"The more mindful we are the more choices we have and the less reactive we become." —Ellen Langer
In my workshops, I often invite participants to draw a large circle on the back of my handouts. They listen diligently to the instructions. When complete, I ask everyone to hold their papers up so I can "check their circles." They then place the paper on a flat surface. "Now," I say, "put your forehead in the middle of the circle. Raise it up. Raise it down. Repeat. Keep repeating." That's what I call "mindlessness."
Using a combination of intervention and prevention strategies known to dial down reaction and build resource capacity, we can indeed help students and ourselves improve the ability to accurately assess threat potential, improve appraisal skills, and build the response-capacity to increase resilience.
Quiet the Biology to Manage Physical Sensations and Emotional Reactions
If you've ever been held hostage by the feel of "OMG" or the "what if" worries, then you understand what it feels like when threat-induced tension takes over your body and mind. You feel awful. You can't think straight. You react first and maybe later you think of the "could haves and should haves."
Reaction provides more than the sense that there's something we can do when we don't know what else to
Improving Motivation and Achievement Through a Growth Mindset
What turns kids off to learning? Carol Dweck, Stanford researcher and author of the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, says how students think of themselves as learners creates mental environments that nurture or stifle effort when approaching different tasks. These psychological environments, or mindsets, are shaped by messages students receive from adults, peers, and themselves. Throug
Core Stability: What I Didn’t Know About Section 8C
Read the first post in this series. I should tell you now that what happened in the end with Section 8C could be called a success story. That class turned out to be my most defining experience in education. Educators knew so little back then about the brain or stress reactions. I flew by the seat of my pants, followed my gut, and remained determined to reach and teach this group of learners. To
Dial Down Reactive Behavior—Theirs and Ours!
You might have heard the old joke about the guy who goes up to a doctor at a party. "Doc," he says as he pokes his stomach, "Whenever I touch this spot it hurts. What should I do?" "Stop touching it," the doctor replies. We laugh at the slapstick humor with its obvious simplistic solution for the suffering man's dilemma. Yet, somehow, when it comes to classroom mana