Hey yall,
Just wanted to quickly share an idea about doing guided meditations in the world language classroom..
I really wish I hadn’t fallen out of this habit. Back when I used to do it regularly, it had a profound effect on the classroom vibe. Especially given what we know and observe about student stress and anxiety levels, it’s more important than ever that our young people develop the ability to ground themselves.
I’ve found and used tons of YouTube videos of guided meditations in the target language but A.) the language is often a bit out of reach for my students, and B.) I just found that it’s so much more personal and impactful when it’s about US in this space together, crafting what we need in order to slow down and find some calm.
If a kid falls asleep during the 5 minutes, good for them! I’ve passed out in just about every yoga class I’ve ever taken. This feels like one of the clearest examples of how we are not using an activity to sneak in a language lesson, but rather using a language lesson to help them be the best versions of themselves.
Give it a shot and lemme know how it goes!
I started doing guided meditations in a health-related unit in my IB French 4/5 class this year, and I loved it! I found some good ones on YouTube. They were marketed for young children, but really, that just meant that the pace of language was slower and simpler...and, therefore, perfect for my students.