This was my presentation at The 4th Annual Reform Symposium.

1. Facilitating “Wow” Moments through
Humor, Novelty, Awe, and Fascination
by Joan Young, M.A.

2. Very Briefly.. A little about Me!
Passionate about helping bring out the best in kids so that
they “flourish”
4th grade teacher/K teacher/coach/tutor
Author of 25 Super Sight Word Songs
Super Sight Word Songs
Finding Ways for All Kids to Flourish

4. A Little About You!
On the next board, please share by typing
what you hope to learn and/or contribute
to our discussion!
Please indicate your role in education!

5. Setting the Stage
 These ideas are those that will take minimal time
 The goal is to immunize against the factors of stress and
negativity that impact the school day
 I invite you to think about the most challenging parts of
your day, your classroom and see if you can
invent/modify a practice to reset the tone.

6. Threats to Environment
On the next board, please write factors
that pose threats to maintaining a positive,
effective classroom environment

7. Definition of Positive Climate

8. Who has inspired me?
 Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, author of Positivity
 http://www.amazon.com/Positivity-Groundbreaking-Research
Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions
 http://www.unc.edu/peplab/research.html
 got me thinking of how we can capitalize on positive
emotions and their effect on cognitive flexibility.

9. Broaden and Build Theory
The expanded cognitive flexibility evident during
positive emotional states results in resource
building that becomes useful over time.
 Even though a positive emotional state is only
momentary, the benefits last in the form of
traits, social bonds, and abilities that endure into
the future.

10.  Dr. Judy Willis
 neurologist, middle school teacher, author
http://www.radteach.com/
 Dr. John Medina, Brain Rules and Brain Rules for Baby
 Dr. John Ratey , author of Spark
 Dr. Todd Kashdan, author of Curious

11. Who has inspired you?

12. Positive Environment
Maximize autonomy, increase
choice, raise the bar

13. Positive lens
Magnify strengths..minimize challenges

14. Got Practical Ideas? yes
 Routines and Rituals
 Movement
 Music
 Novelty
 Spontaneity
 Time dedicated to exploration of fascination

15. Routines, Rituals, Jobs
 Student has job of classroom environment engineer
each week
 Other jobs: class photographer, blogger, music manager
 Jobs promote responsibility, community

16. Music is powerful
Raise your hand if you use music to
enhance the mood or set the stage
At the end during
questions/discussions I would love to
hear how you incorporate music

17. Use music
 For transitions: signal
 To introduce a new book, topic
 To get kids moving between activities
 In learning: have students create parodies/songs for
learning
 How do you use music?

18. Novelty Awakens
Present a lesson in a different order,
new place, or while talking like a
character from the book students are
reading.
Start singing the directions or
rhyming.
How do you use novelty to engage?

19. Be Spontaneous !
 Be creative
 Ignore negativity from peers 

20. Power of Awe & Fascination
http://allkidscanflourish.blogspot.com/2010/04/power-of-awe-fascination-and-wonder.html

21. Fascination Time
 Study what you’re interested in studying
 Share a strength or a skill
 Work together in a shared exploration or creation
 Students can record questions/passions in a journal
 Skype an expert in the field

22. Awe and Aww…
 Baby animals promote positive mood
 Can you look at them and not smile?
 Google: baby animal images

23. Humor Protects..
Use humor to protect from stress
Celebrate mistakes with humor
Santa’s “slay” : OOPS!
Kids want to make bloopers out of “funny
mistakes”

24. Celebrate Our Mistakes with
Humor
Students love to “catch me” making a
mistake.
“ I am so glad you are paying attention! I
was testing you!
When we model that mistakes can be
funny, we encourage a growth mindset.

25. Student Bloopers

26. Resources for Humor Benefits
What’s you favorite way to seize the
power of humor to uplift?

27. Be proactive to prevent stress
 Before a big writing test, I spontaneously invited the
students to a huddle in the center of the room
 We all put a hand in and cheered: We are going to
“ROCK THE WRAP!”
 The week before our standardized tests, I took pics of
students looking above privacy screens with fear. We
laughed and dispelled fears.

28. Evoke Curiosity
 From the work of psychologist, Todd Kashdan
 Curiosity has an impact on anxiety: when you evoke
curiosity during a stressful situation or before what could
be stressful for some, the effects of anxiety can be less.
 Use curiosity to counter the anxiety of a fixed mindset
risk averse student.

29. Celebrate Wins!

30. Use student created positive visuals to
help them work toward self-selected goals

31. Reflect! What’s Your Sentence

32. End of Year: 6 Word Stories

33. Help students to “reframe”
When something goes wrong, help
students learn how to “reframe”
Challenge their irrational beliefs; taking
the time to “reset” the emotional climate
after recess is invaluable!

36. Walk Around it!
 Teach kids that what they choose to focus on affects their
mood and how they learn.
 Just, “walk around it” and come back later.

37. Throw it out the window!

38. Have a Partner

39.  You have -- within you -- the fuel to thrive and to flourish,
and to leave this world in better shape than you found it.
Sometimes you tap into this fuel – other times you don ’t.
But the sad fact is that most people have no idea
how to tap into this fuel or even recognize it when they do.
Where is this fuel within you?
 You tap into it whenever you feel energized and excited by
new ideas.
You tap into it whenever you feel
surroundings, at peace.
You tap into it whenever you feel
You tap into it whenever you feel
sheer beauty of existence.
You tap into it whenever you feel
loved.
In short, you tap into it whenever
within you.
From the UNC Chapel Hill Pep Lab
at one with your
playful, creative, or silly.
your soul stirred by the
connected to others and
positive emotions resonate

40. Thanks for coming!
 Find me on Twitter @flourishingkids
 allkidscanflourish.blogspot.com
 flourishingkids@gmail.com
 BIG NEWS! ..