Vancouver School Board
York Region District School Board
Peel District School Board
New Frontiers School Board
Non-Affiliated

Project Folio

Title

Educating Heart and Mind

Collaborators

Jeannie Kerr

Schools

Admiral Seymour Elementary

Languages

English

Grades

4/5

Last Modified

June 23, 2007

Description

I believe I have a responsibility to not only educate the minds, but also the hearts of my students. I want my students to look at knowledge in a connected and ethical way. This involves higher level thinking skills and a greater degree of personal self-understanding on an intellectual and emotional level than simply memorizing facts in various subject areas. This project takes a closer look at how I encourage students to attain greater self-understanding through providing opportunities for the students to consider who they are, and the types of lives the students would like to lead. This project also explores the ways in which I have encouraged students to connect knowledge to action in service to differing levels of community.

Demonstrations

Mindfulness

Our class has been practising mindfulness for up to 5 minutes almost every morning.  I have approached the practice very slowly and initiated by talking to the students about the purpose and getting the students' agreement to engage.  The purpose was framed around being able to grow in the ability to influence one's mind purposefully...
Read more:   The Practice

Exploring Friendship

In grade 4 and 5 peers start to take on greater significance in the lives of children.  Providing opportunities for students to reflect on friendships and examine the challenges to maintaining friendships is important in helping students increase self understanding, as well as consider their own ethical requirements of self and others in...
Read more:   Friendship and...

Social Responsibility

The term social responsibility has many interpretations depending upon the perspective of the person or group of people that are considering the concept.  In my view, social responsibility related education involves educating students to become more self-aware of personal identity and how that sense of personal identity currently connects...
Read more:   Social...

Galleries

Mindfulness

Students' reflections on mindfulness practice in which we engage for 5 minutes each morning after our morning meeting. These reflections were composed after a week of building a visualization of a flower from a concrete picture to a fuller...
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Friendship and Emotions

Students written reflections on friendship and emotions.
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Vanier Park Shoreline Clean-Up

Images of the students engaged in the shoreline clean-up at Vanier Park and the simultaneous data collection on the categories of debris accumulating on the shoreline.
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Water Quality Study - Images

This gallery highlights through images the ways the students learned about water quality standards; worked collaboratively to test the water quality with each other and UBC students; and the relationships that were established between the students...
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Water Quality Report - Seymour School

This report was orally presented to the Seymour community at a school gathering. The students collaboratively prepared and presented the report. The students then presented the report to Mr. Chris Kelly, VSB. The students then made mini in...
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View all galleries.

Comments

hi my name is stefanie and i realy enjoyed looking at some of my closest friends projects well aynways good job eriana pauline maura janet and other kids!!
posted on March 9, 2009
i am truly inspired by this project. i am a teacher who is also integrating mindfulness practices with my students. thank you for your contribution in making our world a better place. you have shown others how we can powerfully educate the hearts and minds of our students!
posted on January 1, 2010