Ritual, and repetition of ritual, in the classroom brings familiarity and comfort, and thus a sense of safety, ownership and belonging, for participants. In this session we will elaborate upon a specific routine that is utilized in our classroom spaces, how we elevate this to become ritual, and how this ritualistic practice serves to co-create a learning community with increased peer learning; enhanced feelings of safety, comfort, authenticity and vulnerability; and meaningful, lasting connections. These factors create an enabling environment in which transformative learning can occur. In this experiential session, participants will engage with the ritual that we have created for our educational programs, moving through each component of it and pausing periodically to discuss the rationale behind and analyze certain elements. We will then facilitate a discussion of participants’ own learning contexts, and how elements and principles that we have mentioned might be adapted and incorporated into their contexts.

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