Mindfulness-based practices for EFL teachers: sample tasks and insights to cultivate mindfulness
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Abstract
There has been a growing interest in the concept of mindfulness and how it can be used in foreign language (FL) teaching to promote the well-being of both teachers and learners. In FL education, mindfulness is a novel practice, and it can be used as a tool for positive transformation to create enhanced learning environments. Thus, implementing mindfulness into FL teaching and learning may have an effect in the conscious management of reactions to mental and physical events happening in a language classroom and establish a less stressful learning atmosphere. However, FL teachers may lack both knowledge and practical realizations of mindfulness; and hence, need guidance in how mindfulness can be incorporated into their own teaching contexts. Based on this insight, this paper presents the latest findings from mindfulness research in language teaching and offers ways to promote mindfulness in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms. For this purpose, several activities including breathing exercises and meditation practices to foster a mindful attitude for teachers are suggested along with mindfulness practices for the development of language skills. Moreover, this study proposes insight into mindfulness-based language teaching with notable implications to enrich FL teaching/learning environments and highlights the importance of integrating mindfulness in FL teacher education.
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