Teachers!!
Do not think you have to be on a field
trip to give students experience with nature.
Going on a trip is wonderful to
reinforce what you are already teaching. However, there are ways to create
intimate everyday experiences with Nature that can be done in and near the
classroom.
Bringing Nature Inside can help students:
Live
in the Moment
Help students live in the now, in the present moment, to pay attention deeply to experience as it is happening. Most mammals dwell in the moment in this way (observe any cat). Being in the moment requires tuning the senses, warming them up as it were, just as you tune a violin before playing or stretch your muscles before running.
Living in the moment requires the skill of Paying Attention. Paying Attention is a skill that can be practiced anywhere. The first requirement is to Wake the Senses. Before you go out, ask them to learn a new skill--the skill of inner stillness. Outside, then, ask them to practice their Stillness, which is much more attractive than being told to Be Quiet. The goal is the skill of Wakeful Attention.
Help students live in the now, in the present moment, to pay attention deeply to experience as it is happening. Most mammals dwell in the moment in this way (observe any cat). Being in the moment requires tuning the senses, warming them up as it were, just as you tune a violin before playing or stretch your muscles before running.
Living in the moment requires the skill of Paying Attention. Paying Attention is a skill that can be practiced anywhere. The first requirement is to Wake the Senses. Before you go out, ask them to learn a new skill--the skill of inner stillness. Outside, then, ask them to practice their Stillness, which is much more attractive than being told to Be Quiet. The goal is the skill of Wakeful Attention.
Create a Micro Wilderness
No comments:
Post a Comment