I just finished reading Ellen J. Langer’s book Mindfulness, and I have so many important takeaways from her research. Right from the start, she points out that “to do an act mindfully, novelty must be introduced.” I see this as directly related to the work I am doing in my classroom by exposing students to quick and novel concepts in an attempt for them to find the form of mindfulness that speaks to them. For me it is never about the activity itself, but rather the time spent focusing on it. Whenever I try a new mindfulness activity, I immediately feel the energy in the room shift. Whether students are immediately engaged or turned off, there is a shift that takes place. This is when the hard work for me truly begins. Regardless of the activity, I take on the role of the observer. I ask myself: How are students responding to the activity? Are any former reluctant students now choosing to engage? What patterns of behavior are emerging in each class? These observations become launching points for a deeper relationship with each student. Even the most simple activity can turn into a bridge to deeper connections to ourselves and others.
I’m fascinated by what Langer describes as “premature cognitive commitments.” A lot of my work focuses on shifting mindsets and I agree with her suggestion that to be mindful we must release our preconceived notions. She states, “the way we first take in information (that is, mindfully or mindlessly) determines how we will use it later” (27). Her observation is what I believe is crucial to getting more people, especially teachers, on board with embracing a mindful curriculum.
In chapter 9 Decreasing Prejudice by Increasing Discrimination, she explains that “an understanding of the nature of mindfulness suggests a different approach to combating prejudice -one in which we learn to make more, rather than fewer, distinctions among people. We need to be talking about this is in schools. We need to teach kids to look past labels such a “dyslexic” or “autistic” and see the person for who they are. These labels cannot become students’ identities.
I believe this book is a must read for teachers and administrators. What do you think?
