Replacing beliefs

I had one of the most amazing learning experiences in my Sec 3 Art class yesterday. And yes, it is NLP related.

I had thought for a long while how NLP can be used in the overall improvement of pupils' performance during art lessons which needs to be carried out professionally. I had only gained confidence after reading about how language teachers in the US had successfully done it when they are teaching native English speakers a foreign language. What I had found out is that the language teachers will dim the lights, and with baroque music playing in the background, attempt to replace existing beliefs of the pupils with a more empowering one, one that allows them to believe that they already know and are competent in using the foreign language, and that it is just for some reason that they had forgotten how to use it. Teachers will teach in the context that empowers the pupils' belief that they already know.

Excited to know of the success of this approach in teaching languages, I was really eager to see its effect on drawing skills. For the class yesterday, the Sec 3s were doing their very first still life drawing in school. Nobody came with any prior experience on such drawing skills. Each had a capsicum as specimen and everyone went through a 1h 30min session of still life drawing after having seen a sample of a finished work and some general pointers to look out for. After the 1h 30min, a critique session was carried out to highlight the strengths and weaknesses and a short 10min break was given to allow pupils to refresh themselves.

When the 2nd part of the lesson's activity began, I did what I found out from the NLP exercises. I told everyone in the class that we are going through some mental strengthening activities, I dimmed the lights, asked the pupils to close their eyes and told them to believe that they are already accomplished artists, that all these drawing skills are already part of their talented skill set... and it is just that they have somehow forgotten about them.

When the lights went back on, I asked all the pupils to do another drawing of their capsicum, only this time totally immersed in the belief that they already have the skills, and that the activity is the most natural and effortless extension of their talented abilities. Remembering that they had already mastered this skill before and it is only a matter of reacquainting with it. This exercise was controlled at 20min, a much shorter duration compared to the first drawing session.

I collected the samples for analysis and asked the class about their responses in the activity, 2/3 of them answered 'yes' when asked if they felt they were already stronger in their drawing skills in the second drawing exercise. As we were out of time, I went on to dismiss the class.

When I checked the samples, exactly 2/3 (although I am not sure if they are the same group of pupils who felt that they were stronger in the second excercise) had shown an improvement over their previous drawing, although the time given is significanlty shorter.

Although I was really tired after a long day, the outcome of the setup lingered in my head for the whole time I was awake last night. This realisation is going to impact my approach in many areas of teaching.

This brings to mind an inspiring NLP quote, "Do not think about who you are, instead think about who you expect yourself to be."

This is neuro-science stuff is simply marvelous!