Your Monthly News & Updates |
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Youth, Listening, and the Metaverse |
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As school opens up again, the Center for Educational Improvement is continuing in its tradition of exploring innovative practices, furthering students' mental health, and advocating for youth leadership in transforming education.
This month, Amy Huff provides strategies that teachers and parents can use to further important communication with teens, and Chris Mason along with two interns, Maanasi Bulusu and Leah Bullinger, reviews both cutting edge strategies for incorporating virtual and augmented reality into instruction, and also what Secretary of Education Cardona has been doing to gain input from youth throughout the US on a series of listening tours, where he has connected with schools in 36 states. This month’s HeartMind eNews will help you as you begin the 2022-2023 academic year with fresh ideas, inspiration, and practical advice!
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Navigating Communication with Teens this School Year
Amy Huff, CEI Research Assistant
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Editorial note: Teachers, this has some great tips for you and for parents. You could mention some of the suggestions to parents and/or share this article with them.
School has been in full swing for the last few weeks, and this can cause mixed feelings among many teens. The structure, seeing friends they have not seen all summer, and participating in new clubs and sports can all be things to look forward to. Others may be nervous about their new classes, starting at a new school, or apprehensive of how they may be seen by their old friends, depending on how their summer experience was.
Regardless of whether teenagers are starting as a freshman at a new school, or if they display the assuredness that comes with being a senior, keep in mind that every year brings about something new, causing stress, anxiety and potentially increased feelings of depression. This increase in stress and anxiety may cause them to act differently around their parents, families, and other adults in their life as they try to acclimate to these changes while figuring how they feel about it all. Read more.
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The Metaverse and Education
Maanasi Bulusu, CEI Intern, and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director
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The Metaverse has been a futuristic dream of many science fiction lovers in which a universal world exists that is iterated through a network of users using virtual and augmented reality (Ravenscraft, 2022). The result: a mixed reality replete with immersive experiences; what Forbes magazine calls a “third space.”
Imagine looking up from your computer to see your own living space transformed with the addition of animated figures and scenes captured from a fictional 3-D movie. Perhaps you bring Lion King off the screen and into a corner of your life. Imagine being able to walk right into the other realm and interact with the virtual characters and events you see. For educators, this could mean reenactments of the joys and horrors of actual historical events — Lincoln giving the Gettysburg address, Mongol invasions of Europe and Asia— and perhaps even your daily news. With or without filters. Could this change student engagement? Of course.
We must ask, will the Metaverse be used wisely? What standards will be maintained? Could it be the Wild West all over again? Read more.
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Learning from Secretary Cardona's Youth Listening Tours
Leah Bullinger, CEI Intern, and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director
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In today’s increasingly polarized political climate, it is important to prioritize careful listening over uncooperative arguing. Moreover, it is even more important to prioritize the voices of people who are marginalized, underrepresented, and young.
Last year, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona embraced the potential of listening tours by kicking off an extensive tour for American school communities. As of August 2022, Cardona has visited schools in 36 states and Puerto Rico.
- At each tour stop, Secretary Cardona focused especially on reaching historically underserved schools through virtual and in-person meetings with students, parents, and staff.
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In each discussion, Secretary Cardona asked members to share their personal experiences and ideas for learning improvement. He also worked with schools facing COVID-related challenges to give them support and general advice. Read more.
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Upcoming Events and Announcements |
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CEI Webinars
SPECIAL - Last Opportunity. Register now: $5 for session #1 of the 5Cs book study. Sign up now.
Register by midnight Tuesday Sept. 13 to receive the link for the 50 minute session on Wednesday, Sept. 14.
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Race Forward: Heal Together Survey
CEI is partnering with community organizations in Virginia and Race Forward: Heal Together to conduct listening sessions to learn about the concerns of students, families, and educators. As part of this effort we are inviting others to respond to a very brief survey.
If you are concerned about banning books, racism, academic freedom, student rights, and related issues facing school communities, please complete the survey and share widely with others.
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Save the Date: November 5 Virtual Yoga and Education Summit
The Center for Educational Improvement in conjunction with 3HO is offering a virtual summit for teachers, yoga instructors, mindfulness practitioners, and others who are interested in bringing yoga, meditation, and mindfulness to schools.
In this era of high stress and trauma, mindfulness, meditation and yoga are a great asset for any school, for students and teachers alike.
You will have opportunities for guided practice and will also hear from experts as they share how they are using yoga, meditation, and mindfulness in their local schools. Mark your calendar and look out for a formal invitation soon.
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S-CCATE
Learn more about our validated tool for addressing trauma, used in four pilot studies and with the New England Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative.
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CEI eBooks now available
See our ebooks on:
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You are also invited to join the HeartMind Community to receive discounts on publications and workshops, networking opportunities, and special offers for virtual consultations and additional resources from the Center for Educational Improvement—at the very end after the announcements.
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CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT
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