
Backwards Focus
Mental
Author: Christian Byrge and Søren Hansen
Facilitated by the teacher

The aim is for the students to practise their mental focus and practise breaking their existing thought patterns.

5-10 mins

16 students

Whiteboard

Steps
- The students pair up with someone who has the same size thumb as them.
- The teacher tells them to tell their partners about their mornings up till that point. Their descriptions must be as detailed as possible (2 minutes per person).
- The teacher instructs them in telling about their mornings, but backwards e.g. from the present to when they got out of bed that morning. Their descriptions must be as detailed as possible (3 minutes per person).
- After the exercise, the teacher asks the students if they managed to reach the stage of telling their partners about getting out of bed. The teacher asks the students to say how it felt to break from the usual way of telling others about their day:
- Was it difficult to remember and remain focused?
- The teacher can discuss with the students issues of focus and attentiveness which are essential skills when beginning the six phases of IC.

Reflection
This activity helps them become aware of their personal habits and life patterns. The activity could be done using online tools such as Padlet, virtual whiteboard and breakout rooms in Teams/Zoom.

Inspiration