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Dreaming meadowPrepare the environment. This can be performed in the classroom right before a test. Dim the lights. Play subdued music. New Age music works well. Accelerated Learning, an educational methodology, recommends Baroque music for its meter, which is conducive to balancing the right and left hemispheres of the brain. This balance creates a fertile learning environment. -
Explore relaxationGently guide students to sit straight, but not stiffly. Tell them to place both feet on the floor and to rest their hands in their laps. Begin a breathing relaxation exercise. Instruct students to close their eyes and to slowly breathe in through their mouths. Guide them to pause at the end of the inhalation and release the breath through their nostrils. As they inhale, guide them to say to themselves, "Breathing in, I calm my body." Upon inhalation, they will imagine that their bellies are brightly colored balloons. As they draw in breath, the balloons expand. As they exhale, the balloons deflate. They will say to themselves, "Breathing out, I smile." Have them smile as they exhale. Model the process for them prior to the exercise. Have fun. Let them see that you can do something foolish and not be embarrassed. Do this for four or five in-and-out breaths. -
Passing examsOnce students are in a relaxed state from breathing, guide them through a mastery imagery exercise. Speaking in gentle, even tones remind them that they know the material they are about to recall with ease for the exam. They have seen the information. They have heard it. They have written and spoken it many times. Give them time to recall their learning experiences with the material. Provide windows of silence for their recall. -
Education: Key to SuccessAllow the music to wash over them. Assure them they will have a way to recall their relaxed state. They will be inspired with a sense of mastery of the exam information. Guide the students to place the pad of the thumb of their non-dominant hand to the pad of the forefinger of the same hand. Assure them that this is the key to mastery. As the students touch their fingers together, encourage them to recall a moment when they felt in control and felt assured of their abilities. It may have been when they passed another test or when they succeeded in sports. Provide just a few examples.
Assure them that if they feel fear, uncertainty or anxiety as they take the test, they will touch their thumb to their forefinger and recall the sense of mastery they feel now. -
Meditation lotusClose with the introductory breath exercises. Bring them slowly back to their immediate environment by guiding them to slowly draw their attention to the room around them and to slowly open their eyes. The students are prepared for the exam. Play the same music during the exam as played during the guided imagery.
