Embrace Discomfort: Insights from the Minding Bodies Book Club – Week 6

Have you ever been stretched beyond your comfort zone? It’s a challenge, but it’s amazing what it teaches us! We were excited to conclude our book club series by discussing Chapter 6 of Minding Bodies: How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning. In the final chapter, Dr. Susan Hrach argues that embracing discomfort is a key to unlocking learning and growth. By nudging ourselves beyond what's familiar and easy, we uncover fresh insights about ourselves and the world around us.

Review

If you missed our week 1 post, be sure to catch up on the details of our club and how we got started! In week 2, you can read about how we take it outside in exploring the power of nature on learning, and in week 3 we looked at sensory-enhanced and object-based learning. Week 4 led us on a journey of how we learn to move and move to learn. Week 5 showed us how moving around together can provide a powerful synergy for learning.

How Did We Enter?

To kickoff this session, facilitators Alex Walters and Brittany Smalls led us into our enter activity by introducing an audio clip from Dr. Susan Hrach from the Think UDL podcast.

In the clip, the host asks Hrach for advice for integrating diverse bodies, movements, and senses into higher education learning. In her response, Hrach stressed initiating small changes in the classroom, urging student movement within space to explore varied aspects of content. Highlighting the importance of acknowledging the body in learning, Hrach mentioned her experiences introducing chair yoga and breathing exercises to her students and the positive response it received. She concluded with the significance of treating students as more than just 'brains on sticks,' emphasizing the need to focus on their holistic well-being in the learning process.

How Did We Engage?

Our engagement began with facilitator Mary Smith asking for a memorable quote or 'aha' moment from the last chapter, opening the doors to a lively and engaging discussion. Participants begin sharing about their past schooling and the expectation to stay seated and silent while in class - a common experience that many related to. This led to a discussion around the hurdles of implementing changes in traditional class structure and shifting faculty thinking. Members began sharing ideas and advice for integrating movement even in larger classes and how to leverage outdoor spaces on campus for learning.

As the conversation wrapped, participants were left thinking about ways to implement the insights from the book into their teaching and embrace the concept of a "pedagogy of discomfort" as highlighted by Hrach.

How Did We Exit?

To exit, facilitator Julia Liebenrood guided us through a discussion around how we can implement changes with a “Think Big, Start Small, Act Fast” mindset. Through this mindset, Julia encouraged us to begin implementing some of the principles highlighted in the book by starting small and taking manageable steps toward larger goals, emphasizing the importance of quick, purposeful action - setting deadlines and collaborating for efficient change.

How are you leaving? We would love to hear from you!

What ideas do you have for integrating movement in your classes?

We hope that you have enjoyed our book club reflections and found them enjoyable and insightful. You can access all of our previous blog posts along with additional content and resources through the EduSpark blog.