Start with the Heart - Expanding Upon the Capacity to Learn
This session reviews the Start with the Heart curriculum, which enables educators to invite learners to examine what we need to support our own well-being. This involves exploring the body’s stress response, understanding the role of the brain and the nervous system, neuroplasticity, brain anatomy, self-regulation, developing a growth mindset to support resiliency, reflecting on our habits, and learning how our own well-being exists in relationship with the well-being of the communities to which we belong. Alongside the topical content of each lesson, the curriculum offers simple, life-enhancing, research-based exercises that build learners’ ability to manage the stress in their lives. The curriculum is designed with ease of delivery as a top priority. This session will model how each lesson can be delivered anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, weaved into the course of a school day for in-class or virtual instruction, supporting increased learning of other school subjects.