Natalia Belousova "Mindfulness in an English Language Classroom"

"Many teachers have recently expressed concern about their learners’ ability to pay attention in class. The reasons for short attention span might vary from lack of encouragement in the classroom to emotional insecurity and too much stress caused by information overload from popular apps, social networking and gaming among young people. As a modern trend, mindfulness, or the ability to focus on the here and now without judging the experience, provides plenty of opportunities for an English language classroom."

Transcript

1. Powerpoint Templates Page 1 Powerpoint Templates Mindfulness in an English Language Classroom Natasha Belousova CLASS Study and Training Centre 25/11/2017 Moscow
2. Powerpoint Templates Page 2 1. Close your eyes. Lean back. Breathe in. Breathe out. Smell the cup for a few seconds. Think how it makes you feel and what it reminds you of.
3. Powerpoint Templates Page 3 1. Close your eyes. Lean back. Breathe in. Breathe out. Smell the cup for a few seconds. Think how it makes you feel and what it reminds you of. 2. Discuss your thoughts with your partner. •  What’s that lovely/horrible/weird… smell/fragrance? •  It’s a/an adj. smell, like n. /It smells like n. /It smells adj. •  This sPnks! /There’s a real sPnk coming from the cup! •  What a lovely/horrible/unusual/familiar smell! •  It reminds me of…. (n./Ving)
4. Powerpoint Templates Page 4 n. smell, aroma, scent, fragrance, smell, bouquet, stench, whiff… Some more language J v. smell, sPnk, reek… adj. smelly, sPnky, whiffy, acrid, fePd, musty, putrid… coll. catch/get a whiff, give off a strange smell…
5. Powerpoint Templates Page 5 n. smell, aroma, scent, fragrance, smell, bouquet, stench, whiff… Some more language J v. smell, sPnk, reek… adj. smelly, sPnky, whiffy, acrid, fePd, musty, putrid… coll. catch/get a whiff, give off a strange smell… C2
6. Powerpoint Templates Page 6 “...memory can restore to life everything except smells, although nothing revives the past so completely as a smell that was once associated with it.” ― Vladimir Nabokov, ‘Mary’
7. Powerpoint Templates Page 7 Questions to discuss : •  What is mindfulness? •  Why teach it? •  Classroom implicaPons (How about language outcomes? :-) •  Possible lesson procedures •  Conclusions •  Q&A
8. Powerpoint Templates Page 8 What is mindfulness: “Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensaPons, and surrounding environment. Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay abenPon to our thoughts and feelings without judging them… When we pracPce mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.” From Greater Good Magazine hbps://greatergood.berkeley.edu/mindfulness/definiPon
9. Powerpoint Templates Page 9 InformaPon overload Issues:
10. Powerpoint Templates Page 10 InformaPon overload Issues: Lack of encouragement
11. Powerpoint Templates Page 11 InformaPon overload Issues: Lack of encouragement EmoPonal insecurity
12. Powerpoint Templates Page 12 InformaPon overload Issues: Lack of encouragement EmoPonal insecurity Too much on her plate
13. Powerpoint Templates Page 13 InformaPon overload Issues: Lack of encouragement EmoPonal insecurity Too much on her plate Short abenPon span Inability to concentrate
14. Powerpoint Templates Page 14 • Improved focus • Longer abenPon span • Improved noPcing skills • Decreased stress • EmoPonal regulaPon • Increased compassion From Blissful Kids hbp://blissfulkids.com Why teach it: rationale
15. Powerpoint Templates Page 15 Use mindful pracPces in the classroom to: • remove stress at the beginning of the lesson and between acPviPes; • sPmulate the students’ imaginaPon; • help the students focus on the here and now and sharpen their senses; • raise awareness of their feelings; • let the students explore the surrounding environment; • slow the students down and let them reflect on what is happening Classroom implications:
16. Powerpoint Templates Page 16 + language outcomes! Classroom implications:
17. Powerpoint Templates Page 17 Classroom Procedures
18. Powerpoint Templates Page 18 •  Watch the video •  Say what you think the students are doing Purpose: mindfulness, sensory awareness, recognizing feelings, concentraPon Lesson procedure 1: My world of smells
19. Powerpoint Templates Page 19 Lesson procedure 1
20. Powerpoint Templates Page 20 Lesson procedure 1
21. Powerpoint Templates Page 21 • Watch the video and say what the children are doing in the jungle and why. Language input From hbps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHcNTrpj4dM Lesson procedure 1
22. Powerpoint Templates Page 22 • Watch the following episodes and note down what the characters are saying. Language input From hbps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHcNTrpj4dM Lesson procedure 1
23. Powerpoint Templates Page 23 Lesson procedure 1: •  Ask the students to close their eyes, breathe in, breathe out and smell a few objects. •  Ask the students to observe how the objects make them feel and what they remind them of. •  The students discuss the smells and the students’ feelings. •  The teacher shows the real objects. •  Ask the students to imagine their ideal space/world/place and the smells they would like to fill this space with. H/w: a video report from the place they like and the smells their. Mindfulness bit
24. Powerpoint Templates Page 24 •  Watch the video •  Say what you think the students are doing Purpose: mindfulness, sensory awareness, recognizing feelings, concentraPon Lesson procedure 2: Mystery bag
25. Powerpoint Templates Page 25 Lesson procedure 2
26. Powerpoint Templates Page 26 • Watch the video and teach 4 textures and the quesPon ‘What does it feel like?’ The textures in the video: It’s fuzzy. It’s hard. It’s son. It’s smooth. Lesson procedure 2: Language input From hbps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No_ADOZ1jl4
27. Powerpoint Templates Page 27 Lesson procedure 2: •  Ask the students to close their eyes, relax and feel the objects in the bag in silence. •  Ask the students to observe how the textures make them feel. •  Ask the students to draw the textures they have experienced in silence. •  Discuss the textures and the students’ feelings. •  Ask the students to guess what objects they touched and show the real objects. •  Ask the students to explore the room and describe the textures of things around them. •  The students say how they make them feel. Mindfulness bit FOLLOW-ON? J
28. Powerpoint Templates Page 28 Advantages and disadvantages: ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES §  an chance for a break; § unusual, so might put some students off; §  a change of dynamics + helps concentrate on the here and now and explore the world around; §  the emerging language is unpredictable. § a lot of emerging language. §  requires some preparaPon.
29. Powerpoint Templates Page 29 Advantages and disadvantages: ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES §  an chance for a break; § unusual, so might put some students off; §  a change of dynamics + helps concentrate on the here and now and explore the world around; §  the emerging language is unpredictable J § a lot of emerging language. §  requires some preparaPon J
30. Powerpoint Templates Page 30 •  Williams M., Penman D. Mindfulness. Piatkus, 2011. •  Goleman D. EmoPonal Intelligence. Bloomsbury, 2009 •  Greater Good Magazine hbps://greatergood.berkeley.edu •  Blissful Kids hbp://blissfulkids.com Useful links and resources:
31. Powerpoint Templates Page 31 QuesPons
32. Powerpoint Templates Page 32 Natasha Belousova Email natalie.belousova@gmail.com THANK YOU J Contacts: