Thursday – Taking Time to Think
Having a contemplative practice is healthy for our mental wellbeing, I believe. There are many different styles, one of which is Mindfulness. But I will not write about that one, because I’d be repeating myself, since I so often write about that.
No, the word I am referring to is reflection. It’s a broad term, yes, but let’s think about it. Ha Ha…
When I studied for my post graduate degree in education a few years ago, I did it at Ecolint, which is the international school of Geneva (Switzerland) where the International Baccalaureate (IB) was founded. The IB has evolved a lot over the years and it now is one of my favorite ways of teaching students. Something quite central to the way IB school teachers teach is by guiding the students to reflect.
Why is that important? It allows us to explore what we think about ideas or topics, how we know what we know and why. It’s also (like Mindfulness – yes, I know, “here she goes again,” you’re probably thinking) something that is a practice. Like with a lot of things, the more we do it, the better we get at it.
So, during my postgraduate degree, we were asked to reflect after every lesson we taught. I got pretty good at that. But by far my favorite reflection session was when I decided to give the year seven students a lesson to reflect on what they had learned in the unit we had just finished: reproduction. I was curious if they could reflect maturely on what they had learned. And how long would it take for them to fill out this one double sided sheet?
Since these students were already used to regularly having to reflect on their learning, they did very well. And it nearly took the full 45 minute lesson. It was truly eye opening.
So, do you ever take the time to reflect? If so, where are you and what do you reflect on? Do you write down your thoughts, or just let them flow like clouds in the wind?
My favourite reflection spot is in a hammock. To truly reflect without distraction, one should be alone and the phone has to be far away so that we cannot be distracted by that addictive device.
Why not give it a try today? You might be surprised by what comes up.
Be well, sweet people. Take care of yourselves and those you love.
