Teaching With The Body In Mind

Jan 28 2025 99 ep. 21 mins 7
Teaching With The Body In Mind Podcast artwork

Each week, Mike, Tom, Ross, and Joey reflect on the connection between moving and thinking. The discussions remind us that teachers should be supporting children's bodies as well as their minds.

  Education  Kids & Family
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TWTBIM_0319 The Body Has a Language of Its Own

Jan 28 2025 24 mins  
Mike kicks off a conversation about how physical games like rough and tumble play or hide and seek provide entry points to social connection--especially for children who don't share a common language. With each example shared, it becomes more and more evident that the body has a language of its own. Children are fluent in this language and much more capable at using it to connect t

TWTBIM_0318 The Joys of Hide and Seek

Jan 21 2025 21 mins  
Joey's recent experiences with her students playing hide and seek triggers happy memories amoung the group of playing Russian Piglets, Ghost in the Graveyard and Bloody Murder. Playing with the idea of disappearance and separation can provide just the right amount of feeling scared, brave and in control.

TWTBIM_0317 Empathy and Perspective Continued

Jan 14 2025 21 mins  
In a continuation of last week's conversation, there's more to discuss around empathy and perspective taking. What does it feel like to know that others perceive you as the "bad" kid? What narratives support children's flawed perspective about other people and how adults help to expand their thinking? The group gets into some thorny issues that connect our experiences in the classr

TWBIM_0316 Perspective Taking and Empathy

Jan 07 2025 22 mins  
Perspective taking and empathy are skills that often get lumped together in talking about children's development. Mike argues that they develop separately but often work together. Ross reminds us that babies (who lack perspective taking abilities) show care towards others. Joey wonders how to apply Mike's idea to recent puppy paw conflict in the classroom. Tom recalls a time when h

TWTBIM_0315 Snow! (Encore Episode)

Dec 31 2024 18 mins  
The time is here to share our "Snow!" episode. Tom wants to talk about beautiful, wonderful snow. Children love snow and the myriad opportunities it brings. Adults need to keep their snow-related hassles to themselves and let children have the joy. The discussion includes some practical tips for sledding with young children. (Originally recorded in 2019) Wishing everyone a happy a

TWTBIM_0314 Musical Pairings

Dec 24 2024 12 mins  
Just for fun, some suggestions for musical pairings that fit the themes of our conversations.

TWTBIM_0313 Conditions for Flow

Dec 17 2024 22 mins  
Tom leads a follow up conversation about creating conditions for flow in the classroom. Mike draws on his days as a drummer to highlight the needs of shared understanding among players and repeated experiences with materials to build mastery. But where is the tipping point between mastery and boredom? Ross introduces the hotplate theory of creativity. Tom emphasizes the need for me

TWTBIM_0312 Flow

Dec 10 2024 23 mins  
Tom reflects on whether children achieve flow states in their play. According to a recent article--that, of course, Tom read--flow occurs when someone has expertise that allows them to release conscious control and go on autopilot. Do children have the expertise required to create flow? Mike argues that children achieve flow in play, which is their area of expertise. The conversati

TWTBIM_0311 Collective Energy

Dec 03 2024 24 mins  
As a follow up to recent talks about energy levels, Ross invites us to look at the collective energy created by groups of children. It's hard to pinpoint the source of this energy and what makes it shift. Things can quickly turn from joyful noise to chaos. What is the impact of timing, friendships or tensions within the group? Mike cites a perfect example of "collective energy" fro

TWTBIM_0310 Cave and Treehouse

Nov 26 2024 22 mins  
Mike leads a discussion about environments that support children when they are upset. Some children will need "caves" while others need "treehouses." Tom observes that children can also create their own spaces for regulation within the classroom. Ross wonders, can you have a treehouse in a cave?