SESSION 1D

Leigh Morgan, UTS: Insearch
Applying Mindfulness in ESL to address student focus

Abstract
Do you feel distracted by a barrage of messages, emails and constant interruptions? This action research project looked at some of the resources that claim to help us to improve our ability to focus in class and explored an example of how they have been used with students in an ESL context. The action research project measured the listening scores of students over three school terms at UTS Insearch, Sydney, Australia. The audio tracks for this intervention were developed by Monash University to be played by teachers in class, with the aim of helping students to focus on their schoolwork. Students in the Academic English course listened to the track Mindfully Back to School before completing a listening task. This presentation will evaluate the findings from three cycles of testing and discuss which benefits can be expected by students and teachers.

Bio
Leigh Morgan is an Academic English teacher at UTS Insearch in Sydney, Australia. She received her bachelor’s degree in Communication at Griffith University in Brisbane. She has a Graduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching and the International Diploma of Language Teaching Management (IDLTM). In 2011 she won the regional Owner-Manager of the Year Award from the Australian Institute of Management while she was the principal of a college in Queensland. She is interested in student well-being, language learning and teacher professional development.