Comments on: The Neuroscience of Joyful Education http://www.centerforleadership.org/blog/2007/07/20/the-neuroscience-of-joyful-education/ brought to you by Ideas Unleashed! Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:23:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Katie http://www.centerforleadership.org/blog/2007/07/20/the-neuroscience-of-joyful-education/#comment-1871 Katie Tue, 07 Aug 2007 05:52:46 +0000 http://www.centerforleadership.org/blog/2007/07/20/the-neuroscience-of-joyful-education/#comment-1871 I LOVE this post on "Joyful Education." Play has been scientifically proved to help to increase the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is the main ingredient in organizing and activating brain synapses. Play is an essential component of the Yoga Ed. program, which was designed specifically for children and teachers in schools.    Let me just say this - I'm back from my week in Los Angeles where I participated in one of THE BEST educational programs I have ever attended!!! Yoga Ed. is a program that helps improve student behavior and academic performance (scientifically proven with research) through creative play, games, vizualizations and yoga postures. I was in this incredible school that piloted the program for 6 years. I spent a week at The Acclerated School, located in the heart of South Central LA, learning the program, and witnessing the miracles happening in the lives of children and teachers - It was AMAZING!!! We were all blessed to attend as part of a PEP grant, a California physical education grant. There were 33 other women in my class, 2 instructors and we're from all over the country and some other parts of the world. I am SO excited to bring this program home to Ohio - I am now a "Yoga Ed Instructor" and am able to conduct workshops for classroom teachers, students and families using the Yoga Ed. curriculum that is aligned with national standards, developmental benchmarks for children, health and wellness. The lessons are designed to help children learn the tools of self awareness and self care (which are noted as "essential" by the medical community). I could go on for days about this amazing curriculum. It will change the way I teach children, the way I teach yoga to children and the way I interact with my colleagues in the educational community. BTW, TAS was the Time Magazine School of the Year in 2001 and Vanity Fair recently featured the founders (Tara Guber and Leah Kalish - who I met) of Yoga Ed. in June '07 with an article by Depok Chopra!!! Try a couple of these videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvxeg7Fwe7I How about Joyful Teachers? Take this video for a spin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZXxDkQdXZ8 Also, I think the "Courage to Teach" book study should be offered continuously throughout this school year. I am most happy and honored to facilitate the book study. "Courage" also changed my life, both personally and professionally and I believe it is so important for us to continue to support teachers in this sort of pd. With Gratitude, Kate Bunsey Please contact me if you are interested in "The Courage to Teach" or Yoga Ed. We have workshops for both on the schedule this fall. kbunsey@centernet.org I LOVE this post on “Joyful Education.”

Play has been scientifically proved to help to increase the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is the main ingredient in organizing and activating brain synapses. Play is an essential component of the Yoga Ed. program, which was designed specifically for children and teachers in schools.   Â

Let me just say this - I’m back from my week in Los Angeles where I participated in one of THE BEST educational programs I have ever attended!!! Yoga Ed. is a program that helps improve student behavior and academic performance (scientifically proven with research) through creative play, games, vizualizations and yoga postures. I was in this incredible school that piloted the program for 6 years. I spent a week at The Acclerated School, located in the heart of South Central LA, learning the program, and witnessing the miracles happening in the lives of children and teachers - It was AMAZING!!! We were all blessed to attend as part of a PEP grant, a California physical education grant. There were 33 other women in my class, 2 instructors and we’re from all over the country and some other parts of the world.

I am SO excited to bring this program home to Ohio - I am now a “Yoga Ed Instructor” and am able to conduct workshops for classroom teachers, students and families using the Yoga Ed. curriculum that is aligned with national standards, developmental benchmarks for children, health and wellness. The lessons are designed to help children learn the tools of self awareness and self care (which are noted as “essential” by the medical community). I could go on for days about this amazing curriculum. It will change the way I teach children, the way I teach yoga to children and the way I interact with my colleagues in the educational community. BTW, TAS was the Time Magazine School of the Year in 2001 and Vanity Fair recently featured the founders (Tara Guber and Leah Kalish - who I met) of Yoga Ed. in June ‘07 with an article by Depok Chopra!!!

Try a couple of these videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvxeg7Fwe7I

How about Joyful Teachers? Take this video for a spin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZXxDkQdXZ8

Also, I think the “Courage to Teach” book study should be offered continuously throughout this school year. I am most happy and honored to facilitate the book study. “Courage” also changed my life, both personally and professionally and I believe it is so important for us to continue to support teachers in this sort of pd.

With Gratitude, Kate Bunsey
Please contact me if you are interested in “The Courage to Teach” or Yoga Ed. We have workshops for both on the schedule this fall. kbunsey@centernet.org

]]> By: Lisa http://www.centerforleadership.org/blog/2007/07/20/the-neuroscience-of-joyful-education/#comment-1753 Lisa Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:08:45 +0000 http://www.centerforleadership.org/blog/2007/07/20/the-neuroscience-of-joyful-education/#comment-1753 I just did an amazing interview with Kathy Shields who is a kindgarten teacher in Fulton County, Georgia. She uses technology in the classroom which I personally think is amazing for that age level. You can listen to the interview at: http://www.ideasunleashed.org/?cat=8 She even gives a suggestion for teachers for a podcasting project. I just did an amazing interview with Kathy Shields who is a kindgarten teacher in Fulton County, Georgia. She uses technology in the classroom which I personally think is amazing for that age level. You can listen to the interview at:

http://www.ideasunleashed.org/?cat=8

She even gives a suggestion for teachers for a podcasting project.

]]> By: Jeff Jaroscak http://www.centerforleadership.org/blog/2007/07/20/the-neuroscience-of-joyful-education/#comment-1722 Jeff Jaroscak Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:36:24 +0000 http://www.centerforleadership.org/blog/2007/07/20/the-neuroscience-of-joyful-education/#comment-1722 Nicely said. If we continue with our "Courage to Teach" theme, I think that this is a perfect example of what Parker Palmer calls paradox. I think that it also hits upon what I wrote about in an earlier post entitled "Oppositional Thinking." We tend to polarize our thinking into "either-ors." For example, either you can have high levels of academic achievement OR you can have a classroom where students are engaged in interesting projects and use creativity to solve academic problems. The fact is that there are numerous ways to engage students in meaningful ways, ways that produce academic results. There are also a great many classrooms where the students engage in activities that completely cover the affective needs yet never transitions into measurable academic achievement. It seems to me that what we are lacking are systems within which we can discuss instruction in an atmosphere of collegiality and support. Once we can talk about the real issues of teaching and learning, we can better appreciate the diversity of teaching practices. As it now stands, instructional practice remains what Roland Barth,in Learning by Heart, calls a "non-discussable." Teaching cannot be discussed within schools without defensiveness, anger, and hurt feelings. How do we make instruction a topic of meaningful conversation? How can the Center assist in turning the conversation into action? Nicely said. If we continue with our “Courage to Teach” theme, I think that this is a perfect example of what Parker Palmer calls paradox. I think that it also hits upon what I wrote about in an earlier post entitled “Oppositional Thinking.” We tend to polarize our thinking into “either-ors.” For example, either you can have high levels of academic achievement OR you can have a classroom where students are engaged in interesting projects and use creativity to solve academic problems.

The fact is that there are numerous ways to engage students in meaningful ways, ways that produce academic results. There are also a great many classrooms where the students engage in activities that completely cover the affective needs yet never transitions into measurable academic achievement.

It seems to me that what we are lacking are systems within which we can discuss instruction in an atmosphere of collegiality and support. Once we can talk about the real issues of teaching and learning, we can better appreciate the diversity of teaching practices. As it now stands, instructional practice remains what Roland Barth,in Learning by Heart, calls a “non-discussable.” Teaching cannot be discussed within schools without defensiveness, anger, and hurt feelings.

How do we make instruction a topic of meaningful conversation? How can the Center assist in turning the conversation into action?

]]>