Off the Beaten Path: Mindful Learning

Hall Houston, Taiwan

Hall Houston has many years of teaching experience at universities in Taiwan and Hong Kong. His first book, The Creative Classroom, was published in 2007 by Lynx Publishing , (www.lynxpublishing.com). His second book, Provoking Thought, will be published in 2009 (www.hallhouston.com). His professional interests include task-based teaching and learning, discourse analysis, group dynamics, creativity and critical thinking. E-mail: hallhouston@yahoo.com

Mindful learning refers to a state of learning where students are “actively drawing distinctions and noticing new things.” (Langer 2000).

Langer (2000) makes a distinction between mindfulness and mindlessness. In a state of mindlessness, we are constantly referring to the past and limited to one perspective. Mindfulness, in contrast, is where we are aware of context and can identify new things.

Teachers can foster mindfulness by wording things to suggest a number of alternatives, instead of just one. For example, while asking for answers to a question, the teacher can ask for a wide range of answers, instead of asking for “the” answer. Teachers can encourage a mindful attitude by replacing the word is with the word could. An example here would be to ask “How could you use this phrase in a sentence?” rather than “What is the correct usage of this phrase?”

Langer mentions several myths of learning. One myth is that to pay attention to something, we must become still and focus. She suggests that it is far better to observe and look for many new things.

Another myth is that we must delay gratification. Langer maintains that the difference between work and play is largely in our minds. Changing our attitude towards a subject can make it more enjoyable.

Mindful learning has some elements similar to independent learning and critical thinking. Learners are encouraged to take an active role in their learning. They must not accept absolute answers, but consider how the answer might change depending on one’s perspective. In a reading course, students can be invited to explore how a variety of different people might perceive a text.

Mindful learning has some relevance to the language classroom, especially in the way that we question students. When reviewing an article, for example, we might ask “What could be a possible answer?” rather than “What is the answer?” Students can be reminded of the fact that their choice of vocabulary and grammar is often dependent on the context. For example, they might make a request to a supervisor quite differently than they would make it to a colleague.

Resources

Langer, E. J. 1998. The power of mindful learning. New York: DeCapo Press.
Langer, E. J. 2000. Mindful learning. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9 (6), 220-223.

Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.