The Global Game Changers Children's Education Initiative provides a Common Core/NAEYC compliant, compassion-based curriculum that teaches and inspires elementary school kids to give back. Check out this presentation to see the benefits of a compassionate curriculum, including academic achievement, reduced bullying, increased self-esteem, and better health and happiness. Find out how the Global Game Changers are teaching compassion and inspiring kids to find their own superpowers to make the world a better place.

2. Conversation Starters
• What IS compassionate
education?
• Why is it important to teach
compassion?
• How are the Global Game
Changers teaching compassion?
• Is it effective?

3. What
Is
Compassionate
Educa3on?
Although
service
projects
help
others
and
promote
compassion.
It’s
MORE
THAN
service
projects

4. What
IS
Compassionate
Educa3on?
It’s
MORE
THAN
religious
educa?on
Although
most
world
religions
promote
compassion.
Whatever
you
wish
that
men
would
do
to
you,
do
so
to
them.
Bible,
Ma@hew
7.12
Have
compassion
for
all
beings,
rich
and
poor
alike;
each
has
their
suffering.
Some
suffer
too
much,
others
too
li@le.
Buddha
Those
who
act
kindly
in
this
world
will
have
kindness.
-­‐
Qur'an
39.10
The
world
stands
upon
three
things:
upon
the
Law,
upon
worship,
and
upon
showing
kindness.
-­‐Mishnah,
Abot
1.2
What
sort
of
religion
can
it
be
without
compassion?
You
need
to
show
compassion
to
all
living
beings.
Compassion
is
the
root
of
all
religious
faiths.
Basavanna,
Vachana
247

5. What
IS
Compassionate
Educa3on?
Although
modeling
can
help.
It’s
MORE
THAN
teachers
being
compassionate
to
their
students

6. What
IS
Compassionate
Educa3on?
It
IS
about
inspiring
kids
to
bring
compassion
into
their
lives.

7. What
IS
Compassionate
Educa3on?
It
IS
about
making
a
concerted
effort
to
recognize
compassion.
Less
of
this.
More
of
this.

8. What
IS
Compassionate
Educa3on?
It
IS
about
helping
kids
find
a
personal
connec?on
to
compassion.
Baking
cookies
for
firefighters!
Having
video
game
tournaments
for
cancer!
Taking
pictures
of
animals
for
shelters!
Helping
the
elderly
with
computer
skills!
What’s
your
favorite
way
to
give
back?

9. Why
Is
It
Important
to
Teach
Compassion?
• It
can
improve
the
classroom
environment
• It
can
improve
academic
achievement
• It
can
make
learning
easier
• It
can
reinforce
skills
learned
in
the
classroom
• It
can
improve
students'
interest
in
school.

10. Why
Is
It
Important
to
Teach
Compassion?
• Learning
about
good
behavior
promotes
good
behavior
• A
Harvard
Business
Review
study
recommends
a
6:1
posi3ve
to
nega3ve
reinforcement

11. An
Inten?onal
Compassion
Curriculum
Can
• Decrease
bullying
• Teach
tolerance
• Reduce
student
bias.
• h@p://www.makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org/facts_new.html
• h@p://www.stopbullying.gov/news/media/facts/#lis3ng
71%
of
students
report
bullying
as
a
problem
at
their
school.
1
out
of
4
students
report
being
bullied
at
school.

12. • Give
children
coping
mechanisms
• Decrease
anxiety
and
depression
• Increase
op3mism
and
happiness
• Help
maintain
interest
despite
setbacks
1
in
33
children
suffer
from
depression.
1
in
8
adolescents
suffer
from
depression.
Suicide
is
the
3rd
leading
cause
of
death
in
youth.
Self-­‐Compassion
Can:

13. BUT:
Compassion
and
altruism
are
trainable
skills,
not
just
stable
traits.
• Popular
culture
entertainment
has
exacerbated:
– Disinterest
– Cynicism
– Materialism
– Selfishness
– Violence/Lawlessness
@GlobalGameChgrs
#IgniteGood

14. Schools
CAN
Make
a
Difference
• Children
start
to
develop
social
responsibility
before
age
9.
• Schools
are
the
only
ins3tu3ons
with
the
capacity
and
mandate
to
reach
virtually
every
young
person
in
the
country.
• Schools
are
the
most
systema3cally
and
directly
responsible
for
impar3ng
ci3zen
norms
The
civic
mission
of
schools
2003,
A
Report
from
Carnegie
Corpora3on
of
New
York
and
CIRCLE:
The
Center
for
Informa3on
and
Research
on
Civic
Learning
and
Engagement.

15. Compassion
=
Achievement
REDUCE
•
Prejudice
•
Bullying
•
Discipline
problems
•
Stress
•
Aggression
•
Fear
of
Failure
IMPROVE
•
Cogni3ve
Func3oning
•
Coopera3on
•
Team-­‐building
•
Leadership
•
Health
•
Happiness

16. Real
Kids
Inspire
Students
Real
Kids
Inspire
Students
Students
learn
about
three
kids
who
do
nice
things
for
others
without
expec3ng
anything
in
return.
By
focusing
on
real
kids,
students
immediately
iden3fy
with
them
and
understand
their
own
power
to
change
the
world.
Phoebe
fights
hunger
Jaylen
takes
on
bullying
Hannah
collects
socks
How
does
the
Global
Game
Changers
Program
Teach
Compassion?

17. Superpower
Equa?on
Students
make
a
personal
connec?on
to
giving
back.
@GlobalGameChgrs
#IgniteGood

18. Our
badges
help
kids
iden3fy
what
causes
they
care
about
and
want
to
help.
12
Heart
Badges

19. MY
TALENT
+
MY
HEART
=
MY
SUPERPOWER!™
STUDENTS
FIND
THEIR
OWN
SUPERPOWERS

20. MY
TALENT
+
MY
HEART
=
MY
SUPERPOWER!™
STUDENTS
FIND
THEIR
OWN
SUPERPOWERS
Equa3on
from
Auburndale
Elementary,
5th
grade
class.

21. MY
TALENT
+
MY
HEART
=
MY
SUPERPOWER!™
STUDENTS
FIND
THEIR
OWN
SUPERPOWERS
Equa3on
from
Auburndale
Elementary,
5th
grade
class.

22. • Curriculum
for
Pre-­‐K
–
5th
Grade
 Common
Core/NAEYC
compliant
 25
lesson
plans
 Nonconsecu3ve
days
Our
Curriculum:
An
Overview

23. Lesson
Plan
Example

24.
I
AM:
Able
Responsible
Valuable
Unique
Students
Learn

25. You
don’t
have
to
be
bifen
by
a
spider
or
born
on
the
planet
Krypton
to
be
a
superhero
with
the
power
to
change
the
world.

26. Commifed
to
Improvement
Program
Adjustments
Focus
Groups
Classroom
Observa3ons
Teacher
Input
Surveys

27. • 13th
largest
urban
school
district
• 100,000
kids
• Growing
child
poverty
• 12,000
homeless
students
• Growing
racial,
cultural,
and
linguis3c
diversity
• 107
languages
spoken
The JCPS Vision that ALL students will graduate prepared to
reach their full potential and contribute to society
throughout life.
This
data
is
per3nent
to
schools
par3cipa3ng
in
program
evalua3ons.

28. Evalua?ons
Conducted
• Pilot
Evalua3on
implemented
in
3
Classrooms
– Private,
parochial
and
public
school
classrooms
• Whole
School
Implementa3on
in
diverse
high
poverty
school
– High
level
of
buy
in
from
staff
and
principal
– Founda3on
as
a
compassionate
school

29. Teacher
Pre-­‐Survey
Results
(N=9
teachers
K-­‐5th
grade)
• Teacher perceive students as being far less
aware of the good things happening in the
world and their community vs. the bad
things.
0%
50%
100%
My
students
are
aware
of
good
things
happening
in
our
community.
My
students
are
aware
of
bad
things
happening
in
our
community.
56%
100%
%
Teachers
that
Agree/Strongly
Agree

30. Teacher
Pre-­‐Survey
Results
• There is room for growth in terms of
students’ beliefs and self-efficacy around
making a positive difference in the lives
of others.
• 1/3 don’t believe they can make a
difference.

31. Student
Survey
Results
0%
50%
100%
The
Global
Game
Changers
made
me
want
to
help
others.
I
want
to
be
a
Global
Game
Changer.
The
Global
Game
Changers
made
me
to
want
to
be
nicer
to
others.
94%
88%
83%
6%
6%
17%
0%
6%
0%
GGC
Impact
on
Student
Mo?va?on
to
Ignite
Good
Yes
A
li@le
bit
No

32. Student
Results
0%
50%
100%
The
Global
Game
Changers
helped
me
learn
ways
that
I
can
make
a
difference.
The
Global
Game
Changers
has
given
me
ideas
of
ways
to
help
others.
The
Global
Game
Changers
has
shown
me
that
I
have
talents
I
can
use
to
help
others.
The
Global
Game
Changers
program
makes
me
feel
good
about
myself.
94%
100%
94%
100%
6%
0%
6%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
GGC
Impact
on
Student
Knowledge
about
How
to
"Ignite
Good"
and
Self
Esteem
Yes
A
li@le
bit
No

33. Student
Survey
Results
0%
50%
100%
I
will
con3nue
to
Ignite
Good!
I
want
to
start
my
own
group
and
collect
money
to
help
others.
I
will
invite
my
friends
to
become
Global
Game
Changers
94%
94%
88%
6%
6%
6%
0%
0%
6%
GGC
Impact
on
Student
Desire
to
and
Likelihood
of
"Igni?ng
Good"
Yes
A
li@le
bit
No

34. Students
Share
Their
Equa?ons

35. Teacher
Results
• 100%
agreement
on
–
Effec3veness
of
materials/ac3vi3es
– Relevance
of
curriculum
with
academic
content
and
classroom
climate
• Strong
agreement
on:
– Alignment
with
core
content
– Posi3ve
impact
on
• Student’s
mo3va3on
to
help
others
• Student’s
self-­‐confidence
• Student
engagement
– Perceived
student
enjoyment
of
the
GGC
book

36. Teacher
Results
What
teachers
liked
best:
• Gave
students
a
clear
understanding
about
giving
• Empowered
students
to
believe
they
can
make
a
posi3ve
change
in
their
world
• Helped
students
make
connec3ons
to
the
real
world
• Supported
the
development
of
a
posi3ve
classroom
climate
• Integrated
easily
into
the
4th
grade
JCPS
English
Language
Arts
curriculum

37. Teacher
Results
• Supported
Conflict
Resolu?on
• Related
the
key
message
that
“no
one
is
too
young
to
give
back”
• Contributed
to
the
development
of
self-­‐
confidence
100%
kids

38. www.globalgamechangers.org
Educating the mind without educating the
heart is no education at all. - Aristotle
The
informa3on
contained
in
this
presenta3on
was
excerpted
from
the
Global
Game
Changers
March
6,
2014,
SXSWedu
presenta3on
by
Jus3n
Walker,
GGC
Execu3ve
Director,
and
Dr.
Judi
Vanderhaar,
JCPS
Evalua3on
Specialist.

39. Dr.
Judi
Vanderhaar
is
an
evalua3on
specialist
in
the
Data
Management,
Planning
&
Program
Evalua3on
Department
in
Jefferson
County
Public
Schools,
Kentucky,
the
16th
largest
urban
school
district.
Dr.
Vanderhaar
has
published
research
in
the
Journal
of
Research
in
Character
Educa3on,
the
Teacher
Educator,
and
the
Journal
of
Personnel
Evalua3on
in
Educa3on.
Her
research
was
recently
selected
by
the
UCLA
Civil
Rights
Project
for
publica3on
and
presenta3on.
Dr.
Vanderhaar
has
worked
with
Vanderbilt
on
a
Na3onal
Science
Founda3on
grant
and
has
conducted
program
evalua3ons
of
federal,
state,
local
and
district
programs.
In
addi3on
to
his
work
as
an
a@orney
and
career
writer,
Jus?n
Walker
is
Execu3ve
Director
of
the
Global
Game
Changers
Children’s
Educa3on
Ini3a3ve.
A
graduate
of
Harvard
Law
School
and
Duke
University,
he
clerked
on
the
Supreme
Court
for
Jus3ce
Anthony
Kennedy,
and
on
the
DC
Circuit
for
Judge
Bre@
Kavanaugh.
Named
to
Forbes’
30
Under
30
Law
&
Policy
List
in
2011,
Jus3n
has
been
a
lawyer,
teacher,
speechwriter
for
the
Secretary
of
Defense,
na3onally
recognized
blogger,
ghostwriter,
and
editor
for
several
books,
both
fic3on
and
nonfic3on.
About
the
Speakers