Mindfulness in the classroom...

This is our very last blog challenge, and that is a bit of a bummer. I think that is why I've been avoiding it, not wholly on purpose though, tiredness and other assignments also took precedence. I hope this still counts though, think it miiight be a tad late now. But let me get to it: 

The challenge was to consider Foley (2014) and Wills (2015) and "meditate on the meaningful involvement of learners in your classroom". What I think they are getting at has something much like mindfulness. (And may I just say, the idea that contemplation on a next lesson may occur at my pillow and not necessarily at my computer - resonates with my soul). 

...so, there is something there, in that when you get students to mindfully engage in an activity there is an emotional shift, and I believe that this emotional shift might have something to do with why they might remember better, understand better, think more clearly and even better apply critical thinking.   

From here.

I think how we do things, how we allow our learners to do things, has a tremendous influence on what they take from your lesson, from your subject, from their learning experiences. I like the idea of making a mindful involvement an intrinsic part of class culture. So much so that even when there is a disturbance in the mindfulness, the learners, so used to being aware and mindful, will notice and things will basically run it's course naturally as Wills (2015) says. 

...A mindful artist...
From the interweb...

This is my favourite challenge: 

"...discover the mundane moments and tasks in your own classroom that are just waiting for your creativity to transform them into mindful learning opportunities." (Wills 2015) 

As an art teacher.... which mundane moments could I turn into mindful learning opportunities.... certainly cleaning the brushes, cleaning the working areas. I'm falling into the deep end here but we can visualise the brushes as babies we have to take care of, be gentle but clean thoroughly. Handle with love and care. Cleaning up after a practical section. That can also take some creativity into turning it into a mindful learning opportunity. 

I am drawn to the idea of learners cleaning their school, so even just in the art classroom, that might be the best South African teachers could maybe 'get away with'. But in Japan it is the way it is, the ethos, if you like, that learners, (ALL of them!), clean their classrooms and schools (including bathrooms and hallways and stairways and what have you...) every day, the last 20 minutes before going home. My kinda-sorta-one-day sister-in-law, from Japan, said that is how it was at their school as well. It is the common standard in Japanese schools. I think it is a beautiful way of teaching kids to respect what is theirs and think mindfully. It is their school, after all. So just like that, I would try find creative ways to involve learners in cleaning their art work stations, and tools. 

I think important would also be, as Wills says "fearless contemplation on what is and is not working in the classroom". This I think should involve the learners. There should be an always-ongoing discussion of sorts of what works for them and what does not. Together with the mindfulness culture in class, their would be an honesty culture, and an ongoing growing and evolving and thinking culture that we would constantly be making our lived practice in (and outside of) our art classroom.

How exactly, you ask?

From here.

I think this is something to go ponder about, frequently with note taking, (dream journal, anyone?), and I think I should blog about it some more in future when I think of some awesome ideas. I have a feeling though, that actual teaching will do wonders for my creativity to flow and seeing what really does and does not works in my classroom with my learners... 

Till later then, it's been fun...

From... the interweb...