Mantra Pop- Elevate Your Mind!

Introduction:

Developing an understanding around emotions and regulation strategies are critical for all learners. Mantras are a regulation strategy and have a high impact in promoting self awareness, self regulation, positive self talk, empathy and compassion. In this project, learner’s create eye catching, sharable mantra pop art designs that can inspire and motivate each and every day! 

Learning Objectives:

Mantra Pop! Elevate the Mind aligns with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards while promoting self awareness, self regulation, positive self beliefs and also encourages empathy and compassion. This lesson could be leveraged in K-12 and beyond!

1. After creating a mantra statement that supports an area of personal need, learners will select or take a photo of themselves that best relates to their chosen mantra statement. 
2. Learners will learn about the pop art creation process using iPad Photos and Markup. After being provided with an example and a Markup tool lesson, learners will begin to create their own pop art and incorporate their chosen mantra statement.  
3. Learners will showcase their mantra statements in a way that is most supportive of their SEL needs. For example, learners will create their own mantra visuals to support their workflow. Learners can choose and create their own desktop printable, iPad home screen and or lock screen, iPad “Personal Regulation” Photos Album, or even include the mantra pop as part of their own Self Regulation Journal.

Example: Desktop or Lanyard Visual Remind created from Mantra Pop.

Example: Set Lock Screen on iPad with the finished Mantra Pop.

Example Self Regulation Journal supporting the development of the Mantra Pop!

I chose this project because I am passionate about social emotional learning at all levels. As a special educator by trade, I have had success in helping learners go beyond just listing and labeling feelings. It’s important to to help learners develop an awareness of their own feelings and personalize the learning to support self regulation. This project is powerful and can be a reoccurring element to support our learners as they develop. I used the example of taking a break because many learners are learning how to regulate and support their unique strengths and their own areas of growth during their school day. Encouraging thinking around telling yourself it’s "OK" to do something like take a break is often an important first step! 

The Process:

If your learners are struggling to generalize pre created social skill lessons often they haven’t been able to find their own “why” and apply it. Learners need buy in and they need a creative space to allow their own passions and interests to help guide them.  

Before the learners can engage in this creation task, they need to first engage with learning around mantras and the development of at least one for themselves. I love to use Numbers, Keynote and often Schoolwork to support this work through a social emotional learning journal and a template like the Create Your Mantra Keynote template I created showcased here.  

Note: Photos in the Create your Own Mantra Template are my own. 

This learning process is an evolution of learning around themselves and the strategies they can use when they are navigating their day. Using iPad Photos and Markup, learners can easily take their chosen or new image and make it pop to help guide their inner thought bubbles and increase their ability to self regulate! 

Reflection:

This project brings forth a level of engagement and motivation like no other. It really helped my learners dig deep into the thinking portion of this work. Helping guide learners in their inner thought bubbles can be challenging and can also be a struggle for our learners to navigate. Having this project as a target was exciting and fun! This project is highly visual and if I had learners who were low vision or blind working on this learning, I would need to reconfigure a few things and offer some additional choice within this showcase of learning.

💡Quick Ideas:

I would likely offer another choice around creating a jingle that helps them think about their mantras through the use of GarageBand. In addition, I’d like to offer some additional ideas around sharing with a bigger audience to help younger learners too.  

Recap:

This project is a great example of how the power of creation can hook learners and engage them in their own social emotional learning. Having a visual representation and personal connection to their inner thoughts is powerful!  Kids love learning about ways their iPad can help them! In addition to digging deeper with thinking, pop art is an incredible skill to learn and can be a wonderful regulation tool in itself! “Doodling” with Markup through pop art can support self regulation during class too! This type of learning will be celebrated in so many ways and can be shared so easily digitally as well as in print!

Learn how, and explore more Everyone Can Create Projects >