Last month…I was chilling in my room 2 days prior to Christmas break. As I surveyed my digs, I became disgusted with myself! My room was a mess. I had just been enlightening my students about the awesome Asian concept of Chi…an invisible source of energy that permeates the universe. Chi flows through the environment, animals and people, as well as man-made structures. Acupuncture and Tai Chi stimulate the life-giving flow of Chi through a person. The ancient interior decoration practice of Feng Shui can do the same for your home or work-space. I felt like a hypocrite.
Before: My room was a mess…I couldn’t get out of my own way…Chi was blocked
I decided my room was in desperate need of a Feng Shui makeover! This exercise had great informational power for many parties:
- I could apply a complex topic from class in a demonstrable way
- I could become more approachable to my students as they cheered me on in my noble quest
- I could inspire kids to apply Feng Shui to some aspect of their lives
- My room would become more livable
This is EXACTLY what happened! When they returned in January, my students were impressed with my orderly flowing room.
After: Sweet relief!
I issued the Feng Shui Challenge in my maiden January student blog prompt. They could Feng Shui their rooms, or lockers, or cars, or phones. Here’s the link.
This activity inspired me to sponsor other self-improvement challenges to my students like incorporating To-Do lists:
Time to get organized kid!
Please be aware…this doesn’t have to just be a social studies thing. Listen to the episode and get some ideas on how you might include such a demonstration in your curriculum.
Episode Template
The Problem:
Our curriculums seem irrelevant!
The Solution:
Apply a complex class concept in a demonstrable way…right in front of your student’s eyes! Then, challenge them to do the same.
What you can do Tomorrow:
- Search your curriculum for a concept you could apply
- Brainstorm a way to demonstrate your application
- Concoct a way to challenge students to do the same
- Have them share their experience in a demonstrable way
If you want to engage students, find ways to make your curriculum relevant. A great way to do this is to have kids apply class concepts to their lives.
