Module Introduction
Think of a moment when you felt you were in the presence of something vast and mysterious that transcended your current understanding of the world. Maybe you were wonderstruck by nature or felt a genuine moment of connection with your spiritual side or witnessed an incredible act of bravery or kindness.
In this moment, perhaps you felt a greater connection to humanity or questioned a long-held belief. Maybe you had a sudden epiphany about a challenge you’ve been wrestling with for months, or even years!
This is the experience of awe.
Scientists have been studying awe—both what it is and how it impacts humans—for over 20 years. And they’ve discovered that humans, adults and children alike, have a fundamental need for awe.
While awe can be found in response to profound experiences, it can also be experienced in the mundane moments of life. Perhaps a flower growing through a crack in the sidewalk on the way to your classroom or when a student suddenly understands a challenging academic concept.
This is what makes awe so powerful. Awe doesn’t have to come from a rare, once or twice-in-a-lifetime moment. Every single person on the planet can experience awe every day of their lives…if they know how to look.
Spark Interest
Take a moment to discover how much you experience awe in your daily life.
Awe quiz: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_quiz/awe
Reflection
- Did your results surprise you?
- Were some questions challenging to answer? Were some easier? What areas of life spark awe for you?
Learning Objectives
In this module we will:
- Define awe and explore the various ways it can be sparked
- Explore the benefits of seeking and experiencing awe
- Explore the potential role of awe for educators’ wellbeing, relationships, and satisfaction at work
Module Resources
This toolkit includes additional resources, including classroom lessons and practices organized by developmental level, staff meeting activities, videos, podcasts, articles, and professional learning opportunities, as well as supporting materials for group facilitation on the topics of "Awe for Adults" and “Awe for Students”.
Individual Exploration
It’s easy for us as educators to feel bogged down by daily routines and concerns, stifling our sense of creativity and wonder. Feeling awe can reawaken those feelings of inspiration—and give us a renewed sense of purpose in our work.
What is Awe?
In this first segment, learn how awe is defined by researchers, whether everyone experiences awe, and about the “8 Wonders” of awe. [11:01]
Reflection:
- What is vast or awe-inducing to you?
- Which of the eight wonders tends to spark awe in you most often?
Why is Awe Important for Educators?
In this next video, learn what researchers have discovered about how awe can benefit educators. [5:13]
Reflection
- How has experiencing awe and wonder impacted your personal and professional life? What benefits have you noticed?
- Have you noticed anything that gets in the way of awe OR things that have made awe more accessible (like emotional states, or contexts)?
How Educators Can Cultivate Awe
In this final video, learn how adults can intentionally cultivate moments of awe—both large and small—in their lives. Many of the practices mentioned can be used in staff meetings. [9:31]
Reflection
- Where can you fit brief moments of awe into your personal or professional life?
- How can we continue to cultivate a sense of awe and wonder in ourselves as educators, even amidst the daily challenges and pressures of teaching?
Links from Videos
Awe Practices & Podcasts
Affirming Important Values (High school-Adult) Rank a list of values in order of importance to you, and then write a brief account of why your #1 value is important to you. (less than 15 minutes)
Stories of Moral Beauty (Adult) At the start or end of staff meetings, staff members notice and acknowledge acts of moral beauty performed by students and staff, promoting an awe-inspiring atmosphere and building a positive school culture. (less than 15 minutes)
An AWE-Some Mind-Map Practice (Upper elementary-College) Students create mind-maps of a current academic concept, before and after experiencing an awe moment. (less than 1 hour)
Contemplating Awe-Inspiring Systems (Middle school-College) Students create a systems map of a favorite topic and contemplate the vast interconnectedness revealed through the map. (less than 1 hour)
Finding Wonder Through Art in Community (High school-College) Students walk in their neighborhood and capture an image of a visual design that inspires awe. (less than 30 minutes)
Awe Walk (adult, but adaptable to any age) Take a short walk outside to find wonder and inspiration. (15 minutes)
Happiness Break: Awe in impermanence [8:06] Take a few minutes to develop your sense of awe for the circle of life in this meditation with Dacher Keltner.
Creating Musical Playlists for the Classroom (PreK-High school) Students identify how different types of music make them feel, and create a music playlist for various moods and emotions. Then they reflect on how a shared listening of music leads to an experience of awe and helps them feel more connected to themselves and each other. (less than 1 hour)
Nature Videos
BBC Planet Earth Trailer [4:42] An awe-inspiring compilation of nature footage used in the lab to induce awe. TRULY awesome!
4K Virtual Hike through Canadian Forest [3:03:52] “Take a virtual hike through a sun-lit forest and listen to nature sounds! Enjoy the natural peace along the forest paths and explore the rich natural landscapes of British Columbia that are filled with streams, rivers, lakes, hills, beaches and lush woods. Listen to dry branches underfoot and lovely bird chirping.”
The Most Astounding Fact [3:33] Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson talks about the interconnectedness of humans and the universe.
Nature Meditations/Podcasts
Happiness Break: Feeling the Awe of Nature Wherever You Are [7:03] Host Dacher Keltner leads us through an exercise in feeling the serenity and wonder that nature brings us, no matter where we are.
Happiness break: Pause to Look at the Sky [7:33] Take a moment to appreciate the beauty and vastness of the sky. Dacher Keltner guides us through a practice of pausing to turn your gaze to the sky as a pathway to awe, creativity, and wonder.
Awe-inspiring design
Awe-inspiring Art installations Take a moment to explore how Illuminate—an organization that “rallies large groups of people together to create impossible works of public art that, through awe, free humanity’s better nature”—is turning San Francisco into the City of Awe.
Watch their video, and check out their awe-inspiring installations.
26 Awe-Inspiring Architectural Wonders “From ancient temples to hyper-modern skyscrapers, these are just a few of the world’s most incredible architectural wonders. Whether you’re looking to wander lost ruins or explore lavish palaces, you’ll find inspiration here.”
Collective Effervescence videos
The hypnotic dance of a starling murmuration “See thousands of starlings flock together to create breathtaking patterns across the sky”
Bollywood number “A Bhangra flash mob video filmed in a train station in Vancouver, BC in support of fundraising for BC Children’s Hospital.”
Find Awe in Teaching
We invite you to watch this brief video of teachers talking about how they have found awe in teaching. [3:38]
7.5 Take It Deeper: Awe Reflection Activity
Use the handout “An Awe Reflection” (linked below) to help you relive a moment when you felt awe, noticing the impact it had on your physical, mental, or emotional well-being.
Module Resources
This toolkit includes additional resources, including classroom lessons and practices organized by developmental level, staff meeting activities, videos, podcasts, articles, and professional learning opportunities, as well as supporting materials for group facilitation on the topics of "Awe for Adults" and “Awe for Students”.
A worksheet to help you relive a moment when you felt awe, noticing the impact it had on your physical, mental, or emotional well-being.
Group Facilitation
Before facilitating groups, spend time in individual exploration in order to experience and embody the learning. And if you haven’t yet explored our introduction to SEL in California, make sure you explore those resources.
Module Resources
This toolkit includes additional resources, including classroom lessons and practices, staff meeting activities, videos, podcasts, articles, and professional learning opportunities, as well as supporting materials for group facilitation on the topics of "Awe for Adults" and “Awe for Students”.
A revisable, turnkey powerpoint slide deck to use for professional learning sessions on the topic of "Awe for Educators".
A powerpoint slide deck with welcoming and closing activities to include in professional learning sessions.
A worksheet to help you relive a moment when you felt awe, noticing the impact it had on your physical, mental, or emotional well-being.
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”
Do you want to dive deeper into the science behind our GGIE practices? Enroll in one of our online courses for educators!
Comments