Five Element Exploration & Reflection
Reflect on the Five Element methodology you just learned and answer the following questions in a discussion board post:
- Which of the Five Elements do you think might be the most relevant to your students?
- Appraise the Five Elements overall. How effective do you think it would be as a methodology to approach facilitating mindfulness into your classroom instruction?
Continue your discussion post by answering the Connect prompts from the Five Element exploration resource.
- Connect: Do you feel connected to yourself (body and mind), your colleagues, students, your highest ideals and intentions?
- Connect: Have you connected to your students or let them connect to each other? For example, did you take time to say hi to each student as they walked in, did you ask them and listen to how they were feeling, have you been in touch with their parents, did you provide time for group work, or facilitate student centered discussions?
- Respond to at least one of your colleagues with a reflection on or connection to their post. (Your response should be meaningful, with a goal to push each other’s thinking rather than offering a superficial exchange. Please see rubric)
After reviewing the five elements, I believe that the one that is most relevant to my students is focus. Due to the fact that I work with a lot of students with varying disabilities, it is evident that a lot of them seem to struggle with focusing on the task at hand. I believe that asking the following questions “are you focused on the task at hand? Are you multitasking? What’s distracting you or pulling at your attention? Can you find strategies to bring yourself to focus on the present moment even when there is a lot vying for your attention?” can definitely be beneficial for my students in trying to help them focus.
After appraising the five elements, I believe that it is an effective methodology approach facilitating mindfulness into my classroom. It is important for students, as well as teachers, to feel connected to themselves (body and mind). Without feeling connected to oneself, it is hard to connect to others. Breathing is also very important because it allows students the opportunity to unwind, collect their thoughts, and calm down. I always try my best to incorporate breathing into activities. Movement is also very important because sitting still does not stimulate the brain. Focusing is extremely difficult to do at times; therefore, asking yourself questions such as “are you focused on the task at hand?” can help one to refocus.
In terms of connecting to myself, it really depends on the day. There are days that I feel very in tune with myself; however, there are some days that I feel extremely detached. As for my coworkers, I feel connected to them to a certain extent. I try to stay as professional as possible and keep up a good rapport. I do my best to “keep work at work & keep home at home.” I try not to indulge in personal lives which makes it hard to connect on a deeper level; however, I am okay with that. As for my students, I try my best to get to know every single one of them and connect on something small. For example, one of my students loves the game Kingdom Hearts and I try my best to connect with him on that. I always make it a priority to say hello to every single student and engage them in group work. Feeling connected to my students is something that is extremely important to me and I strive to make sure they feel connected to me as well.