We are a group of Year 6 students (age 10-11). This is our story of working with a researcher from Cardiff University to explore friendships, feelings and healthy relationships.
In the beginning
At first, we found it hard to talk about and express our feelings. We realized that sometimes this made us react in unpleasant ways;
“arguing when we couldn’t explain to our friends what was wrong” (Leo)
“pretending to be ok when really we were feeling sad, annoyed or angry” (Sarah)
How our thoughts developed
We found out that sometimes we are not always in control of how we feel. We realised that this is ok and that we can do something about and with these feelings.
We took part in workshops which helped us to talk about and express our feelings through crafts and arts. Using iPads, Cameras and GoPros we made videos, took photos and used the ‘Glitch app’ to visualise and change our thoughts and feelings.This was really important for us and helped us to ‘’make feelings come to life’’ (Moktar, aged 11)
At the end and after the project
Now we are getting better at expressing how we feel in ways which do not hurt or annoy other people. We also realised that we experience lots of feelings, not just ‘good or bad’, ‘ok or not ok’, ‘sad or happy’. Sometimes we feel all of these at the same time, or a bit of one and a lot of another!
Filtering our feelings from Emma Renold on Vimeo.
“Before this project we kept feelings inside, we didn’t talk about feelings, now we can tell people about how we feel’’ (Samara, aged 10)
What is a glitch app?
Glitching feelings, thoughts and friends, through movement, atoms and sonigraphs
1: We used a movement glitch app to make feelings come to life. In our friendship groups we explored the different glitch effects. This let let us see and listen to our feelings differently.
2: We found that if we get too close, we blur into one;
’’it was harder to move’’
‘’Harder to see each other
‘’Information gets blurred’’
This app allowed us to explore physical and personal boundaries
3: We were also able to visualize how feelings are connected and travel across our bodies.
‘’if someone is sad it goes onto another person, and then another person’’
4: Next, we used the atom flow app to think about how movement shapes feelings:
‘’feelings, like particles, float around in the air"
”Our bodies and behaviors help feelings travel”
‘’when I see someone tickled I get tickled as well, I can feel it’’
‘’it’s like Wi-Fi connection, we connect together’’ Khalid, aged 10
5: The ‘Sonograph’ app made the camera filters change depending on the sounds we made. We explored how words affect our bodies and feelings.
(first image) This is us when we spoke different words out loud. Different words affected our bodies differently.
(second image) This is us when silent/before saying anything.
(third image) "They can hurt us", "they restrict us", "they can feel good"
Materials we used
iPad/tablet devices: there are many apps out there to explore, but we found that the ‘sonograph’, ‘El alef’ and ‘Atom flow’ were our favourites
Glitch apps like Sonograph and ‘El alef’ allowed us to explore movement and sound
The glitch app filters also allowed us to remain anonymous
Video cameras/iPads: using the video camera you can create videos which can then be edited, filtered, slowed down and sped up to help explore your own topics!
Safety and anonymity
The different digital technologies we used allowed us to explore our own (and others’) feelings in different ways, and, using the glitch app, in safe and comfortable ways.
Lots of children judge each other, on what we say, wear, do, think and feel. Working with cameras (image and video) and the glitch app we were able to work in groups and talk about topics that we wanted to without revealing too much, and, using the glitch filters, we were able to talk, move and think anonymously.
Feelings in space and time
We also used technology to explore how feelings travel in (and across) difference spaces.
1: First we drew a map of the playground and where we move. We explored how different places in the playground make as think, feel and do different things.
2: Different filming techniques create different ‘viewing perspectives’. We used cameras to explore the perspectives of others!
3: The GoPro camera was our favourite because it moved with our bodies; shaking, jolting and moving all the time as we moved around the playground
4: Using iPads we sped up and slowed down the video to explore how skilful we are at moving. Slowing our videos down allowed us to notice that some people get the ball more than others and that some people play too rough!
5: We explored the perspectives of people feeling; left out, new to the school, scared, worried.
Glitching Terror
1: We used the glitch to explore and transform our many feelings around topics which concerned us. These are some of the feelings that emerged out of terrorism for us.
‘’Terrorism filters out good feelings”
2: Exploring the role of the media in shaping our understandings and feelings
” the media helps this filter by not telling us the whole story’’
”They were only telling us the bad part and they weren’t telling us about the marches’’
3: We want to hear and share more positive stories, so we explored some demonstrations with the glitch app
“We were not old enough to go to the marches, but Glitching and talking about them made us feel good”
Transforming feelings through collages and mood tape
1: We wrote down all the things we don’t like and wanted to change.
2: Then, we ripped them up and made a collage out of ‘our feelings’, transforming them into something new.
3: We also created a chart of feelings and emotions with pens and colored tape.
4: The mood tape allowed us to explore the many feelings we have and how strong they feel.
5: We created names for the many different feelings we have, sometimes one, sometimes many.
6: Now we can say SHACPE – Sad, Horrified, Anxious, Cold, Panicky, Empty.
“This helped us to explore, change and transform feelings!’’
7: Topics we covered included: not being listened to by;
our friends, adults, society
Being teased for talking or being near to a boy (‘oh you fancy so and so’’)
The London bridge terrorist attack
Gender stereotypes (‘’that’s not for girls’)
Racism, Donald Trump, terrorism
How to talk to children about terrorism
How to challenge racism in British Schools
Black Lives Matter: a reading list for children and families
26 children’s books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance
40 children’s books about human rights and social justice
#UnderstandMe - NSPCC campaign to challenge xenophobia and prejudice and empowers young people to speak out and seek help.
Sam’s Story: Listening to children’s experience of bullying in Wales
Respecting others: Bullying around race, religion and culture
Seeing through new eyes: Refugee children paint the wars they've survived, and who they want to be now
The rise of glitch art
See ‘Felting our Feelings’ for more resources on exploring emotions through creative pedagogy
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