I have been a student for half of my life, and it includes
some of my fondest memories, while for the second half of my life, I have found myself on the other side of the fence by teaching students. Learning has become my life-long passion and addiction, and while I was
somewhat driven by academic results and necessities in my younger years,
nowadays, I learn on my own, out of my own free will, and for my own joy and pleasure.
Academia, knowledge, and wisdom in all their beautiful shapes and forms are ingrained into and enmeshed
within my very core being, the heart of my heart.
It does not matter at what stage and position you are with
your learning experience, whether you are a student at high school or university or someone who embraces learning on the fly or if you are as lucky as I am where it comes directly attached to your job description, learning can and should
be fun for everyone. Here are some mindful tips for turning your learning into
a more positive journey and making it a less negative experience taken directly and
indirectly from a beautiful little book entitled Mindful Thoughts for Students: Nurture your Mind, Flourish in Life by Georgina Hooper.
First off, the book may be small in size – about the length
of your smartphone and twice its width - but it is filled with wisdom as well
as beautiful, colorful, and inspiring drawings. It fits into your pocket so you
can carry this learning guide with you anywhere you go; it is a handy companion
to remind yourself and to refresh your memory of being mindful in your studies,
and by extension, in your life.
For starters, do not feel intimidated at the onset and during your journey. When you approach learning, it will require both time and effort
but try to be less concerned or worried about the impending outcomes via tests,
evaluations, and academic results. When I go over the syllabus of the course, a
requirement to set the tone and to give an overview of the course at the
beginning of each semester, I can feel the nervous energy and palpable worry
amongst my students.
Many of my students seem already overwhelmed about the
upcoming challenges, whether it is the reading materials, the pronunciation,
vocabulary and grammar of a new language or the various assessments spread
over the whole semester, which includes and culminates in final exams, group
presentations, and essays.
But think of it as a road trip. You want to make sure you
have all the necessary documents and items with you, but the fun and enjoyment
lie in both the path and the destination, and it is not a matter of getting
there as fast as possible but to have specific checkpoints in mind so that you
do not fall behind in your schedule.
In other words, you want to be present-minded and -focused
and worry less about the future of those exams, assignments, and presentations
that are described in your course syllabus and are looming ahead. You also want
to start fresh on a new page by unpacking and unloading all the baggage of the
past, the old failures, and disappointments that you may have previously
experienced in your learning and that you may be now re-attaching to your present experience. Once you clear the
past, it should become easier not to feel overburdened by the potential burdens
of the future.
As Georgina explains, the word for mindfulness in Japanese
and Chinese consists of and is represented by the characters of “now” and
“mind”; you want to have a now-mind as you are entering the new semester or the next school year, that also means that you want to be aware of and pay attention to
your body, your environment, and your mental activity throughout your days of
learning and studying. You should also keep in mind that the same way you are
unique in the world, not every tip or technique may work for you, so by being
aware of your own body and mind, you can refine, customize, and personalize
your learning experience as well as study habits along the way.
I remember - both with nostalgia as well as with a certain amount
of dread - the immense workload and reading that would come my way. But it is
important to plan ahead of time and to manage time and tasks so that you will
not experience overload. Take it as one step at a time, the same way Lao Tzu’s
journey of a thousand miles had to start with the first step at some point, you
would open the book and start at the first page of your learning experience. It
can be reinforced by small and consistent practice in the present moment and by
focusing on important bits of knowledge and skills, especially those that
resonate most with you.
But do not press on too quickly. Learning is not about
sprints and the faster and the better, but it is more like a marathon that
would test your endurance, planning, discipline, and execution. The challenges
on the way should not be avoided, feared, and least of all shunned; one should
be aware of them, expect them as well as embrace them with open arms when they
appear.
Over the pandemic, I gave myself a new learning
challenge. I set myself the goal to learn very basic ASL (American Sign Language).
Certainly, my years of learning and teaching help and aid in this matter, but
still, many of the challenges are still the same with or without background knowledge and experience. First off, I would have to learn new information and skills. Using
my hands instead of my mouth for speaking was something I was not very familiar
with nor accustomed to.
But I knew that the best approach would be to break my ASL
learning into small chunks of signs before moving on to the next batch of
information. I would learn a handful (pun intended) of expressions for the day
before moving on to the next signs. I would keep using and practicing them with
my son or in front of the mirror so that they are committed to memory. Then,
these small building blocks like Lego bricks can be used to build your own
personal structures and create longer strings and messages of communication.
You can also compare it to piano scales and individual notes
that you practice at first so that you can later use them to play - or even
compose your own - musical pieces. At any rate, by focusing on now, the series
of present moments that make up your day, you can practice the small stuff that
would then lead to great heights and accomplishments in the near and far
future.
As Georgina puts it quite succinctly, try not to time travel
towards future outcomes and instead plant your feet firmly on and within the
present moment. Awareness of your body, mind, and the current environment is key
here, while an agenda and a calendar with daily and weekly steps, goals and
achievements can come to your aid as well.
Try to limit and circumvent distractions both internally as
well as externally. Both are challenging to control but by being at the same
time disciplined and compassionate with yourself, you can certainly achieve
this. The external distractions come in the form of your smartphone, which you
want to keep on silent for the duration of your task at hand. The internal
distractions can range from boredom to later plans for the evening and try to
find and negotiate a well-balanced and gentle but firm compromise there.
As you are experiencing stress and discomfort in your
learning, be reminded that mindfulness is about not always doing what you want
to do nor about what feels good all the time. There are going to be days where
it will be more difficult for you to engage in and connect with your studies.
This could be due to natural fluctuations, the ebb and flow of motivation. Although
you do not want to push too hard, you also do not want to let go completely or
become too lax in your academic endeavors.
One of the most important lessons in learning and in life is
to accept responsibility. This is the realization that passive learning will
not get you very far in your studies, in your career, and in your life as a
whole. You want to own your learning and be responsible for it and stand on
your own feet. Your teacher and instructor are at best guides and facilitators,
and they are temporary helpers on the path of your learning, but you must do
the learning yourself.
That includes showing up. This is not only physically and
mentally showing up in a face-to-face or virtual classroom but to do so
wholeheartedly. You want to be all there and not let your mind be hijacked or
led astray by unrelated concerns, desires, or wishes. You would want to take
your learning into your own capable hands and communicate with your peers and
teachers with courage and authenticity.
As teachers, we are often good at reading certain cues and
signals, but we are not mindreaders. As a result, you want to ask questions
when something is unclear to you or if you want to know something, or if
something is troubling you and of concern to you. If you are stressed, let your
teachers know. No one can offer you help if you are not showing your hand, and
if we do not know what is ailing you, we cannot help you or show compassion.
Stress is part of life, and it is essential how you deal
with it. As Georgina illustrates, the Buddhists use the symbol of the lotus
flower to show how humans evolve, learn, and thrive and become resilient and
beautiful even when or rather especially because of the mud that can serve as
sustenance for our emotional, mental and spiritual development. In fact, the
Chinese word for stress is made up of two characters meaning “strong” and
“pressure” and it is this jolt of energy that can move and arouse us and wake
us up to the challenges in front of us.
There will be setbacks, failures, and bad grades, but how
you approach it and deal with it is of the utmost importance here. It goes back
to owning your learning. You want to be honest with yourself and see it as
helpful feedback on where to improve. In fact, you can ask your guide and
facilitator, your teacher on where and how to improve. What you do not want to
do is to give away control and externalize responsibility by blaming your
teacher, your school, or your circumstances, rather you want to use any feedback
as constructive criticism and adjust and readjust certain ways of learning and
studying to achieve better results next time around.
But keep in mind, a bad grade is temporary, and it is not a
death sentence. The assessment in question is designed to test and evaluate
what you know at one specific moment in time. As teachers and instructors, we
are cognizant and aware that learning is gradual and procedural and will involve
missteps and mistakes along the way. As a result, evaluation and assessment are
spread out over time, and there will be various occasions for growth as well as
second chances and opportunities if the student indeed takes responsibility for
their learning.
In fact, you can use mindfulness to stop you from
internalizing and catastrophizing some of your bad grades and the perceived
negative feedback that you receive. You want to release and let go of
the weight of unrealistic expectations that you carry around with you both
consciously and subconsciously as this can be the cause and precursor of a
great deal of unnecessary stress. First off, it is your inner critic that sees
it as negative when it is in fact helpful and useful for your learning. In fact,
you want to be gentle with yourself and in many ways and manners, you could
often be harsher on yourself than any teacher could ever be.
Give yourself space for errors and room for improvement and
be ready to modify your learning and studying as necessary. Moreover, see the
relationship between things and do not assume that teachers are out there to
get you but rather build on fostering self-belief and agency. The reason you
did not do well was most likely because of not paying attention, not asking
questions, not giving your studies the time, focus, and energy that they deserve
and merit; these realizations can often lead you to better time management and improved study habits.
Be aware that learning does not occur in a straight line and
your experiences will be filled with many moments of detours and uncertainty.
Yet feeling discomfort does not necessarily mean that you are on the wrong
track. Sometimes these feelings may even have little to do with you and your
efforts but are the symptoms and sensations that accompany growth.
Mindfulness can help you stay on track as it teaches you
that whatever you might be feeling at this moment, will pass. For certain
events, you just have to summon up patience, perseverance, and faith, while
other events and circumstances may ask you to redirect and forge new paths.
Sometimes, you will not feel in control, while at other times, the necessary
actions and solutions are within your reach, at hand, and at your disposal.
Above all, and most importantly, learning is curiosity. It
is you at play in your most playful state like children who approach new tasks
with passion and enthusiasm. But even in the best of circumstances, play can
wear you out, so you want to listen and be attuned to your body, mind, and
environment and know when it is necessary to move on and when you are due for much needed and most deserved rest.
It is important to do everything you do mindfully and with a
whole heart, so when you are studying, be there and ensure to be doing that.
When you are not studying, be there too and immerse yourself in that experience
without worrying about your studies and without carrying the looming and
impending pressure of tests and assessments with you wherever you go.
The final advice both Georgina and I would like to give you is that learning does not occur in a vacuum, and it is not a solitary effort nor activity. Whether you are in an in-person or virtual classroom, your actions and behaviors influence others and the behaviors of others will influence you and your learning experience.
Show and embody respect to
yourself, others and your teachers, and the whole community as we are all part
and parcel of a multidimensional community of learners. Take the path of
learning both seriously and with a playful positive attitude and know that we
are all building blocks towards a better future and a better life for everyone involved.
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