Last week we tried some yoga as part of our inquiry into movement. We regularly practice some stretching and yoga sequences in our classroom, but some of the movements introduced were new to us. It was also exciting to use real yoga mats in the multi-purpose room! Through the session we showed our ability to be risk-takers by challenging our bodies and ranges of motion in new ways.
After the session, we completed painted reflections and Ms. Alison asked the students what their feelings about their yoga experience were. This is the discussion that emerged:
Daniel: Yoga makes me happy. Emma: It's like dancing and stretching. Denzil: Yoga isn't exercise. I need to do more running so I can have exercise. Daniel, Cam, Axel: Me too. Violett: You can even run in one spot. Zoe: Running gives you more energy. Daniel: In running your feet always move so it's exercise. Ms. Alison: Do you think that all the yoga and stretching we did just now is exercise? Most of the children said "no". Very few said "yes". Lucy: "It's exercise because we bended some of our body parts." |
The idea of yoga as exercise and what qualifies as exercise has continued to be a point of curiosity and dialogue in our class. There are a whole range of (very strong!) opinions which have continued to be discussed. These diverse opinions, wonderings, and conversations are part of the 'Tension' stage in our inquiry. 'Tensions' are puzzles, issues, or problems that may become the basis of deeper investigations (Kathy Short, "Inquiry as a Stance on Curriculum", Taking the PYP Forward, 2009). The next step will be for Ms. Alison to propose the concept of exercise as an 'Investigation'. We'll see how it goes!