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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
 Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:11:22 AM
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From: James Schaper (Original Message) Sent: 6/6/2000 6:57 PM
Thanks Lindsay for the reply. It brought to mind something that I don't often see discussed. How many teachers in public education are also hypnotherapists and how has it affected their teaching methods?
I teach a technical subject that is fact oriented and involves critical thinking ( advanced electronics). I have used hypnosis for my classes to prepare for tests and often use suggestions during my presentations. One of the techniques I use is metaphors to form "connectives". This works very similarly to mnemonics but without the constant repetition required. I've discovered that repeating a concept doesn't necessarily affect recall. Recently I tested this by repeating a concept over ten times in one class and using metaphor with a different concept but only once. The repetition was in different terminology each time and spaced out over two hours. Over half the class missed the repeated concept on a quiz the next day and nearly all of them remembered the metaphor. This of course is not grounds for conclusions but I'm certainly going to continue using metaphors in class.
One of the problems I face is a very limited and close minded administration. I can do nothing overtly.
Jim
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:11:43 AM
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From: James Schaper Sent: 6/7/2000 5:26 PM
The class I have this week I'm only with a short time. When it's this short (one week) I don't usually mention hypnosis. However the knowledge preceded me by other students and this group asked about it. After going through the whole question and answer period regarding hypnosis I went back into the presentation and noticed a big difference. They were very attentive to the idea of waking suggestions and were specifically looking to "catch" me at it. I allowed myself to be caught numerous times and had their full attention the rest of the day. It was an opportune moment because nearly half of them had scored 100 earlier and nobody failed a 15 question quiz. Having that in their recent history I added the suggestion that "It's ok.......to give yourself permission.........to get a perfect score........always." Yesterday they had no idea what the pauses were for and the deepened voice. Today they were fully aware of it and attached themselves to every word. It's as though they think it's magic and will be the cause of them doing well. I also make sure they know that it is their own ability and strengths that are doing this and not magic. A comprhensive exam is scheduled for next monday and I have great hopes.
I always let my students know that I'm a hypnotherapist for just such an event as this however, this is the first group to attach themselves to it so strongly. This is a group of 24 electronics technicians.
Jim
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:12:06 AM
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From: Lindsay Sent: 6/7/2000 6:23 PM
Interesting stuff.
As I am currently teaching primary & secondary music part time at the Girls' Grammar I do not consciously use hypnosis techniques with my students. However, I sometimes reflect on how I am presenting material & motivating my students. I retired last year from teaching Music, Drama & English at a government high school ...
An example.. Students sometimes said, " I can't get to sleep." If there was time in a busy schedule I did give them help. While I was correcting work in class or students were doing group work I may call the insomniac over & say .. "Do you want to learn how to go to sleep?" Often enough other students wanted to get in on that one. I'd say ,"OK, find a spot on the wall & fix your eyes there ..take a big breath.. sink into the chair, let go, good .. look at the space in front of you ...what colour have you got?...[ hands up, various responses] .. can you change the colour in there?... [hands up, some responses] ... OK, can you find blue, like the sky on a clear day ..blue like when you go down to the beach & see the place where the sea & the sky meet...anything blue.. [some hands up] Any time you want to or need to you can look for blue..
An autistic boy in one class came the following day after one of these sessions complaining that he had tried to find blue when he went to bed ..& couldn't. I asked him what happened & he said, "I went to sleep." He never did find blue, but did succeed in improving his sleep patterns. His class work & behaviour improved remarkably.
Cheers.. Lindsay
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:12:25 AM
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From: Margaret Sent: 6/9/2000 6:43 AM
Hi you guys this is really powerfull stuff you're doing. Now all we need is for parents to learn about these techniques and apply them. This could be a wonderfull way of increasing contact and co-operation between schools and parents another way for them to work together in the childrens best interests.
My children also take pride in 'catching me out' in hypnotic behaviour, whenever my breathing rate slows down, or I change the pace or tone of my voice, they say are you using hypnosis again.
I have found all of the children I have worked with fascinated by the idea of hypnosis and the idea that they can use it themselves as a tool to modify any behaviour they desire to change, or to assisst them in learning something they desire to learn.
I am really enjoying this discussion. Keep it up
Maggie
www.hypnosis-for-therapy.co.uk
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:12:43 AM
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From: Lindsay Sent: 6/10/2000 2:07 AM
Welcome to the discussion Maggie - another "story" .. recent one.
2 of the girls had had a disagreement & one A took off crying & her B friend.. was very upset.. & then I arrived. Several students had run off after A to console her. "What happened?" Lots of explanations .. B was sobbing... [I had to be somewhere else so I asked] .. "Who has a blue pen?" The supporters all hunted in pencil cases & found one. I said to give it to B & B accepted & continued to sob .. I asked B to look at the end of the pen & tell me what she was thinking while she was looking at the end of the pen..."nothing, " she said. "OK, I said, what are you feeling while you are looking at the end of the pen?" After a bit she said, "sad." I told her to keep looking at the pen until she stopped feeling sad. It didn't take long for her to settle down. The students gave the pen to A to look at when they came back. There was a lot of interest & discussion among the students. If a technique works use it. Fancy "scientific" explanations are not required.
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:12:59 AM
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From: James Schaper Sent: 6/12/2000 7:52 PM
Test day was today. So many variables exist it's difficult to determine the effects of the suggestions. I can argue that they worked but at the same time I have to look at the results. I've never had a failure in this topic until today two students failed. I can also find many reasons for the failures (testing at six AM on a monday morning) but I think one that should be addressed is that the students believed in the magic of hypnosis and believed study and preparation were not needed. It would all come together at the appropriate time. The "magic bullet" problem we find in hypnosis all the time. Makes me wonder if covert suggestions would be a better approach.
I would appreciate any thoughts on this. It wasn't a good result but I think if I had done nothing it could have been worse. The student's comments were, "I didn't follow the rule". I have only one rule for my students. That rule is "Everybody passes". The word "fail" is not allowed to be mentioned in my classroom. It's the "four letter F word". I try to keep them focused on doing and not trying. My classroom is very open and free flowing with a decided lack of discipline. I don't want to go back to a disciplinary approach.
Jim
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:13:15 AM
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From: Lindsay Sent: 6/12/2000 8:22 PM
Hi Jim
A quick comment. Revision of work with a partner, or in "buzz groups" is a confidence builder & helps students to consolidate the material. Old stuff, I know.
Last week I called out to the primary choir at the final rehearsal - "how many times are we going to do this?" & I held up my finger & they all shouted, "once!" * - That's all it took too, everyone was completely in focus. The conductor & pianist are year 5 students so the choir will be doing their own thing as I will be in China next week when they perform. I am sure they will wow the audience.
*[old technique of call & response - Works great in the Blues too.]
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:13:29 AM
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From: Margaret Sent: 6/13/2000 2:46 PM
Dear James
I can't believe they set an exam at 6 am in the morning and only two failed. That's amazing, however you may be right about the pupils belief in the magic bullett of hypnosis. Their saying that they had not obeyed the rule may be an acknowledgement of there not putting in enough effort this time around. I notice that in an earlier post you said that you made sure they knew it was their ability doing this and not magic, maybe they didn't quite get that message this time.
Pherhaps it might be helpfull to stress that whilst hypnosis allows them to access their own strengths and abilities these have to be honed and refined by practice and repetition.
Though covert suggestions might eliminate the problem personally I have problems with the ethics of covert suggestions. With students this age what you have been doing can be argued to have been done with informed consent this would not be the case with covert suggestions.
This is a knotty problem it will be interesting to see what you decide to do.
Maggie
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:13:41 AM
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From: Lindsay Sent: 6/13/2000 3:41 PM
Hello Margaret
Jim teaches technicians, I teach school kids mostly.
All teachers make suggestions to their students all the time. [How's that for a blanket generalisation!] Many teachers are probably using subtext without realising the long term implications. Our information systems are saturated with covert suggestions, especially in advertising. I'm sure that this generation of youngsters understand that and most of them manage to digest the stuff quite well. People who suffer from anorexia, bullemia & many other anxiety disorders probably catch the "bug" from suggestion overload. Hypnotists are in the communications field in a big way too & are educators in the widest sense as well. I think education is about passing on skills at every level of understanding.
cheers
Lindsay
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:13:57 AM
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From: James Schaper Sent: 6/13/2000 4:05 PM
My favorite example goes back a few years. One hour before test time: "You are wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better group. Your achievement is phenomenal". All were smiling with anticipation. Actually, they were terrible and this was a last ditch effort. They all passed and were wonderful. I'm in favor of partnerships in hypnotic communication and am not leaning toward covert suggestions. It must remain a possibility though if I can't resolve this latest event.
The next opportunity will be in two weeks. I'm not sure what I will do differently this time but something will be different. This next topic is one in which I've never had all students pass. Two to five of twenty eight will typically not pass this test. These students are all between eighteen and twenty-five.
I'd like to increase the metaphor content within the topic. Just musing here. Any advice will be appreciated.
Jim
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:14:23 AM
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From: Margaret Sent: 6/13/2000 6:15 PM
James and Lindsey
I guess I didn't make it clear in my last post that I realised James students were adults, if they weren't then I would be asking about the ethics of using techniques chosen because of their hypnotic effect without parental consent.
I have to agree with your blanket generalisation that teachers use suggestion all the time. And this in my opinion is no bad thing, pherhaps sometimes teachers need to be more aware of the suggestions they make especially the non-verbal ones.
Having recently been reading a discussion about the ethics of hypnotising people against their conscious will not necessarilly their subconscious will I guess I am a little sensitized to the ethics issue at the moment.
I loved your example James this kind of positive expectation setting is in my opinion needed more frequently, too often learners are guided towards expectation of failure by the attitude of others.
Maggie
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:14:40 AM
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From: Lindsay Sent: 6/13/2000 6:23 PM
Hi Jim
Your comment on some students not passing reminded me of a conversation I had in Singapore with 2 teachers who were employed by the Singapore Government to train pilots. The expectation was that all students passed. The students were chosen for the course because they were the cream & if any failed the teacher was investigated for incompetence. That was the situation in the early 70s & probably is still the case. Payment by results.
My son is studying Multimedia at Uni & will be sitting - "Foundations of Business Computing" tomorrow. He has been revising by working through the 14 practise tests online & his scores improved from 60% to 100% & he feels confident that he will do well. Success breeds success.
In the 50/60s I worked through scores of old exam papers from the Trinity College & Royal Schools of Music - some of them preWW2 to prepare for my theory exams. As a musician I am into throrough preparation & careful rehearsal, especially with youngsters. If you learn anything slowly & correctly then you don't have to unlearn it later. After all a performer has to be 100%. Imagine a musician who was in tune 90% of the time. The audience would be horrified. In other subjects 90% would be an A.
Hypnosis is a profound performance art & skill too.
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:14:54 AM
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From: Louis Sent: 6/22/2000 7:48 PM
Teachers by there very nature are hypnotists whether or not they acknowledge this fact. Their job is to put information, skills and habits into the subconscious minds of our youth.
Young children are constantly in a state of hypnosis. There really is no critical faculty to bypass.
I could argue that effective teaching follows many if not all the same principles as effective hypnotic processes. Teachers and parents can hypnotize students easily, and quickly without trying.
Teachers who do not know squat about hypnosis are hypnotizing students just as quickly and easily as teachers who are also hypnotists. Unfortunatly they do not have the training to recognize this and make use of it.
It is amazing though when you work with a group, how verbalizing positive uplifting ideas has such a profound effect.
Louis Pelissier email: Louis@SportsHypnosis.ORG
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:15:08 AM
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From: James Schaper Sent: 6/26/2000 3:12 PM
Tomorrow we begin again. A new class of 13 bright shiny technician faces. I'll have them for four weeks with an exam each week. Not a lot of time but I've been studying waking suggestions and plan to do things quite different. They'll know I'm a hypnotherapist in my opening statements rather than the grapevine. They always ask me to hypnotize them and I have to say no. But concentration exersizes aren't a bad thing or objectionable to the administration. So maybe we'll get some mileage out of that. I'll let you know how it goes as we progress.
Jim
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:15:27 AM
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From: Lindsay Sent: 6/27/2000 4:49 AM
I am in Singapore today. We arrived from Beijing yesterday. While I was in Qingdao I was invited to give several lessons to college classes so if anyone is interested I will be able to make some observations. I taught in Singapore 1971-3 & in Papua New Guinea 1975 & 6.
Thank you for your observations Louis.
A few years ago E, a "part time-disruptive" student arrived at my junior music class in a boisterous mood. I was organising bookwork for most of my students that day & I looked up to see E executing a high kick @ the tallest fellow in the class so I pointed to the door & E took himself & his gear on to the verandah. Several students who were doing practical work left the room & went to another room. When the class had settled I left the room to see that my other students were OK. I took two steps & on instinct spun around to see E giving the tall fellow the forks. So I stepped up to E & said, " E if you close your eyes & pretend you can't open them you can watch a movie this period." He immediately closed his eyes firmly. I said, "OK, what's your favourite movie?" E said, " the Simpson's, sir." I said, "what's happening?" & he said, "I can hear the music.." So I took off, checked my prac students & when I came back E was into the show. About halfway through the lesson I looked to see how E was going & he was staring into the distance so I asked him.. "what happened E?" He said that the show was finished so I said, "what else do you want to watch & he named another show so I said OK, go for it!" & he did. The lesson finished & the class left but E was still there so I told him that the class was gone. I asked him how he felt & he said, "real sleepy sir." I said, "good." & I thought well, at least he'll give the next teacher a break. I told the Deputy Principal about my "accident" at lunch & he was amused. Whenever E saw me after that he was wary.
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ForumMaster
USA
670 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2003 : 02:15:51 AM
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From: Lindsay Sent: 3/14/2001 5:11 AM
Hi James, Margaret & Louis..& other members....
Recently I read an education article in "the Torres News"... a community newspaper published on Thursday Island at the northern tip of Australia. The article was written by the Principal of the local High School. The article was about integrating & making subjects relevant to students. A timeless subject. We discussed the same idea when I was at Teacher's College in the late 1950s. Some overpaid academic must have invented the new language! To the average parent & casual reader the article was so loaded with jargon that it was rendered meaningless. The same problem exists in most professions. Maybe it's a club thing.
I have been looking through the Behaviour OnLine discussions. The slant on issues is often quite different from our forum & the language & assumptions & solutions are different too.
I wonder why?
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Hypnosis in mainstream education
