BeLonging

FOR THE CHILDREN - WHO ARE ALL OF US. wayback The BeLonging Project is an educational programme designed using the diverse forms that describe the functions inherent in the Mereon Matrix. Seeing how education had ceased to be fun for so many teachers and students; and how classrooms had devolved into places where the emphasis was on the ‘mental’ and the playground was the domain of bullies, the application was christened 'Mereon TeamPlay Grounds'. Without touching the formal academic dimension, the intent was and remains to restore ‘fun’ to the fundamentals of learning, while simultaneously helping kids discover what is authentic to grow and nurture healthy relationships together.

This project is the simplest way to discover what the Mereon Matrix is and how it's functions can help whatever is fundamental, essential, in your life to function even better! Mereon is an experience and BeLonging is learning to love change in action! It's is kids and teachers learning that learning is lifelong; it is witnessing concurrent 'realities' at play by accepting responsibility! By changing roles every week, kids learn that they have unique talents and that by working/playing together can accomplish more than they ever could alone! We trust that what's shared here will lead to an ‘ah ha’ moment, helping you see the simplicity that's possible in the middle of life's complex situations! To read about this project in The Journal of Sustainability Education, "What's love got to do with Transformative Education?" by our colleague June Gorman, click here! BeLonging is a 3-day training program for teachers that provides them with the interpersonal tools necessary to foster healthy social interactions in their classroom. The project is based on the self-organizing principles and universal functions that are found to be in common with nature. This program lets teachers transform classroom management by turning it into a game that the children play.

HOW A TEAMPLAYGROUND WORKS! STEP 1 The project begins with a “ReVisioning Our LifeCourse�? that is equal parts personal and professional development for the teachers. The three-day teacher program focuses on growing healthy relationships, understanding self, colleagues, administration, students and parents. Teachers learn about “TeamPlay Ground�? and are trained to implement the model in their classroom.

STEP 2 Understanding that emotional and cognitive buy-in from the parents is critical, after the teacher-training, a free, public forum introduces parents and community members to “TeamPlay Ground�?.

STEP 3 “TeamPlay Ground�? is introduced to the kids and THEY build it. They play eight roles and perform 33 tasks in the course of a school day. They have a role for a week and do a different task every day. Every student plays all roles and every task over the course of the school year and in the process discovers what they love doing. The Roles are based on universal principles: THE LINK is the classroom ambassador; THE SUBSTITUTE fills in when the teacher takes a well earned break; THE TREE KIDS learn the simplicity of multitasking; THE ASSISTANT sits beside the teacher and helps during the day; THE SKY KIDS reduce stress by lightening things up; THE DOLPHINS attend to well-being & conflict resolution; EARTH KIDS are responsible for the physical environment; and POSSIBILITY KIDS bring something to school.

Class size is optimized with 33 students and 1 teacher, and the implications for educational agencies is easily recognized. The tasks are culturally derived. Reason: what works in Italy might not be allowed in Canada; and an effective and necessary task in a hot climate might be inappropriate in the chilly north.

STEP 4 A controlled, time-serious approach will be employed to evaluate the entire process. Easily accessible historical data will be gathered before the project begins. It includes such markers as student and teacher attendance, emotional well-being, academic success and behavioural records. It begins with the teachers evaluating the ReVisioning my LifeCourse. They appraise the facilitator's presentation, helping improve our ability to communicate trans-culturally and make the knowledge comprehensible and effective. Every classroom is evaluated for one school year. Information is gathered monthly from teachers to measure affects both quantitative and qualitative in individuals (teachers and students), and in a group as a whole. Every grading period the studentsgive “The Belonging Project�? a report card! THE NATURE OF THE GAME The BeLonging Program is peer-reviewed in "The Mereon Matrix; Unity, Perspective and Paradox"(Elsevier 2013), described in detail in "Scholarship; Education as Transformation", Chapter 4. SCHOOLS AS GARDENS It's time to think about schools as gardens where we grow the future. The seeds we plant today must be well and appropriately planted, nurtured and cared for if we are to harvest a sustainable future. Nothing is separate. Life is about relationships and the bonds we make shape our identity. The only way to avoid chaos is by strengthening our connections and increasing dialogue to find our Common Bond. MEANING AND MEASURED BENEFITS The BeLonging Program has been in use in schools internationally since 2004. Realized outcomes include: Sane, happy and fulfilled teachers Students discover a love of learning and learn to lead School is a place where everyone knows and feels they belong The classroom is a place where self-realization occurs through relationship BeLonging fully supports the academic mandates and the curriculum Its quantitative measure leads to meaningful results Bullying comes to a halt Chaos evaporates and order appears Included in decisions, kids cooperate and innovate for real solutions TEACHERS REPORT A renewed feeling of hope for the future That the programme makes 90% of their time available for teaching, and The remaining 10% of their time is used to compete administrative tasks They express a renewal of their 'calling', and a deeper commitment to teaching KIDS REPORT Feeling needed and wanted Experiencing a sense of belonging Feeling recognized for their uniqueness Feeling honoured for their individuality Knowing their opinion counts, and Feeling appreciated as a member of the whole! Our team is more than ready to help renew the hearts and minds of teachers and help train teachers anywhere in the world. Open the field in your community, and together we can build it. A small investment in the future today will return grand dividends for the future we share. The bottom line is BeLonging is an experience! It’s learning how to grow by getting along. It's trying about trying on new roles. It involves doing different tasks! It's about kids discovering that everyone is unique and special and finding out what is authentic to them! It's learning to build trust and grow self-respect. It's learning to respect others and discovering the joy. BeLonging is about life, learning to live and living.