Tag: SEL

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Art Therapy Divine I Am SEL

Mindful Lines

Mindful

How can Lines be Mindful?

Being mindful is the ability to be in the present moment, acknowledging your thoughts and feelings but not identifying with them. Meaning do not hold on to the thought and become consumed by it and the way it makes you feel.

I teach my students about what it means to be mindful, and how important of a skill it is to be able to step back from thoughts and give your brain a break for at least 10 minutes a day.

So the idea of mindful lines simply means being present with the line. Allowing the line to move as it will and be in the moment with it.

A lot of our life is spent processing experiences, but its not usually in the moment. I shared the analogy of playing a sport. When you are playing and in the moment, you are not processing how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking about. You are simply in the moment. It is not until after the moment is over that your thoughts and emotions begin to catch up.

When you create a mindful line, you want to go slow enough that your body is processing your marking making in real time… the present.

Creating mindful lines is a process oriented activity that allows a person to take 10 mins out of their day to separate their awareness from their thoughts and be present in the moment.

Power of Presence

Giving our brain time to slow down and not be inundated by processing thoughts and feelings, allows your body and mind recovery time so to speak.

I tell my students, your brain isn’t going to shut itself off for you. It isn’t going to just say, “I’m on overload, I need to shut off for a while to recover.” They understand how that would make us robots, and how important it is for each person to take control of their minds wellbeing. Self care is just as important as self actualization.

There is value in rest.

Mindful Art Process

Get a pen and paper… now take a few deep breaths to center yourself to this present moment.

Now slowly allow the pen to create a line. Without rushing, be present with whichever way the pen moves. Each line unfolding as you let go of thoughts and focus on allowing. Take deep breaths as you move the pen across the paper. Allow yourself to flow and be surprised with the outcome of each mark.

Now listen to yourself… Do you want to add color? Do you want to make lines thicker? Are you complete?

You know when your line is complete. Its in the way you feel.

Doing mindfulness activities at any age can greatly affect our ability to focus and regulate our emotions. Each time you do a mindfulness activity, you are training and strengthening the neuropathways in your brain. You are literally reprograming how you respond to situations. This is aligned with the SEL competencies: Self awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness, and Responsible Decision Making. And all it takes is 10 mins a day.

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Education Diversity, Equity & Inclusion SEL

Maryland Cultural Proficiency Conference 2022

cultural

What is Cultural Proficiency?

Cultural proficiency is the result of finding out what makes us feel valued. It is responsiveness. The ability to find out what someone needs… to feel valued, seen, and heard.

The ultimate goal of each of us is to feel valued and be appreciated for who we are. Being seen by others is a huge reason why we do things, and is a result of the things we do.

When we come into a situation with breath first, we are more open to being genuine and authentic. This is a culture of care, one that supports accountability and humility. Working to align our inner voice to our goals in order to support the work. The vision must be at the center of what we do each day.

What is the GOAL of our existence?

What is it that we do what we do for… what do we want to build, create, share, express, learn, experience?

I believe when we begin questioning ourselves in such ways, it leads to deep self reflection and self awareness. It leads to building community and creating innovative experiences for the good of all. When we being to spend time aligning ourselves with our vision, then we are able to connect to one another on a deeper level.

MCPC

I was invited to the Maryland Cultural Proficiency Conference in October, at Morgan State University. It was my first time at the conference and visiting Morgan State. The conference theme was A Reckoning: Equity, Consciousness, & Healing.

The presentations that I attended and speakers I saw were fantastic. There was a diversity that reiterated what the conference is about equity, diversity, and inclusion, and social emotional learning.

Climate of Mutual Respect

When Dr. Amer F. Ahmed spoke he shared his journey and the experiences that lead him to arrive on our stage. He shared that we must create climates of mutual respect that consists of self-awareness, empathy, tolerance for ambiguity, flexibility in thoughts and behaviors, patience, curiosity, and active listening.

This reminded me of the Seven Teachings of our Anishinaabe grandfathers; Love, Trust, Humility, Honesty, Bravery, Courage, & Wisdom.

Culturally Responsive Curriculum

This presentation was on ways we can incorporate more culturally relevant articles, materials, and learning into our curriculum. Attending this presentation opened my eyes up to new ways to incorporate different cultures into my art classroom. Simple things like teaching my students something about my culture, such as how to say hello in Anishinaabe. We need to normalize multiple perspectives!

Positive Schools Center

The presentation by the Positive Schools Center was perfect. We participated in practices we are being asked to use with our students. We sat in a circle and started with a welcoming ritual. Then we shared something we needed. This presentation was so inspiring and helpful in getting a handle on how I can implement more meaningful interactions with my students.

Revolutionary-Ed

Lead with vision, integrity and passion says Dr. Gregory C. Hutchens Jr. He shared with us highlights from his book, Getting into Good Trouble at School. Six things we can do to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion in the classroom:

  1. Know your history
  2. Commit to racial equity
  3. Eliminate de-facto segrigation
  4. Differentiation, discipline vs. policy.
  5. Engaging in strategic thinking and planning
  6. Display courageous bold leadership.

Adult SEL

During the conference, we were treated to mindful moments, chair massage, reflexology, great food, and time to socialize. This is vital during any professional development as it assists with practicing what we are preaching. How do we want and deserve to be treated, and how do our students?

I have gained so much from this conference. I am excited to bring the knowledge back to my classroom and to my professional learning communities!

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Education Art

Connected Arts Network 2022

In March I applied for a Connected Arts Network (CAN) Teacher Leader position, and was accepted into the program. I will be part of a virtual, nationwide Professional Learning Community (PLC). Over the course of five years, I will learn and collaborate with other visual arts educators, gaining resources to positively impact your students.

Arts educators are expected to increase their self-efficacy in and use of practices that incorporate equity, diversity, and inclusion; social-emotional learning; and leadership in their standards-based arts instruction. For students, this will lead to improvement in their expression of their identities, cultural backgrounds, and beliefs; understanding of their peers’ artworks and processes; and knowledge of the societal, historical, and cultural context of artworks.

Connected Arts Networks

What is CAN?

CAN stands for Connected Arts Network.

The National Art Education Association (NAEA), in partnership with the Educational Theater Association (EdTA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) is launching Connected Arts Networks (CAN), a five-year grant initiative to create nationwide virtual Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with educators in visual arts, music, theater, dance and media arts. The overarching vision for CAN is to build a sustainable model of professional learning for arts educators to strengthen their pedagogy, instruction and leadership skills in order to better serve students. This project is modeled after the successful structure of the PLC program in New York City, initiated by the Office of Arts and Special Projects (OASP), another partnering organization.

https://www.arteducators.org/news/articles/839-connected-arts-networks

As a Teacher Leader I will receive specialized virtual training to build my capacity to address Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion and Social-Emotional Learning within arts education. After year two, I will facilitate my own virtual PLC of arts educators of my same art discipline and student grade levels.

I am very excited about this opportunity and feel this is the beginning to something big.

Overall goals of the project

  • To develop highly effective arts educators, building their capacity to address ED&I and SEL in their standards-based arts instruction through sustained, intensive, and job-embedded blended professional learning.
  • To develop a local and national cadre of Teacher Leaders in the arts by building their content knowledge and leadership skills in order to expand the impact of arts learning for students and their communities.
  • To develop accessible arts-based instructional materials, strategies, and toolkits to disseminate to arts educators nationwide, including synchronous and asynchronous professional development programs and digital resources.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

  • Diversity is where everyone is invited to the art studio
  • Inclusion means that everyone gets to contribute to the artwork
  • Equity means that everyone has the opportunity to explore

These there aspects of the human journey are great to consider when collaborating and co-creating. To me they are no brainers, to create a world we all desire… we must encourage all people to find their self expression and support their journey to that the best way we can. For the Connected Arts Network teachers, we will be supporting through resources, workshops and sharing our stories.

Social Emotional Learning

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.

Creativity is the number one way to assist in developing self-awareness and self-actualization. Interpersonal skills are developed through creative expression as well. When a person shares their stories with another, they are learning about themselves through a new perspective while teaching the other person something new as well.

We are all Connected

I am so excited to be apart of the Connected Arts Network, and to be able to have a platform to share my stories, ideas and experiences so that others might come to a place where they feel safe to fully express themselves.

So far we have had one meeting with each arts network: Visual Arts, Music, Dance and Theater. It was so inspiring to be with such amazing art educators!

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Art Art Class Divine I Am Education Existence Most Popular Spirituality

Neurographic Art

Recently my students and I have been creating Neurographic Art drawings! It has been such a wonderful process, that I thought I would share it incase you had not heard of it.

Neurographics is a way of drawing that recreates the outer from the inner. The world is a reflection of the beliefs we hold.

NeuroGraphic Art

A way to allow a person to transform one’s stress and fear by drawing freeform lines and then later using a specific algorithm to transform the stress into a beautiful work of art.

Neurographica™ is a simple and effective method for working with the subconscious mind through drawing. This creative method stimulates new neural pathways by combining art and psychology. It was discovered and developed by Pavel M. Piskarev, PhD, a Russian architect, psychologist and creativity entrepreneur. This art style deals directly with our thoughts and emotions in a non-interpretive, non-dogmatic and thought-free way.

https://www.neurographica.us/about

Neuroplasticity

Neurographic art

The hand and brain are connected, and in tandem, or we would not be able to pick up or touch what is in front of us. 

Neurographic art uses that connection to loosen and redirect the habitual thought patterns that create fear and confusion and creates a new way of thinking and being. 

A new line; a new neural pathway.

Algorithm

  1. Use a dark color to draw a wide scribble on your paper.
  1. Think of a problem or issue you are facing while you draw the line.
  1. Find any sharp corners where lines cross or turn and round those, filling in the gap with ink.
  1. Add “field lines” or shapes that extend to the edges or overlap, then round any new corners.
  1. Add color!
  1. You can turn some of the lines into something recognizable or keep it abstract. 

I felt way more relaxed while I was focused.
E.S.

It made me feel more focused.
K.H.

Reflection

How do you feel? How did you feel going through the process?
The reflection process is one of the most important aspects of this practice. When one does this activity with intention and focus, there will be an affect on their perspective of the situation. Reflection asks for your attention on the matter. What did it feel like, what did you notice, describe where your thoughts went…

I feel like there is so much more that can be done with this, and I have only skimmed the surface!

Hopefully you have a chance to try it for yourself! I have created so many already! Let me know how it goes!

<3 Raine Dawn