This post was also published on Medium.
So often, when looking at oneself, the prefixes “intro” or “in” are used, such as introspection or looking inward, but what if you are interested in the whole self. Shouldn't self-examination look in and around? If that’s true, then why aren’t we using a different term? How can we take a more holistic approach to the lens through which we notice, describe, discover and communicate who we are? How can we look in all directions when we are learning in school? Why don't we spend more time facing selfward?
Self discovery is something I believe that school experiences should foster. What is the point of knowing more about that past and the present of our world if you can’t understand your place in it? So often, students have to share personal things about themselves that are more tell than show and communicate in finite, fill-in-the-blank ways. What would happen if students spent more time engaging in self inquiry and learning about who they are while also building learning and curricular skills?
For a long time, I have been creating projects for students that I call BOBs (Building Outside the Blocks projects). They help build skill, autonomy, community, and connection, but they also have an element that I could never quite explain until I discovered and pondered this new word in my vernacular: selfward. These projects help students learn more about themselves. While they get presented to me and to the class community (communityward), they all require a personal journey that often leads to self discovery.
BOB Project examples that explicitly take students selfward:
The Personal Playlist Project (P3)- students choose a nostalgic, identity and pick me up song and unpack the story behind their selections through a presentation that is informative and musical- (outline temporarily pinned to my Twitter profile).
What’s in a Name- students investigate their name story through their parents/relatives, the etymology and origin story, why they think their name suits them or proposing an alternative.
Healthy Start- Students commit to starting or stopping something related to their physical, mental or social-emotional wellbeing. They track their experiences through journaling and by collecting data that is displayed in a graph/chart of their choice, and they reflect on their strategies and next steps for meeting or reimagining their goal.
Precious Cargo- Students share an object or person that they would take with them if they emigrated and explain why it’s precious to them.
Self Portrait- Student a collage, video, artistic work, or other product to tell the story of who they and what they value/live to do.
Snapshot- students take a photograph reflecting something about their lives or a way they want to make an impact on the world and lead the decoding of the text.
(I've never blogged about the last two, so there's no link. but I will at some point.)
In a school year, my students partake in around 5 BOB projects. In the end, besides feeling effectively tooled and challenged, I hope they feel seen and have a deeper sense of who they are. That is the enduring imprint I hope to leave on each one of them. Time and again, their refections have been evidence of this impact.
Teaching introspective skills are wonderful and important. They allow students to think about their learning, reflect on and own experiences, and get to know themselves. Giving the students opportunities to go on a journey of self discovery has no real measure. It does, however help a student’s sense of well being, it allows them to discover and take pride in their social identities, and it invites them to ground themselves in who they are so they can effectively build and deepen curricular and learning skills. Feeding the roots of something is the best way to create stability and sustained growth. That is why the compass of learning should needs to face selfward.
The idea for this post was formed after a few days of well-being tweets and then interviewing Taylor Armstrong as a guest on the P3. His cause #Bethecompass gave me pause and direction. Now that I have names this work, I have created a workshop for intermediate/middle school students with centres that all point Selfward. I invite teachers to respond to this post with ways they help students journey selfward so we can gather and share resources.