Mindfulness training helps to
strengthen the parts of the brain that increase focus and attention and
decrease the natural wandering that derails that focus. Lichtman
Does it help?
Have you ever used these types of strategies before?
Respond to one other person.
Reference: www.pocketmindfulness.com/6-mindfulness-exercises-you-can-try-today/
I have done the minute breathing. It is a regular part of yoga practice. I think that this is a great way to relax and focus. It slows your heart rate and helps calm you down. This is a great activity for when you are stressed or a student is frustrated. It's amazing how open you feel.
ReplyDeleteThe other activity I have tried is the mindful observation. We were asked to do this with a strawberry in my creative writing class. First, we wrote a description of a strawberry. After sharing our descriptions we were each given a strawberry. We had to look it over and allow our senses to focus on it. Touch it. Smell it. Taste it. It was amazing how much clearer the descriptions were by actually looking at it.
In education, I think that there is a great benefit to taking a breath, and taking a step back to look at things from a fresh perspective. These are just great strategies in life. If we all approach things from a fresh perspective I think we will have a more positive outlook overall.
Courtney, I agree being positive sets the stage to accomplish great things. If we are always negative, it is difficult to make progress.
DeleteI personally prefer the ‘centering’ time. That minute at the beginning and end of the class period help students digest what has happened during class. The minute of quiet time at the beginning of the hour allows students to think about what they need to accomplish while we work together.
ReplyDeleteI have taken this idea and incorporated it with silent reading. My students come in and read for 20 minutes to get AR points. It has allowed them to get more focused and ready for the day. I love it!
DeleteI like that idea of a minute at the beginning and end of class. Most teachers get into the classroom and start teaching. That minute of breathing would help the children settle down and prepare for the lesson. Then the minute at the end to settle down and reflect on what was just learned. I think that would work great at every level of school.
DeleteA very effective teacher I know, has her young students listen to relaxing music or a story and have their snack for 3-5 minutes after recess, the kids appear much more ready to listen and work than when they enter.
DeleteI’ve tried this through different means. One year I played a song at the beginning of each class. During the time the song played, no one was to speak and the students got themselves organized ‘centered’ on the tasks at hand.
ReplyDeleteI used to do that too. I also would play Mozart while they were taking tests and then when it came time to take the paper/pencil state assessments, I really think my IEP kids were more relaxed than their peers because the music was playing ,they had water to drink, and the atmosphere was just another day with no pressure because it was test day because we practiced over and over before the time came.
DeleteFirst off, I want to say I loved this chapter!!! Every teacher and person who decides the curriculum for school districts, states and nation need to read this!!!
ReplyDeleteOk, so I did the 1 minute breathing. That was one fast minute. I tried not to focus on anything, but heard the students from the classroom next door talking. My first thought was, I'm too busy to do any of those, but really it doesn't take that long. In this fast paced world we think we have to be constantly doing something. I think if teachers did this before every lesson or every hour, the students would be ready to focus on learning and center themselves. As I read the list, I thought of some things I've done that linked into some of those suggestions. One is when I have trouble falling asleep because my mind won't shut off, I put on classical music and focus on listening to the music. Most of the time I fall asleep without even knowing it. I was doing a gratitude/thankfulness journal last year and then stopped. This activity gets you thinking of 'mundane' things and why they are important in our lives and why we are thankful for them. For example, the birds chirping outside...even if they are initially annoying, we can be thankful that we hear them. That activity gets you reflecting on your day and picking three things that you haven't been thankful for before. Everyone picks, friends and family as on of the first things to be thankful for. I think it would be fun to see what students pick to be thankful for at the end of the school day every day. Maybe we could get a glimpse into their worlds.
I enjoyed this chapter also. I think it would be great for all teachers to read this chapter. It would be great if the students in my building had a time to relax and refocus throughout the day. It seems so rushed to get all the standards taught. I work with some students who are just overwhelmed by the end of the day!
DeleteHeather, the thankfulness exercise would be a good way to end the day and a way to kind of "deprogram" - and remind the students (and ourselves) of the good things.
DeleteI tried the mindful listening activity with a group of two students. It was hard for them to just sit and listen for music for one minute without talking. We had a great session afterwards! One student asked to listen to more of the music. I think completing these type of tasks would be great for the students throughout their day. I believe our lives and the lives of the students are way too busy! Sometimes everyone needs to just slow down and really enjoy what is around them. I can see where these mindful activities would help some of my high energy students who have a hard time focusing. I think I will try to begin their sessions with music or breathing.
ReplyDeleteI think that would be a calming way to start sessions. I wonder if those high energy kiddos would be calmer throughout their session and in the classroom.
DeleteI have done Brain Gym. I attended a training several years ago; but haven't done the exercises lately. I recently started the main one as it is a centering exercise that engages the right brain/left brain as part of a centering exercise. I've done a few of the board exercises with my eighth graders. These exercises help high energy students focus and low energy students to "step up". This chapter was an excellent reminder to make use of this.
ReplyDeleteI think focusing/centering exercises are important in these times of perpetual busyness and sensory overload. It is good for all of us (teachers and students) to have some purposeful quiet time.
Brain Gym sounds like a very interesting program. Are they still doing trainings. I do have a little bit of those high energy students as well as low energy students in our school. I wonder if your program that you trained on and Bal-a-vis-x would help with both types of high energy and low energy students.
DeleteTycie....they still do trainings. E-mail me, please @ kbrock@usd452.org
DeleteI have done Brain Gym activities for years. The kids love them and it helps to get them centered and focused without them even knowing that is what they are doing. :)
DeleteI tried this myself but in two different places and situations. I tried it at the beginning of the day after I get to work. I sit down and concentrate and focus for 2 minutes. It seems to help to get me focused on what I need to get done that day and what I need to teach the students. Then I tried it at home before I come into the house after work and basketball practice knowing that my wife and son are at home. We sometimes have trouble with our son and his homework at night. So before I go into the house I stand outside for a couple minutes and try to focus and try to get myself calm before I walk through the door. That as well has seemed to help, it helps me be a little more patient with my son while we sit at the table and work on his homework whether it be math or reading. I have tried something very similar but not very specific before, just by simply reminding somebody who is frustrated I want them to calm down by getting up walking away, go get a drink of water, or go use the restroom things like that. I also as well tell them to breathe and calm down. I've only researched a little bit of the pocket mindfulness site. I'm hoping to this weekend take the time to look into it a little more and see if anything would really help a few of my students out.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the mindfulness activities mentioned in the book – the intentional time taken by a teacher or school to focus thought or awareness – were intriguing. I think schools today are stressful environments; where every minute is planned, and it is a rush to get everything done and have everyone where they need to be on time. However, taking time at the beginning of the class and the end of the class to process learning and calm down before the next class is an excellent idea to prepare the mind for a transition.
ReplyDeleteI did the “Game of Fives” activity. I find that I will sometimes do this anyway, especially if I’m in a stressful situation. I can try to think of good that can come of the bad or what I can be thankful for through it all. It does help to refocus my mind so I’m not dwelling on the negative and letting it ruin my day.
I agree Jessica - -I like the idea of taking time at the beginning and the end of class. It could be especially helpful to those kiddos that have difficulty transitioning.
DeleteI also really enjoyed this chapter and I do think being "mindful" is something that we often don't teach or even think about. I liked all of the examples that were given; how teachers were carving time in their day to stop and center themselves.
ReplyDeleteI tried this activity with a group of 3rd grade boys today - -who better to try it on!! I am pretty sure they thought I was a "whacko" at first because I only have them for 20 minutes so our time in here is pretty focused. These 3 boys come to me straight after lunch and are generally pretty wound up. I had them do one minute breathing with the mindful listening (double your money, right?) and actually extended it for 2 minutes. It took them a bit to calm down but after the 2nd minute, they were more focused and prepared to work. I think I will try some of these in my own personal life.
This was a very interesting chapter. I did not agree with all of it, or at least I think some of it needs to be handled with caution. I do not have a problem with "mindfulness". I often use deep breathing and centering techniques myself. When my students at school or my own kids are upset I have them take a minute to calm down, breathe deep, find words to use to communicate effectively, etc... This is a common technique I have seen our administration and counselor use with students. Finding a few minutes everyday at school to do this as a whole sounds easier than it seems. I realize its only a few minutes but realistically who is willing to give up those few minutes daily? I see it working at first but then various things get in the way and it gets pushed aside. If we can teach students how to be mindful then the next step would be for them to use the technique on their own when needed. I think this technique takes alot of practice and to a degree maturity. Lets face it, kids are very impulsive! The one thing in this chapter I had caution with was the empathy part. Don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of empathy. Last fall a student in Washington DC was mugged at gunpoint, along with some of his friends. He wrote an article about the mugging. Basically he stated that he deserved to be mugged because of his privilege compared to the mugger. The student stated that as long as he, and people like him, have more compared to others then they (muggers for example) cannot be blamed for committing crimes against those who have more. This is taking empathy to the extreme, in my opinion. Where is the line drawn, when empathy gets so extreme that everything is permissible until everyone is equal?
ReplyDeleteI have a gifted student who would benefit greatly from the Mindfulness training at this time. He is just coming to the realization that not everything in education is black and white (he's taking IPC) and having a tough time realizing he is going to have to study and that this isn't a piece of cake like the rest of his schooling has been. So he and I are going to take a few minutes every time he comes to my office just to chill out, relax and then get busy with his IPC work.
ReplyDeleteIt is cold while I'm writing this one, so I chose one of my aquariums as the natural element to focus on. Very relaxing. I've also joined our building in doing daily gratitudes - we do three instead of five as a part of our "8 to Great" activities. I don't write it down anymore, but find it a good way to start the day, the earlier in the day the better .
ReplyDeleteWhen I get really anxious or stressed, I try to do some deep breathing, but other than that, I don’t think I’ve done any of the others. A couple of my elementary teachers will do breathing exercises or other relaxation techniques with their students after they get in from recess or before a test. This is the first year I’ve noticed them doing it, but I think it’s a really great strategy for the kids to learn that (hopefully!) they’ll use later on.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could do breathing exercises to help with stressful days. I had a student tell me he was meditating which I thought was funny for a kindergarten student to say but I guess it worked for him.
DeleteBrain gym is something that gets full body involved and helps to just get right brain and left brain moving to help with focus. In fact in the kindergarten classroom one of the teachers that is having a hard time with transition has incorporated this into her transition time to get students back on track. It is also a good cross the midline activity with our kiddos that is struggling with this concept. It has helped with students to get ready for the day as they are having a hard time waking up and getting started for the day.
ReplyDeleteOne minute breathing is one that I have tried in the past with one of my students who had some behavioral issues and would become so upset over things and needed that time to decompress. At first it was hard as she was young to get her to listen to you long enough and to follow the idea of breath in and hold it and then slowly breathe out and do it quietly. With practice and time she was able to learn this technique and when she was starting to escalate in a situation you would see her start taking in those big deep breaths and that was a signal to us to BACK OFF!
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of teachers use the mindful listening with soft music throughout their class periods. I find myself if I turn on some music while I am working on paperwork and such that I stay focused and calm easier.
I love using Brain Gym activities with kiddos because it helps get both sides of the brain working. It's also a fun way for them to wake themselves up and get ready to learn something new. For me, when I am stressed or upset, I like to take just a minute to breathe and refocus myself. I find myself doing the breathing thing anytime I am worried about anything. I think it is a subconscious thing for me now! :)
ReplyDelete