My second interventions with MA AI students took place two weeks later. This time eight students took part. Following the iterative intervention approach of Action Research as described in the Research Methods section on my Workflow page, I integrated in this second intervention what I had learned from the first intervention. These learning points had been:
1.) I let all students switch off their camera, so that they could comfortably close their eyes during the whole intervention without doubts of being observed. I left my camera on, but angled myself 45 degrees to the camera and closed my eyes as well during the whole intervention.
2.) I had a semi-structured group interview directly after the intervention and a second one after the tutorial that followed in order to find out about the impact onto the tutorial experience.
I experimented with slight changes in exercises for this second intervention: We started off increasing the awareness of the body. Then we did three Tension Release Breaths. This is a technique whereby you breath in quickly through your nose on a count of four until your lungs are completely filled with air, then you hold your breath on a count of four, then you breath out slowly through your mouth on a count of eight. This breathwork exercise turns off the body’s natural stress response, allowing heart rate and blood pressure to decrease and tension in muscles to relax (Davis et al., 2008, p. 41-46). After that we did a body scan exercise as described in my blog post about the first intervention.
Here some key anonymised extracts from the semi-structured interviews:
Student A: The three special breaths have really helped to increase the quality of breathing… slower breathing, filling the lung out more and, and felt the air in the whole body, feeling more… alive
Student B: had tension from various issues and this allowed me to switch much more easily to the course work and this got me into a totally different vibe, calm. Loved it. Didn’t want to come back.
Student C: It was great. I was totally gone. Afterwards I felt less inhibited to talk about my project. I felt more calm and light, somehow at peace. Or… more close to the others maybe
Student D: Yes, agree. And I felt more focussed afterwards, somehow… more focussed and collected, calm and collected.
Student E: Yes, was quite good, but I found it difficult to go with it – kept thinking about the tutorial to come
Student F: Found it very calming, yes, and felt more present afterwards.
Student G: I felt like, like we just experienced something together, so we’ve been in this together, even if everyone was doing it individually, a personal experience, but doing it together. I feel like I can communicate, just by being more here,… eh.. I mean I am somehow more here – more present is the word, sorry, I think I am not explaining myself very well
Student H: Yes, agree – that made me feel more open or relaxed about us being together, in the tutorial I mean.
References:
Davis, M.; Robbins Eshelman, E.; McKay, M. (2008) The Definitive Guide to Stress Management. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications