Module Introduction
Educators have a deep sense that when children are really learning, when they’re really connecting to other students, when they’re finding their passions and their sense of meaning in the classroom, the experience of awe is often nearby.
Scientists describe awe as a feeling of vastness that transforms how we view the world. And while awe may not be a term familiar to students, most of them have probably already experienced it in their young lives.
Perhaps they got chills visiting a national park with their family, or were moved to tears as they walked across a stage with their classmates, in unison, during graduation. Maybe they were amazed by the birth of their sibling, or got goosebumps when they first contemplated quantum physics. Even though they may not have recognized what they felt was awe, it still may have had a profound impact on them.
Scientists who have been studying awe have found that humans, adults and children alike, have a fundamental need for awe. They have also discovered that awe is quite important for our social fabric and wellbeing, both individually and collectively. Indeed, this powerful emotion has the ability to foster kindness and generosity in students, help them discover a sense of purpose, improve their academic success, and awaken their motivation and curiosity for learning—a useful emotion to cultivate in the classroom!
While awe can be found in response to profound experiences, it can also be experienced in the simple moments of students’ lives. Singing together in an assembly or exploring a new and fascinating idea in class – like the wondrous life cycle of a butterfly.
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 for it.
Spark Interest
Choose one of the following awe-inspiring videos to watch, noticing any reactions that come up as you watch.
Reflection
- Did you notice:
- a physical response, (e.g., goosebumps—a common awe reaction)
- a mental response (e.g., feeling small in comparison to the size of the world)
- an emotional response (e.g., tears, a warm feeling in the chest)
- Did you notice a shift in your belief in human potential?
- Did everyday concerns seem less problematic?
You may not have had any of these reactions too, and that’s ok. We all experience awe from different things—and we may not be prone to awe at all.
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 for young people
- Explore the potential role of awe for students’ wellbeing, relationships, and thriving at school
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
Awe is a natural part of childhood, no matter the background or circumstances of the child, sparking children’s curiosity, motivation, sense of meaning, and sheer delight in the world. Awe also helps students to create a greater sense of perspective by enabling a connection to something larger than themselves—nature, humanity, history, the planet, and the cosmos.
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. [10:13]
Reflection:
- How can we design awe-inspiring experiences that are accessible and inclusive for all students, regardless of their backgrounds and experiences?
- How might you encourage or spark interest in students to ask and ponder the bigger questions of life, e.g., why are we here? How should I live?
Why is Awe Important for Students?
In this next video, learn what researchers have discovered about how awe can benefit students. [7:33]
Reflection
- How do you think awe might benefit your students?
- If you teach students, where can you fit in brief moments of awe?
How to Bring Awe to the Classroom
In this final video, learn how educators can intentionally cultivate moments of trauma-informed awe—both large and small—for students. [insert time of video]
Reflection
- What are your thoughts about bringing the idea of transcendence, or the feeling of being connected to something larger than yourself, into education?
- How can we encourage the sense of wonder and amazement our students experience in the classroom to translate into action and positive change in their communities and the world at large?
Links from Video
Awe Practices
Finding Awe in Everyday Moral Beauty (Middle-High School) Help students explore the everyday acts of kindness and courage, experience an “awe” moment, and feel more hopeful, connected, and inspired to be prosocial. (less than 1 hour)
Encouraging Awe and Wonder Through Questioning (PreK-High school) Students ask questions about a topic or skill—ones that may or may not be answerable—opening their minds to the awe and wonder of life. (less than 30 minutes)
Awe is All Around Us (PreK-Middle school) Students learn about and create mandalas as a way to experience the awe of visual design. (less than 30 minutes)
Earthrise: Fostering Awe (Middle school-College) Students watch the film Earthrise and learn how the emotion of awe felt by the Apollo 8 astronauts and the world helped them to experience the world as a shared home. (multiple sessions)
A Nature Awe Journal (Middle school-Adult) Staff or students complete a daily awe journal for one week. (less than 15 minutes)
Look Up Vibe (LUV Moment) (High school-College) Students step outside, take a pause, and gently look up to experience the interconnected nature of life. (less than 30 minutes)
The Beauty of Collective Effervescence (PreK-High school) Students learn about collective effervescence, and either reflect on a time they experienced it or try it in the classroom. (less than 15 minutes)
Letting Music Shape You (Upper elementary-High school) Students reflect on an experience of music that elicited awe for them and connect with their peers through the sharing of awe-eliciting music. (less than 15 minutes)
Wabi-Sabi: Finding Beauty in the Cycles of Life (Middle-High school) Students learn about wabi-sabi, research a life cycle of a natural object, and reflect on the experience of wabi-sabi within that life cycle. (less than 1 hour)
Awe-Inspiring Affirmations (Upper elementary-High school) Students watch an awe-inspiring video, then build on the positive emotions they experience by writing a personal affirmation. (less than 30 minutes)
Finding Meaning Through Awe (Middle school-College) Students interview each other about an experience of awe, reflect on what that experience reveals is meaningful to them, and consider how to connect that meaning to their learning. (less than 30 minutes)
Collective Effervescence Videos
The hypnotic dance of a starling murmuration
Principal teaches students the shuffle dance
Amazing synchronized human wave
Sadeck Weff’s choreographed dance at the 2020 Paralympic Games
8.5 Take It Deeper: Integrating Awe Into a Lesson
A worksheet to help you plan for how you might bring an “awe moment” into a classroom lesson.
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 worksheet to help you plan for how you might bring an “awe moment” into a classroom lesson.
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 Students".
A powerpoint slide deck with welcoming and closing activities to include in professional learning sessions.
A worksheet to help you plan for how you might bring an “awe moment” into a classroom lesson.
“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
Do you want to dive deeper into the science behind our GGIE practices? Enroll in one of our online courses for educators!
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