Mindfulness: My Area of Choice

Teenagers' brains are special, as explained in the video on brain changes during adolescence (KhanAcademyMedicine, 2015). Language strengthens and synapses undergo fast pruning. This is also the time when the (a) Limbic system, the emotional structure in the brain and Prefrontal cortex, the executive function of the brain (Congleton et al., 2021) are changing. My area of choice focuses on helping build a strong emotional brain using Mindfulness as a tool.

            (psychologytoday, 2022) defines Mindfulness as a state of open attention to the present moment. We know that we are mindful when we are observing our thoughts and feelings without labeling them as good or bad. It emerged in the Western culture via Jon Kabat-Zinn, who, as a professor at the University of Massachusetts medical school in the late 1970s, developed a program called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to treat chronic pain. He discovered that patients would often try to avoid pain but practicing mindfulness was a more successful approach. As it shifted into mainstream science and medicine, it became a pivotal therapeutic technique and was integrated into several therapies.

A person’s experience of time can be influenced by their emotional state, for fears about the past and the future makes it difficult to fully appreciate the present. The key is learning how to pay attention to the present. To cultivate it, the chief method is attention to breathing. Focus on each breath and the sensations such as sounds, scents, the temperature, and the feeling of air passing in and out of the body. Shift your attention to thoughts and emotions without judging them (psychologytoday, 2022). Slowly one would observe that these thoughts and emotions come and go as waves in a sea and the key to not get carried away is to observe them or feel them without judging oneself. Mindfulness has been proven theoretically and empirically with psychological well-being. Mindfulness is accepted today as a psychological process as it helps in emotional regulation and improvement with the sense of well-being (Keng et al., 2011).

My Plan of Action

My milieu is a group of teenagers who would want to have their questions answered, hence my learning objectives draw from cognition and affective domains.  I would focus on ‘clarifying the mental questions to overcome mental resistance’. I am using the ABCD method to write the objectives (researchguides, 2020) as I find it very simple to remember and execute. The goal is to have the group understand the value of mindfulness in life (Brown & Green, 2016, pp. 91). To differentiate the learning, I am bringing in a variety of activities such as group work, web based graphic organizers and free seating (Brown & Green, 2016, pp. 125). The activity is for cognitive activation and is under teacher direction (OECD, 2016, pp.6). The objective is for the students of grade 8 would explain the impact of mindfulness on depression. Students are expected to understand, assimilate and express their mental understanding and hence the learning domain is cognitive.

Activity

The students will watch the video (harvarduniversity, 2018) as a class. This video describes mindfulness as a practice. Further, it shows research at the Massachusetts Hospital the impact of mindfulness in managing difficult emotions such as depression using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). The focus here is to use scientific information to convince the adolescents of the efficacy of mindfulness.

The students will be divided into groups with a computer station for each group. For the first 5 minutes, they would have a discussion on their leanings from the video, how they feel and share their pre knowledge on the topic. The focus here is to help the groups create a safe space for everyone participating.

They will collaboratively draw a mind map using any free software for mind map expressing their understanding of the impact of mindfulness on depression. They will also write and email a reflective note on how far the use of fMRI to show the impact of mindfulness convinced them of the same. The focus here is to give the students choice in choosing the software, give space to their creativity by using technology and a space for dialogue.

Presentation of the work would be differentiated as per the group. They can develop a podcast, a video, face to face presentation or send an online document covering their mind map, write up and the reflective note. The focus here is completely to differentiate the product for the students.

Conclusion

The use of technology here is subtle, as another education tool to enhance the learning. It comes in the form of showcasing fMRI outcome for mindfulness, web-based mind map makers, writing and emailing the note and differentiation of presentation. I could have expanded the differentiation by giving space for handwritten notes too, however my focus here in to bring in the ease of work that comes in with technology for the students who find writing or focusing difficult. In my experience these students feel safe with technology-based classrooms.

 References

Brown, A. H. & Green, T. D. (2016). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice.  https://ikhsanaira.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/the-essential-of-instructional-design.pdf

Congleton, C., Holzel, B., & Lazar, S. (2021, August 30). Mindfulness can literally change your brain. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2015/01/mindfulness-can-literally-change-your-brain.

harvarduniversity. (2018). Mindfulness Research Probes Depression Benefits - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwZwVIMP8Fs

Keng, S. L., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: a review of empirical studies. Clinical psychology review, 31(6), 1041–1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006

KhanAcademyMedicine (2015). Brain changes during adolescence. [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fa8U6BkhNo

OECD (2016). Teaching strategies for instructional quality. http://www.oecd.org/education/school/TALIS-PISA-LINK-teaching_strategies_brochure.pdf

psychologytoday. (2022). Mindfulness. www.psychologytoday.com. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/mindfulness

researchguides. (2020). Learning outcomes: ABCD method. Research Guides. https://lib.guides.umd.edu/c.php?g=598357&p=4144007