A feel-good lesson

Rock-solid foundation

As we all know, specialist knowledge and field expertise (achieved either through various certificates, professional diplomas or university degrees) are – unquestionably and invariably – truly desired attributes of ‘good’ educators. My journey with teaching started back in 2006 when I obtained my first, very much in demand, Master’s Degree in English Studies which opened the door to many career paths. A few years later, already working as a professional linguist, passionate about applied linguistics, my attention was caught by the term neurolinguistic programming (NLP) – due to (what else?) the term ‘linguistic’ in its name. What at first seemed to be additional linguistic studies (remember, I was somewhat fresh to the field of psychology at that time) was, in fact, a useful tool to understanding how our thoughts affect our behaviour. Since that moment, events have been snowballing – from certifications in cognitive behavioural therapy and the therapeutic use of mindfulness to most recently becoming a Neurolanguage Coach^® accredited by the International Coach Federation.

Figure 1: Key pillars of my approach

Out-of-box thinking

The idea that ultimately led to designing my own tool – Teaching with Therapeutic Techniques – came to me about 10 years ago while asking myself a simple question: ‘What else can be done for the betterment of classroom teaching?’ The answer, as usually happens in life, comes to us from where we least expect it. One day, when helping my niece to understand how the Venn diagram works (‘an illustration that uses circles to show the relationships between things or finite groups of things’) other questions (or an indirect answer to my dilemma?) came to my mind spontaneously: Should the fields of language teaching and therapeutic techniques be treated independently as two completely unrelated subject areas? Or do these two have more in common than seen at first glance? Common ground is definitely there.

Turning the idea into practice

A starting point for me was integrating my professional knowledge together with elements of the cognitive behavioural therapy, neurolinguistic programming and mindfulness sessions into my regular lessons. Luckily, I was able to consistently gain valuable hands-on experience while working with children of different ages: mainly primary school pupils (in particular neurodivergent learners). Having noticed over those years some areas for improvement in traditional teaching approaches, as well as aspects of learning not yet fully addressed, my beliefs were confirmed: a certain ‘overlap’ between teaching a language and therapeutic techniques does exist.

The experience I had gained up till that point allowed me to grab the bull by the horns and, ultimately, consider designing an all-inclusive tool that captures various educational needs, as well as behavioural or emotional issues. This was the very moment, I believe, when the Teaching with Therapeutic Techniques approach to educating started crystallising and coming about.

Results

To my delight, the change brought about instant results: my pupils’ attention and focus increased immensely. I was encouraged by positive feedback from the Young Learners’ parents:

‘My son never liked school, now he’s a different child, he never missed any of your classes.’

‘He was really engaged in the lesson, then he talked about it for days . . .’

‘My autistic daughter has been delighted! Her confidence has grown so much. That’s truly amazing.’

I started creating educational materials and activities, then adjusting them more and more to the children’s diverse needs (e.g. Workbook: Emotional wellbeing in education). The materials are practical and effective. Besides, they intrigue most learners when they realise the difference and the impact of this novel approach. Learners do recognise their words being rephrased, alongside frequent inferences and associations created spontaneously – all this in a state of heightened awareness and constant mental stimulation. It’s powerful, fun and hard to forget. Of course, when you feel such attunement, you know the class naturally remains in the optimal learning state throughout the lesson. You are making the most of the time together. Brilliant, isn’t it?

Long-lasting benefits

Using my therapeutic skills in class works out really well. Learners feel more empowered, and become mature individuals. A personalised approach to each learner is the key point here. For example, following a conversation with a child who often struggled to remember information, I understood how to bring about the best results for each and every child: use the language of NLP to integrate parts of the lesson (chunks) into the whole. Alongside this, I tapped into the individual metaprogrammes of my pupils.

Developing social, emotional and behavioural skills is achieved by:

incorporating mindfulness activities before and during the class to calm the mind and increase focus;
creating a safe environment in the classroom, full of empathy, teamwork and support;
addressing children’s needs such as love, respect, inclusion, understanding, independence, trust, communication;
creating meaningful connections – children are asked to find associations, new links between various elements; taking advantage of neuroplasticity;
explaining metacognition – children are encouraged to verbalise the steps of their thinking process when attempting a task;
teaching active listening – pausing, changing activities for better engagement, asking questions frequently;
understanding the role of emotions – children learn to recognise, label and distinguish various emotions in different situations;
enabling self-regulation – children learn how to change their mood, redirect awareness, manage anxiety or anger, as well as reduce bodily tensions with deep breathing, distractions, movement;
stressing the importance of positive self-talk;
adapting storytelling – children create their own stories, introduce characters, etc.; fostering creativity, allowing free flow of ideas; correcting only the necessary elements such as spelling and certain linguistic features;
developing the brain’s natural affinity for words – children make their own alphabet books with drawings etc.;
discovering children’s potential and building their self-confidence, which significantly impacts their overall wellbeing and mental health.

The main message here, as we directly address the emotional state of the learners, is that we are paving the way for the secondary process associated with learning and memory. According to the literature, only the most relevant information is sent to higher brain regions to perform higher cognitive functions. We need to bear this in mind when teaching.

What I find really fascinating is that the principles of neuroplasticity, cognitive science and metacognition can be successfully applied to both everyday life and professional contexts. Undoubtedly, practising mindfulness on a regular basis definitely helps me sharpen my focus and memorise the content of lengthy class conversations and in-depth discussions.

‘The only constant in life is change’ (Heraclitus)

Change is inevitable. We all need to accept and embrace change ourselves. What matters most here is being proactive. Are you equipped with the right tools to do the job well? By combining our existing teaching knowledge with extra therapeutic skills and directed training, we educators can make a profound difference in other people’s lives. In the post-pandemic environment, it seems this has never been so important – for both teachers and learners. We can adopt solutions that facilitate mutual communication and rapport, while maximising opportunities for meaningful connections and continuous emotional growth. By nurturing children’s emotional needs, guiding them to reach their potential, we are helping them to grow into emotionally balanced adults: happy, strong and empowered to face any challenge. In my opinion, there is no greater reward than to see children grow and succeed.

Are you ready for collaboration?

I have designed a range of educational materials, workshops and practical activities with a school-age audience in mind. If you are an enthusiastic, like-minded educator who would like to support pupils, students or adults in the learning process by implementing therapeutic teaching into your daily practice, please feel free to contact me. We can arrange an online or in-person meeting, discuss training options, webinars, CPD courses or projects. I’m based in Cork, Ireland, but I’m also cooperating with schools, educational institutes and private clients all over the world.

To conclude, let me share my two most recent poems with you:

Mindful moments (for adult learners)

Mindful moments – a treasure without measure,

Around us, a cacophony of voices – mind your choices,

Gentle subconscious whispers – our humble mumble,

The power of awareness – apprehension without tension,

Divine abundance awaits – just open the gates,

By breathing life, exhaling the dense – it makes sense,

Focused, holding on to hope like a strong rope.

Insecurities appear when the future’s unclear.

Yet the clouds of blindless anticipation give in to creation,

Incomprehensible becomes now possible,

And you start achieving after perceiving.

Focus-pocus, abracadabra. Muscle ‘think or shrink’.

Feel it yourself now, the cleansing power – the mind shower.

We should put the present moment first, not second, I reckon.

Awareness harnessed in the current is so apparent.

Train your brain – mind the heart (for Young Learners)

The brain is a bit like a big machine – a train,

The mind is more of a tool, complex but cool.

The brain can work slowly or at full speed, if there’s a need.

The mind is always active – the observer and the server.

Both help to process our thoughts, feelings and dealings.

Important – thoughts don’t last long, but they are strong.

They come and go, they meet in the mind; they’re hard to find.

We can’t see thoughts or feelings well, nor taste them or smell,

But we’ve the power to imagine things; great news – you choose!

How? Just be creative, use your imagination for creation,

Eyes closed, mind focused – you’re ready to start the ‘mind art’,

You can visualise your perfect day or whatever you say,

It’s called the potential to create and to train your brain.

The mind is like a hidden treasure, quite hard to measure.

It’s the place for your memory, to process every story,

To understand what is around, the colour, the sound . . .

It’s the control centre and YOU are in charge of it,

Now, let’s learn more about emotions, bit by bit!

Thank you.