Make a picture in your mind.
posted by Sarah @ 4:17 PM
10 Comments
Saturday, March 21, 2009
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During my first semester at ASU college of Ed, one of my teachers used this technique to prep us for our first test. I visualized my surroundings, sounds and the clothes I was wearing. Then I saw myself receiving my test back after taking it and seeing 100% at the top. Yep, it worked whoo-hoo!
The examples given in the book take the class through "what to expect" in a situation. I think this is a good idea to help those who may be feeling unsure about doing something unfamiliar or to help students understand how to behave in a particular setting. It can also be used to encourage successes as in my example or the well known basketball player experiment.
There is a great deal to be said for the belief that you CAN achieve. I often tell students "I know you are ready for this assessment, so say it with me, I know this material I am going to ace this test!" It sounds silly but the times when I forget to do it, my kids will remind me - "Mrs. Brown, are we ready?" and we state it for the world to hear!
!t occurred to me as I was reading this that I continually repeat steps that students should go through during our library checkout time- using a space saver, previewing a book before they decide to check it out, etc- yet many students still skip some of the steps. I think I'll try having them picture themselves going through the correct procedure. I'm anxious to see how well it will work.
I use this a lot with our new reading series. Each story starts with the Teacher Read Aloud while the kids listen. I have them close their eyes and make pictures in their mind. This connects to what they will be reading next in the basal and leads to greater understanding. I think this is why I am often disappointed in a movie when I have previously read the book--my pictures in my mind were way better! :)
I agree, Theresa- which is why, more than ever, we need to give students the opportunity to picture and imagine things before Pixar and Disney does it for them!
This is a great way to visually walk ourselves and our students through to success in whatever areas or situations we/they need it. This immediately reminded me of the Power of Positive Thinking taught in the 21 Keys Program. I think we should do some "Make a Picture in Your Mind" activities with our kids this week about taking the AIMS tests.
I feel so strongly about the power of positive thinking. Every morning during our moment of silence we are picturing our successful day. We also say outloud what a great day we will have. When one of the students get hurt I also have them try to visualize it healed and the pain going away. I will try the visualization this week for testing, thanks Gayle.
I like to read a short story to my kids and then ask them to close their eyes and imagine it. Then I ask them questions like, "What color do you think ______ was"? Or, "Can you imagine the smell of the burnt toast"? It works well and often opens up topics of discussion, especially when kids relate the story to their personal experiences. After the kids have experience with these kinds of mental pictures it is easier to help them imagine winning a race, passing a test, etc.
I loved this chapter! This is a strategy that is used often in language therapy. In fact there is a program called "Visualize, Verbalize". The student is to make pictures in their mind when listening to information and then verbalize their thoughts. I agree with Gayle as well. The power of positive thinking or picturing is amazing.
I did a lot of this when I was a competitive gymnast. We would mentally picture ourselves doing the best routine we knew how to do before competitions. I never even thought to do this in the classroom. This would help for AIMS testing and other big tests like that.
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