Top Tips For Teaching Yoga In Schools - Tip #50: Less Is More
Welcome back to the blog!
The beginning of the school year can be overwhelming as we put our well-planned classes into action, and it’s easy to get bogged down in it all.
So, this week, I want to share some thoughts on curriculum planning, and share the reminder that less is more.
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Tip #50: Less Is More
As I usually do, I start and end each school year with some informal reflection, and I want to share with you some insights I’ve found helpful.
During the 2020-2021 school year, I went from seeing kids 5 days a week to just 2, which meant that I had to cut my curriculum down drastically. Then, being back in person during the 2021-2022 school year, I found myself back to seeing my students 5 days a week, and found myself trying to remember what I had done in years past, what lessons were worth adding back and which ones weren’t.
The gift of a virtual school year in 2020 was that I was able to determine what was essential for me to teach content wise, and what wasn’t. I got clear on the activities / lessons that were merely extension activities, or were lessons I had previously taught but never had quite gotten the engagement out of that I’d wanted, and cut those out entirely.
It can be so tempting, especially if we are teaching students for a set period of time, say 6-8 weeks, to try and cram EVERYTHING into that amount of time, but less is really more.
It wasn’t that I was actively teaching less: I was just teaching the skills that I thought were the most important AND building in more time for practice in each unit, instead of trying to rush to the next unit, or teach a bunch of “fun” lessons that were tangentially related to our content area.
I’m not saying don’t have fun with kids: fun is hugely important. But, make sure that even your fun activities are in direct service of your overarching lesson / unit objectives.
Also, don’t be afraid to adapt at the last minute. If you notice that you introduce a concept that students need more practice with, or need more time to explore, don’t hesitate to use another class period for that same lesson / objective. It’s okay to not get through every single lesson you’ve planned, or every lesson that you “traditionally” teach in your program.
Sometimes, less is more.
Tip Takeaway: Reflect on the aspects of your curriculum that are the MOST essential for students to know, and the parts of your curriculum that fall into the “may teach” category instead. How can you spend more time hammering home fewer conceptsHow can you make sure your fun activities are really aligned to the goals and objectives you set for that lesson, or that unit? Which lessons / concepts do your students need more time with, and what can you adapt and change to ensure they get that extra day or week of practice?