Sharing Good Practice
Why we need mindfulness in the modern Middle East classroom
By Karen McGivern
‘
Listen when someone speaks ’ has been one of the key expectations of my classroom since the day I started teaching some 18 years ago . Along with ‘ Speak one at a time ’ I hoped , as an English teacher , that these expectations would create an open , respectful environment in which students could share and have their views heard on literature , the world and their place within it . It is an approach that led to discussions in which students consistently impressed me with their perceptiveness , sensitivity and empathy . However , more recently , I have found myself repeating one plea over and over : ‘ focus ’ - feeling listening skills , in particular , seem to be on the decline . In my more reflective moments , and with an increasing interest in and knowledge of Mindfulness , I have come to ask myself whether there is a reason for this shift and whether Mindfulness can address it - I believe it can .
Teachers are now sharing their classrooms with a generation of young people for whom technology has always been an integral part of life . According to a report last year from the UK body ‘ OfCom ’, young people are now spending an average of 27 hours a week on their electronic devices . It ’ s not just school children , of course ; most of us are now in thrall with technology and our attention is quite often at least partly on our tech when we are ostensibly engaged in another task : email / SMS / social media alerts / that crucial fact that just needs to be verified or burning question to be answered while watching a TV programme / the multiple windows we flip between on our computer screens . For young people add in Snapchat , Instagram , Whatsapp and , undoubtedly , a whole range of other apps and platforms that I ’ m too past it to be aware of , and it becomes clear that our attention is rarely resting in the place we would like it to be . This bombardment of stimuli doesn ’ t only come from technology , it must be said , but also from the myriad of tasks , activities and pulls on attention that students and adults now face in their average , inevitably pressured , school or working days . They and we rush between one obligation and another , to the extent that , behind the scenes , it is starting to make our heads quietly spin .
Worryingly , this overwhelming amount of stimulation can lead to what is known as ‘ attention deficit trait ’. It is caused when the amygdala- the primal part of the brain associated with fear and emotion - is overly activated , triggering the ‘ fight or flight ’ stress response for which this part of the brain is also responsible . Put simply , as this kind of stress goes up , performance goes down . More hearteningly , MRI scans show that after an eight week course in Mindfulness , the amygdala appears to shrink , allowing the prefrontal cortex - the part of the brain associated with higher order thinking and brain functions such as awareness , concentration and decision making - to strengthen . It is telling , I think , that more and more , when given a creative , open ended task to work on , students will ask me : “ Can we use our phones ?” How do I answer ? “ Well perhaps later , but I ’ d like you to approach the task with your own brain ( preferably the pre-frontal cortex part - O . K ., I don ’ t say that to them , but maybe I should ) rather than Mr Google ’ s first .” It can be our job as teachers to explain these powerful forces that are at work in our brains and explain how , via simple Mindfulness techniques , students might become more aware of and alter them to the benefit of their studies and their personal wellbeing .
22 | Sep - Oct 2016 | | Class Time