.
Continued...
Felder, Richard M. Prince, Michael J. “Inductive Teaching and Learning Methods: Definitions, Comparisons and Research Bases.” Journal of Engineering Education, (2006) 123-138.
Instructions: Split into groups of 3-4 students. Teacher will pass out a scenario to the students and they have to discuss amongst their group and propose solutions. When they explain the scenario to the class the teacher can facilitate by challenging them through questions on what type of person that solution represents in order for students to see how different personality types handle situations differently and explain that each way is okay in order to not suppress anyone. Key ideas: each student brings a different perspective on how they would handle the situation. Want these to be preemptive as opposed to reactionary First everyone would write their responses individually in order to feel like each one has expressed in some way Example scenarios: 1) Bullying and being a bystander, stress and anxiety of what to do in that situation. 2) What to do when you’re receiving a million group chat text messages and can’t handle it anymore--how to make yourself inaccessible, when we are constantly accessible to all of our friends via social media 3) Asking adn learning about your medication 4)What to do or say when you don’t have enough food or money to buy lunch, or you parents forgot to pack 39
how do you respond if questioned by your peers. 5)A big exam or project coming up and it is all you can think about, what can you do to release that stress? 6)Social anxiety what can you do to help someone feel comfortable. 7)If you come into school stressed out--you know you won’t be able to focus, but you have to be there, what do you do? 8)When you’re feeling down, who to talk to, what is the best way to express yourself. Afterward teacher will frame and synthesize the studnets responses and name some of the feelings like anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, etc. and give insight to kids about the risks about each case and how to cope. Conversations in groups afterward that will name and explain symptoms and coping strategies and how to reach out for help and to know what kinds of help you need, how to be sensitive about talking about issues. Example: Not using terms lightly or colloquially, not joking about “killing myself, or shoot me.”
Felder, Richard M. Prince, Michael J. “Inductive Teaching and Learning Methods: Definitions, Comparisons and Research Bases.” Journal of Engineering Education, (2006) 123-138.
PROJECT BASED LEARNING
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INDIVIDUAL COLLABORATIVE REALITY Personal identity Relationship to others School-wide project Art & Design Drama Music Each student can pick a focus to attend for class time. Exploring personal identity through each medium. Individual collages that come together as a class and then eventually as a school to see students similarities and differences. At the end of the year, students will do a selfdriven task, kids propose ideas: video, drawing/painting, sculpture, piece of jewelry, clothing, collage, music piece, etc. based upon any of the skills that they have learned in their focus.
Felder, Richard M. Prince, Michael J. “Inductive Teaching and Learning Methods: Definitions, Comparisons and Research Bases.� Journal of Engineering Education, (2006) 123-138.
TAKE AWAY
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MINDFUL SELF-AWARENESS MOVING FORWARD Reflective journals Meditation practices
Photo by Danielle Machinnes
CURRICULUM ONE YEAR PLAN
Date
Theme & Supporting Curriculum Project
Project & Activity
EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION September
Empathy
Week 1
Journals: personal reflection Topics/starters: Considering multiple perspectives Write about one thing new you learned about one of your friends or classmates today. Write about one thing new you noticed about or around school today.
Week 2
Open discussion for 10 mins if anyone wants to share about topics written in the last week
Topics/starters: Self-Awareness and Reflection
Week 3
Open discussion for 10 mins if anyone wants to share about topics written in the last week
Week long incentive for doing good deeds around school, prize at the end... continue each week if successful
Week 4
Group Volunteer Outreach as a class group
Journal Reflection of group outreach
EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION October Week 1
Managing Destructive Feelings/Behavior Self-awareness and acknowledgment
Discussion
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Week 2
Recognize and Accept
Week 3
Re-Set, find anchor points Continue Empathy and self-reflection journals
Week 4 EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION November
Sparking Ethical Questions through Problem Base Learning
(subject to change dependent upon school’s main interests)
Week 1
Problem: What do I say and do when I hear my friend say something rude to another friend?
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then share with group and together solve
Week 2
Problem: What do I do when my phone is buzzing crazy from group texts when I just want to get away from all the drama??
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then share with group and together solve
Week 3
Problem: My friend told me that she has depression, what do I say?
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then share with group and together solve
Week 4
Problem: My friends confided in me that he has had suicidal thoughts, what do I do? say?
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then share with group and together solve
EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION December
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Problem Based Learning
Week 1
Problem: I’ve been put on medication for X, what do I say when my friends ask why I have to take a pill at lunch?
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then share with group and together solve
Week 2
Problem: All I can think about it the
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then
Week 3
exam coming up, how can I relieve my stress?
then share with group and together solve
Problem: What do I do when my friend does not have enough money to buy lunch because of tough situations at home?
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then share with group and together solve
EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION January
Problem Based Learning
Week 1
Problem: I can’t focus in school because I’m overwhelmed with anxiety, what do I do? What can I do?
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then share with group and together solve
Week 2
Problem: TBD
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then share with group and together solve
Week 3
Problem: TBD
Groups of 3-4, journal ideas first to problem solve, then share with group and together solve
EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION February Week 1
Project Based Learning Each week: introduction to each form of creative expression, then afterwards students can choose a path to focus on
Music: creating melodies, writing lyrics, mixing songs, finding meaning, singing
Week 2
Art: bracelet making, self-portraits, design, sewing
Week 3
Drama: acting, creative writing
EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION March
Project Based Learning
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Week 1
Continue to work in individual creative classes 3 times a week for an hour
Week 2
Continue to work in individual creative classes 3 times a week for an hour
Week 3
Continue to work in individual creative classes 3 times a week for an hour
Week 4
Continue to work in individual creative classes 3 times a week for an hour
EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION April
Project Based Learning
Week 1
All school (grades) collage begins
Each student begins to collect materials to represent their personal identity (2 hour/ week)
Week 2
Material collection (2 hour/ week)
Week 3
Bring materials to class and compare and contrast with classmates Bring materials to class and compare and contrast with classmates to form class collage
Week 4
EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION May
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Project Based Learning
Week 1
Come together as a school (a whole devoted afternoon) to combine all classes collages
Week 2
All grades reflection (in journals) and as a discussion
Week 3
Understanding differences
Week 4
Understanding Similarities
EACH DAY BEGINS WITH A 10 MINS MINDFULNESS/ MEDITATION June Week 1
Take Away Reflection on mindfulness and meditation, create tapes, create own stories, tips to “take home”
Week 2
Photo by Anna Louise
VALUE PROPOSITION
Enhancing Education is developing a creative approach to teaching and learning about mental and emotional health for middle school students to help reduce stress and anxiety and increase empathy, awareness and respect amongst students. Expression through writing in journals, problem solving in peer groups, individual and collaborative projects as well as daily mindfulness and meditation practices will help enhance our education system to be one that raises self-aware, socially and community conscious, open, creative and strong young adults who value their health and the people around them.
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BUSINESS PLAN ENHANCING EDUCATION TEAM Curriculum Creator (designer) Creative direction for new programs Head of Training Methods for training staff/teachers/parents Team of psychologists/psychiatrists Sales/recruitment SCHOOL TEAM An Enhancing Education leader Created from a network of educators One for each school School leader To help customize the curriculum One for each school Head trainer Either from the EE team or the individual school Teachers/ staff Parents 53
ENHANCING EDUCATION Educational Creative Interactive Sensitive Meaningful
Program for middle school students
Danielle Schostak, Senior Project 1 Capstone, 2016-2017