In December 2022, over the course of three intensive days, a diverse group of students, educators, creatives, technologists, and civil society representatives came together to brainstorm and design initiatives aimed at promoting responsive, safe, and inclusive schools in Kuwait. One such initiative was Nudge Club. That’s us.
The aim of starting the Nudge Club was to dismantle hierarchical barriers by creating a space outside the classroom where students and teachers can interact and bond. Through exercises designed to encourage openness and camaraderie amongst students and teachers in a school setting, Nudge Club uses the faculties of play, art therapy, mindfulness, and trust-building activities to challenge existing power dynamics, fostering better communication and greater empathy amongst everyone. To our surprise, our work did more than dismantle hierarchies. It demonstrated a practical model for transforming the culture of a classroom.
The impact of Nudge Club on the classroom environment is profound. By cultivating a more open space for teachers and students to share ideas, discuss challenging topics, and voice their thoughts, schools become more effective, teachers become better educators, and students become better learners—a win/win/win situation.
They learned the kinds of skills that we often take for granted, such as: how to gauge the emotional dynamic in a room, how to ask questions, and how to hone in on new-found facilitation techniques, to name a few.
During those sessions, it became clear that classroom anxiety wasn’t limited to students—the adults in the room were just better at concealing it. The biggest hurdle to cross was the transition from teacher to facilitator. Educators may embody the learned role of the teacher—a person who relays information to a group of students and imparts knowledge—but the switch to an empathetic facilitator was unfamiliar.
Since then, Nudge Club has brought together educators from multiple schools at Teacher Community Meetups (TCMs) to network and participate in themed activities that uncover valuable tools for practical application within classrooms. We’ve also hosted Training of Teachers sessions to better equip our own facilitators in practicing role delegation, mediation, and other techniques that strengthened the impact of Nudge Club sessions.
But, our work is far from over. Nudge Club remains a space to deepen connections, share meaningful experiences, and have fun along the way.
