Špela Casagrande is a teacher of English and Slovene languages at a Primary School in Slovenia. She works with students aged from 12 to 15. She is interested in literature, music, yoga and Wim Hof method.  She has written articles on brain breaks and language games and co-written a manual for people suffering from dementia. She enjoys working with students of all ages and is a very enthusiastic teacher. Email: spela.casagrande@gmail.com

 

Mindfulness is a powerful tool       

There has been a lot of discussion about mindfulness and its benefits since it has become very popular in our hectic world. You have probably heard of it and might have tried to practise it yourself. However, thinking about is as a teacher, when we struggle for every single minute of our students' attention, many of us might feel hesitant to introduce mindfulness practice into the classroom. In this article I will try to convince you it is worth to give it a try and offer a step-by-step approach to introduce it successfully.

To start with what is mindfulness and what is the use of it? Mindfulness is awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings. It is learning to observe our thoughts, emotions, and other present moment experiences without judgement. Mindfulness techniques involve breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to help body relax and reduce stress.

It is a fact that the generation of our students is overwhelmed with all kinds of screen and media information which stimulates their brain very effectively in a way that requires constant brain activity. Therefore, we can assume (and have been proven right only too often) that their “monkey minds” have problems to calm down and concentrate. The so-called blue light from the screens and the intensive colours they emit, make the real world, the world we actually live in, under-stimulating and uninteresting. It makes any kind of deep concentration overdemanding and the focus on their inner world unattainable.

 

2 I spy with my little eye

This is an old game but also a very good introduction to mindfulness. It teaches the students to observe carefully. This exercise can be done in the classroom or some other place in or outside your school. Make pairs. Students will silently observe the surroundings and each other, until someone says: »I spy with my little eye… something stained/ broken/ orange…« and the other has to guess what the student has observed.  Students take turns at this. It might happen that those who have never managed to stand out in the classroom will excel at that activity.

 

3 See something for the first time

Another good practice for beginners is to choose an object and spend 2-3 minutes in silence observing it as if they have seen it for the first time. You can choose your hand for example. We have all seen our hands millions of times and now we could take a completely new look at them. Observe the knuckles, the veins, the shape of nails, some spots on the skin maybe, find something you have never paid attention to. Do it thoroughly, in detail, and in complete silence. If you feel the class will benefit from this, students can report their observations to their partners.

Each time choose different objects, their faces in the mirror, an object – they can walk around and observe it, they can select whatever comes to mind or whatever you can use in your classroom.

It is also possible to make such an exercise into an excellent public speaking practise in case you decide students should share their experiences.

 

4 I feel just like…

This exercise is an extension of the previous exercise and is also wonderful if can be done outdoors.

Students take time to pick their own object of observation – a new leaf on a tree, a part of a pavement or a bar of and old fence. They do it in silence. What they are looking for is oftentimes something they can relate to, something that expresses how they feel at the moment.

Once they find it, they spend some time observing it and then report to the class or write it down so that they can keep it more personal. For example: “I feel worn out like this wooden board. It has many scratches on the side and that is just like the anxiety I feel today.”

We teach students that there is no judgement present – everyone can relate to whatever they feel like and it is imperative nobody judges them. In my experience, you might not get excellent results the first time, but gradually they might open up and dare to express their feelings more openly.

 

5 Release tension

This is a group exercise which enables every individual to express themselves fully.

Students should sit in a relaxed position with their eyes closed. They breath in together, observe how they feel, and as they breathe out, they make a sound that expresses how they feel at the moment. Encourage the exhale to be as long as possible to get rid of the uncomfortable feelings they might be keeping inside.

When they feel relaxed, they should only murmur for as long as the exhale lasts. We continue for as long as it is needed for the whole class to reach the relaxed murmur.

 

When practicing mindfulness becomes easy

Once you have crossed the bridge, you have a good chance your students will get used to your unusual practices and will become aware that they benefit from it. They will realise that mindfulness gives them tools they need to cope with the pressures of everyday lives. On the internet, you can find many ideas for short and effective mindfulness practises you can choose from and can adapt them your students’ needs (see References).

Even if you might feel such activities take up too much of your precious lesson time that you could spend revising the spelling of irregular verbs they still have problems with. Yet, by doing these exercises, they will instead learn how to cope with stress and therefore develop better communicative skills. Using mindfulness in the classroom might as well be a way to address other qualities in our students that are perhaps underestimated in our school system.

 

References

Bergstrom, C. (2019). Ultimate Mindfulness Activity Book: 150 Playful Mindfulness Activities for Kids and Teens (and Grown-Ups too!). Blissful kids at https://blissfulkids.com/

Ceppi. S. (2022). 20 of the Best Mindfulness Activities for Kids in 2022.

https://www.moshikids.com/articles/20-of-the-best-mindfulness-activities-for-kids-in-2022/

Chopra, M. (2018). Just Breathe: Meditation, Mindfulness, Movement, and More. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

James, A., Bryan L., Reynolds, E., Stobbart, D. Mindful Activities. (2022). London: Usborne.

Mindfulness for Teens: How It Works, Benefits, & 11 Exercises to Try.

https://www.choosingtherapy.com/mindfulness-for-teens/

 

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