Guided imagery : a practical solution for the classroom teacher
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Date
1999
Authors
Traber, Mark W
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 1999
Abstract
Working with students to better help them understand and appropriately respond
to their emotions, ADHD status and Learning disabilities are primary goals of the
Learning Assistance Program in Medicine Hat. Literature suggests that students who are
emotionally well have a far greater chance of succeeding academically than those
students who are not emotionally well. Through further investigation of guided imagery,
I discovered that many of the chronic problems experienced by SLD students are often
the areas of which guided imagery contributes many positive implications. For example,
SLD students suffer from disorganized thinking and written work. Congruent
implications of guided imagery are often an increase in one's focus, organization, written
precision, as well as an increased motivation and/or desire to write. In addition,
inattention, distractibility and short attention spans also characterize and plague the SLD
student. Guided imagery is noted for its ability to dramatically relax individuals,
positively resulting in an increase of one's focus and attention. Finally, SLD students are
characterized by having difficulty in social relations, lowered self-esteem, depression,
truancy, inappropriate behaviours and a lack of confidence. Likewise, guided imagery
promotes the acceptance of others, overall wellness, creative and/or serious emotional
expression and a positive self-concept; all of which help students achieve more positive
work outcomes. Therefore, my question was: will my grade seven and eight SLD
students consider guided imagery a positive, safe, and confidential method or medium for
the promotion ofthe following Learning Assistance Program goals: positive behavior,
positive work outcome, positive self concept, positive means for creative and/or serious
emotional expression, overall wellness in students, the acceptance of others, increased
focus and attention and increased motivation and/or desire to write? In order to answer my research question, I carefully prepared pre and post
interview questions that focussed on the various implications that guided imagery could
promote. Following the pre-interview sessions, I subjected the students to one guided
imagery activity a week over a five week period. Throughout the five weeks, I made
detailed notes with regard to what I observed of the students' behaviour and their written
responses. In addition, I developed a class period into what became known as Wel1ness
Time. Every Monday morning during Wellness Time I would read the students' guided
imagery responses from the previous week to the class. This experience not only
revealed to the students the various differences in personalities that existed in our
classroom, but also the emotional commonalities that were shared amongst them.
Following the five weeks of guided imagery sessions, I interviewed the students asking
the same questions that I had asked in the pre-interviews. A culminating discussion was
written using the information gathered from the interviews, the guided imagery sessions,
and the responses heard during Wellness Time.
From the various forms of in:6ormation gathered, four major themes became
apparent. The themes were motivation to write, wellness, creative expression and positive
behavior. I believed the students received from this whole guided imagery experience, a
feeling of positive power. Since these students had so few means of attaining power in a
productive manner, much of their life was spent attaining negative power through drug
use, crime and sex. Guided imagery provided my students the opportunity to attain
positive power; consequently, I was thankful that I had the tool of guided imagery in my
teaching bag of tricks. There is nothing more heart warming than giving a child the gift
of positive power.
Description
vii, 104 leaves ; 29 cm. --
Keywords
Imagery (Psychology) in children , Imagery (Psychology) -- Study and teaching (Secondary) , Learning disabled children -- Education -- Alberta -- Medicine Hat