Strategy Description
Using a simple sensory arrival exercise to welcome and orient students to the learning environment encourages a whole being wellbeing approach to learning. Moving through each of the five senses as a way to fully arrive “in class” promotes self-regulation and engagement. In online environments, this exercise gives students an opportunity to settle into a familiar space, as well as to engage with that familiarity in ways that “render the familiar strange,” enhancing curiosity and opening up engagement with the course materials and learning experiences that follow.
About the Author
Mitra Emad brings 30 years of experience working at the intersections of cultural studies, pedagogy, and wellbeing. She was the founder and board chair of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2016-2019, and has been recognized through several major teaching awards. She is also a somatic educator, having completed advanced training in yoga, yoga therapy, and somatic experiencing. After three years serving as associate dean for the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Mitra is currently piloting two new programs bringing together professional development for staff and faculty to advance student success.
Date Created
3-30-2026
Pedagogical Category
Interaction
Rights
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Emad, Mitra, "Arriving with the Five Senses: Resilient Whole Being in the Classroom" (2026). Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository. 40.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/topr/40
Handout provided in professional development contexts to share this strategy.