Pedagogy: The Fellow in the Flow

The way something is learned is often more important than what is learned, and this is especially true in the Coming to Our Senses program. While one could teach this course simply by following the session outline, which provides a step-by-step guide for all activities, the manner in which these sessions are delivered is a key factor in determining the course’s success in enhancing wellbeing. To simplify, we can categorize three broad teaching approaches, or pedagogical styles: “The Sage on the Stage,” “The Guide on the Side,” and “The Fellow in the Flow.”

It’s no surprise that the ideal teaching approach for delivering this course is as a “Fellow in the Flow.” If we think of the arrow of learning in the diagram as representing “attention,” yellow represents knowing and blue colour represents the unknown.

In the “Sage on the Stage” mode, all the attention is focused on the teacher and the information they are presenting. In the “Guide on the Side” mode, attention is directed toward a distant goal, with the teacher guiding participants toward it. However, in the “Fellow in the Flow” mode, attention is shared, and knowledge emerges from the ongoing dialogue between participants, with the teacher being just one equal participant in the flow.

Realistically, during a session, the teacher will move between these modes, often experiencing overlap. It is entirely possible to embody the roles of sage, guide, and fellow simultaneously. However, participants—especially at the start of the course—may project the traditional role of the sage onto the teacher. It’s important to gently deflect this projection by firmly adopting the “Fellow in the Flow” stance.

Fortunately, the Coming to Our Senses program makes this easier because it doesn’t require the delivery of a body of knowledge passed down through years of study from musty old books. Instead, the knowledge comes from the present moment and the shared experience of being human. In every session, the subject matter is the experience of being “me” and in that, each of us is the world’s leading authority!

The Medium is the Massage

Professor Paul Gilbert (The Compassionate Mind) describes three emotion regulation systems in the body, which relate to three physiological processes in the nervous system. 

The first, which has the most powerful short term effect is the Threat System - which kicks in to help us survive against immediate threat, releasing adrenaline and cortisol to prepare for fight or flight.

The second is the Drive System, that rewards achievement through accomplishing tasks by releasing dopamine.  This too serves short term survival.

Finally, long term survival is secured by the Soothing system, fostered by creating caring relationships, reflected by the release of oxytocin.

It can be argued that the different teaching modes encourage or depend on one of these physiological systems more than the other to function.

Our teaching stance in delivering ‘Coming to Our Senses’ is therefore ideally one of mindful listening. This is not all about being kind to the exclusion of the other capacities of our nervous system. It’s about finding the balance between the way our bodies maintain this emotional regulation, so that the medium through which we teach becomes an effective massage. Sometimes we want a massage to be soothing, other times invigorating and at others times we need a firm touch to get to the root of our agitation.

Curiosity challenges us to remain open, rather than closing down participation and dialogue. When we come to conclusions, about people or ideas, they harden into concepts that inhibit flow. When we remain open in heart and mind we also open up to insight and wisdom. The sessions then become a delicious opportunity to glimpse our true nature through this creative dialogue. This keeps the whole exercise of teaching ‘Coming to Our Senses’ something that is always refreshing, renewing and vital.

Being firm, we turn towards the discomfort and open ourselves to the full catastrophe of life. It takes discipline to not fall into habits of distraction. We bring our attention, over and over again, to the present moment. Our posture needs a soft front and a strong back. This is also why at times the facilitator needs to be a ‘difficultator’.

But we have been practicing mindless-ness for a long time so this is all held with a kindness, a soothing function.

It takes a little bit of practice applying this kind of attention to yourself before you can apply it to others, which is why we recommend that you have established a mindfulness practice before you decide to share this course with others.