Say Hello to Punctum!
Hi there. In my last post, I shared with you how the tools from Points of You® can support teachers in developing and sustaining their own social-emotional competencies. I'd like to introduce you to one of the tools in the Points of You® family called Punctum.
If you're anything like me, whenever I encounter a new tool, I want to know what principles or framework its connected to. When I was still a classroom teacher, I found it very frustrating when a school administrator would announce that we would need to stop using the literacy program we were just trained in at the start of the school year for another program. Can you relate?
So here I am telling you all about the Points of You approach and how its tools can enhance the way educators manage their social-emotional well-being but I haven't given you any background information about how it actually works. And for some of you, I've probably induced some of your stress hormones. So now, I'm going to invite you to take a deep breath and stick with me for a moment.
Today, you will get the chance to get better acquainted with Punctum. What's most important to know right now is that the cards you interact with in this tool or any of the other tools in the Points of You® family are reflection cards. They were created to expand your perspective, gather new points of view and discover new insights as you engage in inner research.
And now you will to experience this for yourself with this sample Punctum layout.
What Will this Punctum Layout Offer?
This layout is both an invitation and an opportunity. An invitation to practice self-awareness and an opportunity to gather and hold different perspectives other than your own. Punctum focuses on the relationship between a picture, a word and a question allowing you to pause for a moment and examine a situation from different angles.
The fun is in generating multiple points of view by investigating the combination of images and text making connections and discovering the most meaningful insight.
Pause
Remember that every Points of You encounter begins with a pause. So take four to five deep breathes and simply make note of what you are holding on to right now. What is a particular situation taking up space in your brain right now and that you would like this layout to offer you new insight? Pause is a necessary step for you to disrupt the automatic response and reevaluate you situation from a distance.
Try to be as precise as you can in knowing what the issue is for you. When you know that, then you can continue to the picture.
The Picture
So now that you have a precise situation you would like to explore even more, consider how this picture is connected to your situation.
There are no wrong interpretations just simply the opportunity to sift through subjects you are busy with and observe them deeply. So ask yourself, "How does this image connect with me and my situation?"
During this phase, the image acts as a bridge to your thoughts, emotions and memories connected to your situation.
Now Let's Add a Word
Now that you've connected to the image, let's add a word as another element to take your observation even deeper. A word usually come with a specific meaning and also your own inner definition. Remember that your lived experiences determine how you best define the word.
When you deal with the combination of the picture and the words, you need to ask yourself:
- How do these connect?
- What insight am I gaining from this pairing as it relates to my situation?
By examining the picture and word together, you've simultaneously engaged both sides of the brain creating the perfect condition to birth new perceptions around your situation.
And Now, The Question
After gathering all the possible perspectives from the picture and the word, this phase of the process finds you ready. Now you can gain a clearer understanding of your situation by adding a question card.
You can answer the question tapping into what you synthesized from the simultaneous engagement of your right brain and left brain. Go ahead and look at question first by itself.
Now look at all three cards together considering what is the most important take away this series of cards has for you in regard to the situation you were examining.
This distinct insight is your Punctum. A moment of discovery, the moment when, as you observe, you feel an awakening, a moment of deep understanding.
So there you have it. Just a quick glimpse of how this tool can guide you through a reflective process. Who would have thought that a set of 33 picture cards, 33 words cards and 33 question cards can be so powerful.
In this one encounter, you were given the opportunity to improve five core social-emotional competencies by
- Identifying your emotions and assessing your strengths and limitations (self awareness).
- Regulating your emotions, thoughts and behavior - effectively regulating stress (self management).
- Expanding perspectives about yourself and others (social awareness).
- Establishing and maintaining relationships with others through listening and communication clearly (relationship skills).
- Reflecting and making responsible decision about personal behavior (responsible decision-making).
This tool can be used by yourself like we did here and with groups too. Just imagine what you could do?