be optimal for learning. Looking at the graph below we can see how the absence of stress can induce apathy, lethargy and boredom. We cease to pay attention, are not engaged in our learning and will probably drift off into daydreams and even sleep. At the other extreme, a chaotic, highly stressful situation will induce an anxious response, and we then become incapable of opening to new learning.
Alertness does have a connection to the processes of fear and there is a semantic connection between ‘alert’ and ‘alarmed’. We should then perhaps acknowledge that fear doesn’t totally preclude learning – we are wired to learn to avoid danger through fear and there may also be some
individuals who are at their most creative when under pressure - but in general teachers who cultivate deep learning and open investigation are often creating a state of ‘relaxed alertness’ in their
classrooms and in their students. Similarly, in Language Acquisition theory optimal learning environments are described as those in which learners’ ‘affective filters’ are lowered, so they can maximize access to the ‘comprehensible input’ that surrounds them. How though do we consciously create these optimal conditions for learning? In addition to our normal classroom management skills, one approach can be to develop a more mindful awareness of our own state of mind - and body.
Teaching Mindfully
When looking at the general development of mindfulness in education, I find it helpful to distinguish 3 main aspects:
Being Mindful
Teaching Mindfully
Teaching Mindfulness
In the work that I have done with teachers around learning to ‘teach more mindfully’ (as opposed to learning to ‘teach mindfulness’ programs to students) we have looked at various ways to
enhance our sense of classroom
presence and our sensitivity in
the moment whilst teaching
and interacting. Key to this is
developing the ability to notice
physical sensations and mental
or emotional reactions to what
is happening right now.
Body as Barometer
The more we can tune in to the
body, and use it as an early
warning radar system or as a
barometer that is giving us
information about our
reactions to what is
happening around us, the
more we will be able to assess
the climate and to make informed decisions that can
help create a more responsive
classroom. Understanding
our own emotional reactions
and triggers also helps us
develop greater empathic
understanding for others and
we can learn to not overreact
or to take things so personally.
One common cause of teacher
burnout is the stress that is
brought on from dealing with
difficult students and situation
is. In most international
schools there is not the same
level of threat encountered by
our colleagues working in
tough inner-city schools but
we still experience significant
levels of stress - so how can
we all learn to skillfully
navigate stormy waters? By
using the body as a compass
we can sometimes chart a
better course than by relying
solely on the more analytical,
problem-solving part of our
brain.
...our pivotal role in relation to our students depends as much on ‘how we are’ as it does on ‘what we teach’
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