MIND UPUnit 2 - Sharpening your senses

Lesson 4

Mindful Listening

Mindful listeningWARM UP Exercise (rhythmic clapping and snapping)

1. Listen carefully and repeat my pattern

2. Create your own pattern (six to eight beats) – write down in your LPD journal.

3. Listen to and repeat your classmates pattern (one at a time)

4. Base on the last pattern, vary the pattern a little bit only

5. After a few variation, do you still remember the original pattern?

Question: Which skills are you using in this activity?

Mindful listeningWHAT is Mindful listening?

Choose specific sounds to focus and hear in order to help us to concentrate and respond in a thoughtful way.

Mindful listeningWHY Practice Mindful listening?

• become more focused and responsive• Helps heighten our sensory awareness• Builds self-awareness and management

skills• Helps social awareness and effective

communication

Mindful listeningHOW our brain is linked to mindful listening?

Reticular activating system (RAS) – Is the brain’s attention-focusing centerSorted and screened sensory stimuli

When the stimuli distract us,the mindful listening will helps usto focus again.

With practice focusing on specific detail, we can train our RAS to be moreeffective.

Creating the optimistic classroom

The tone of your voice can say as much as the words you speak.

Carefully listen to the tone of the person’s voice can:• Tells you the mood of a friend• The emotion of your family member

The tone we use gives our words:• An emotional charge• Can strengthen our relationship• Can hurt our relationships

Mindfully use your tone!

Creating the optimistic classroom

The tone of your voice can say as much as the words you speak.

Practice:Use different tone to say the following phrase to your friend.

“I can’t talk right now.”“I can’t talk right now?”“I can’t talk right now!”

How do you feel? When will we use the different tones?

Mindful Listening PracticeEngage & Explore

Listen as mindfully as you can to the sound I make – and focus on it. If you think you know what it is, record your answer on the Audio Alert Activity Sheet.Share in group what you’ve written down.How many did you get?

Mindful Listening Practice

ReflectIn what ways is this experience different from the way we typically listen to sounds? If you lost your focus on the sounds, explain what you think got in the way?How might this kind of listening affect your brain?How was trying to identify sounds good practice for mindful listening?

Career ConnectionIs mindful listening ever a matter or life and death?Any career in the real world use mindful listening a lot? How did that affect life and death?

Journal WritingChoose one of the following to response in your journal:

Select a class or an activity during which you have difficulty concentrating. Determine to listen mindfully for one class period or during one activity. What did you do to stay focused? Describe your experience.Tell about a time when being a mindful listener helped you or someone else in a difficult or dangerous situation.