Community of Practice CROSS DISCIPLINARY Cluster 2013-2014
Community of Practice: Linking Wellness to Mental Health
Cluster:
CofP Creator: Kate Culp
Participating Members: Des Bibby, Kate Culp, Jamie Derko, Ashley Dooley, Hilary Duff, Cheryl Fenske,
Donna Gordon, Mariola Gordon, Lowell Jackie, Steffi Timm, Trena McKinnon, Ginger Mcmanus, Darlene
Ouimet, Liz Procee, Linda Taylor, Lorna Walshe, Kerri Woods, John Pynn, Alison Saunders, Carissa
Cochrane, Terra Todos, Bonnie Kelly, Ruth Langland
Date
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION
Description
Participants will come away from each CofP day with practical ways to incorporate wellness into their daily socia
work with students.
- How can we increase mental health of our students through different areas of wellness?
- How can we incorporate more wellness practices into programming we are already delivering? IE: Friends prog
- Knowledge will be obtained on how wellness elements such as deep breathing, stretching, physical activity, and
thought/guided relaxation (and more!) can aid in positive mental health practices.
- What can we do with the physical body to help relieve stress/anxiety, increase self-esteem, and create a positiv
- This group is aimed towards CDA's, and other staff who play a social/emotional support role with students.
- Be prepared to be active and come with an open mind! Comfortable clothing may be required on some to mos
OUTCOMES
AND
DELIVERABLES
SUMMARY
RECORD OF
YOUR C of P
FINDINGS
Due Mar 31st
2014
Development of common language and practice within classrooms and schools.
Decrease anxiety in students
Healthy minds, healthy bodies
Sharing and discussion of practices; best practices for health and wellbeing in schools
Self care – need to make sure we are healthy – keeping positive energy – we are the role models for health and wellness in
1. Explain how your new learning or new finished product has affected your professional work. In particula
which skills were learned or more finely honed and how have you incorporated them into your professio
Describe how the strategies learned or created were more effective than what you have done before.
- introduced stress, had 3 classes on yoga, breath work and relaxation for the Grade 3s
-as resource staff integrated it with individual students and as a class for proactive work, calming down techniques, problem s
- as CDA, integrate strategies into Fun FRIENDS and FRIENDS for new material
- took it back and introduced topics to our EAs I.E. more meaningful body breaks, how to use sensory room with self calming
- health class- stress, relaxation, yoga, mindfulness, breathing, mantras
- playful piggy meditation- mind jar experiment- how busy minds get, how to slow it down, gives a good visual- great videos
to support this
- talking to parents about benefits of physical activity and ADHD- become aware of their child's physical activity
- share the information- Positive Behaviour Strategist- tools for all staff to use and integrate in their practise
- beneficial and important for our own mental health and wellness- needs to start with us- model a healthy lifestyle
- gave our school a new language- milkshake breathing, mindfulness
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Community of Practice CROSS DISCIPLINARY Cluster 2013-2014
2. Which features have you actually tried or embedded in your work between August and March (provide s
examples/applications.
Some of the features that we have used and or embedded in our work since August are as follows:
-
Fun Friends
Breathing techniques
Yoga
Creating a common language in the classroom through “Bucket Filling” and Fun Friends language.
Meaningful movement breaks, brain breaks.
Heart Math- learning about calming our mind and body and how both are connected.
Team Building with Grade 3’s and 4’s through acts of service- i.e. recycle, morning announcements, play
responsibilities.
SPARK (Meaningful body breaks)
3. Indicate how your chosen 21st Century competencies are reflected in this CofP work.
- Innovator - new ways to address issues with kids - example - sensory
- collaborator - speakers in to collaborate with around resources
- globally aware - video we watched about case study about happiness i
different areas of the globe
- problem-solver - discussion time each COP about coping strategies an
resources that are successful with students
4. Provide specific examples of how your new understanding is affecting and benefiting student learning in
classroom or work place. What does your collected data indicate?
- new resources to reference - Ie. heart math, smart for learning, ege
website, sensory room planning stages, Alberta Health resources for sc
wide Health
- resources for families - connect to Community Links for example
- movement breaks
- gratitude work with kids
- filling your bucket with classrooms
- wellness for staff - zumba, Christmas parties, staff parties, wine c
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Community of Practice CROSS DISCIPLINARY Cluster 2013-2014
5. To what new areas of professional learning has this year's Cofp work led you?
- It has made me aware of the importance of mental health in children and the importance of brain/movement
have come to use these breaks when my students seem over excited.
- Using yoga in case.
Focus on healthy eating.
Breathing exercises in class.
-It made me think more about the need for movement breaks and that I don't do enough of them. So I w
try some of the ones that I learned in this c of p.
I also learned more about mental health and some great resources available.
-This years Community of Practice has led me in the general direction of learning and becoming more aw
importance of mental health and the significance of facilitating this in the classroom. My role as a teache
shifted in terms of my classroom being a place of wellness and community not only a space for academic
practice has also provided me with significant evidence supporting our Community of Practice. I have im
Fun Friends in my classroom, provide body breaks and am currently teaching breathing techniques.
- Contact my OT for possible PL time with staff
- More universal, preventative interventions for positive mental healt
- led to "Move your Mood" area from Alberta Health
- let to a new model of knowing our kids better at our school (learnin
support team) for early intervention
- Staff Training - Mental Health First Aid, MANDT training
- this was an opportunity to try these new activities
- more proactive approach to mental health and bringing students
- fits into curriculum- everyone needs it- benefits everyone
- some felt some of these techniques was brand new for their schools and found them very helpful and school was on board w
changes
- new techniques and strategies to change up my own practice with the students- new relaxation, new mindfulness, new resou
Alberta Mental Health
- ability to stop and take a deep breath and when we calm down we can help our students calm down- realizing how best to h
- yoga so helpful for us to learn and take back to our classes and with our students- strength, mindfulness, breath, meditation
-
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Community of Practice CROSS DISCIPLINARY Cluster 2013-2014
6. Provide a reference list of works/bibliography of your studies if applicable?
Sensory room:
- http://www.snoezeleninfo.com/
Kia Miller Breathing:
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWI8wj42EtU
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_mCcri5Yzo
Other breathing techniques:
- www.grdhealth.com/yogameditaions/leftnostril.php
- www.artofliving.org/yoga-breathing-techniques/alternate-nostril-breathng-nadi-shodhan
Happiness Documentary:
- “Happy” Director Roko Belic www.TheHappyMovie.com
Meditation:
- www.godwin-home-page.net/Short-Pieces/Simple-Meditation/Simple-Meditation.pdf
- www.mindbodygreen.com/0-42/Meditatoin-Techniques-for-Beginners-5-Easy-Tips.html
Getting Ready to Learn:
- http://www.edutopia.org/stw-sel-classroom-management-video
Heartmath:
http://www.heartmath.org/
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Community of Practice CROSS DISCIPLINARY Cluster 2013-2014
CBC News Link:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/Calgary/ID/2240870011/
Yoga For kids:
Cosmic Kids Yoga:
https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga
Alphabet Yoga:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RB5-gEDg40
Progressive Muscle Relaxation for kids:
http://youtu.be/aaTDNYjk-Gw
LINKS TO
DIGITALLY
CREATED
WORK
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8fW_UK1ZojPNWE2MDRmNTktY2JhOC00NDU1LWEyYWUtNjkzYzc4MDEwYTU2
g
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