Created by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in California, USA, in the 1970s, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is an approach to communication, personal development and psychotherapy. Its creators claim a connection between neurological processes (neuro) and language (linguistic).

The neurological system controls our body functions, while how we interact and communicate with other people is determined by language. To support this work, they developed a methodology that has come to be known as ‘modelling’. NLP modelling is unique in that way as it focuses on language patterns and how the interplay of mind and language affects body and behaviour.

NLP techniques specialise in working with children, as well as adults, who have specific learning difficulties or emotional or cognitive problems that interfere with their ability to learn in the traditional manner. These techniques help to find out how an individual thinks or how past experiences affect his beliefs, capabilities and hence learning. Through NPL training, successful learners are able to strengthen their visual processing abilities and develop confidence in their progress. NLP helps people to change their beliefs and give them strategies that create a positive personality.

A basic knowledge and understanding of the NLP approach helps teachers and mentors to understand the learning style of children in the classroom. Usually in schools, students are engaged in a fairly passive process of absorbing information either from the teacher or from books and then proving their ability to retain this information. Today, many schools and colleges have found that some of the strategies regarding managing behaviour of children and maintaining discipline in the classroom that worked well in the past are now ineffective.

Teaching today requires a new set of strategies to ensure effective learning for students and for teachers. NLP has now emerged as a valuable source of tools, techniques and skills that equip educational professionals with a wide range of strategies which they could use to discover their art of teaching, learn how to command, gain respect and attention from students, and communicate effectively with them. NLP studies recognise the importance of skills development of a teacher, particularly interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, positive classroom atmosphere and teacher’s expectations and challenge.

NLP’s practical applications include, developing strategies for both students and teachers, using the five senses as well as using the mind, emotions and body in order to communicate effectively in the classroom. The teacher should understand the child’s visual, auditory or kinaesthetic sense (an ability to be aware of muscular movement and position). The teacher’s response helps to enhance a child’s learning process and is also effectively helpful in reducing anxiety, stress and fear in children.

Children who continue to receive negative feedback from parents or teachers sooner or later begin to doubt their own capabilities. They perceive themselves as being ‘different’ or ‘weird’ and start to devalue school and learning.

Suffering from anxiety they have frightening thoughts leading to depression. Some children are terrified about going to school on the first day, or fear that their parents will not return to pick them up. A concerned mother says, “My daughter really gets nervous about starting secondary school. She doesn’t think she’ll make any friends.” Another child, just seven years of age, fears mathematics. She developed this idea that she couldn’t do maths and then found all her maths sums to be really hard to solve. Some children have exam stress or lack of confidence or low self-esteem caused by natural shyness or life experiences or phobias from mild fears to sheer terror.

There are several useful strategies that can be adopted in classrooms to bring improvement in the behaviour and cognitive skills of children. Teachers must understand the learning styles of children which is one of the keys to successful behaviour management. After comprehending the learning styles of all of the pupils in the classroom, the teacher should engage the students in interactive activities. She must use mind-mapping to teach them note-taking skills, essay-writing and other tasks. She should create strategies which boost children’s interest in learning spellings.

The kinaesthetic learning approaches assist teachers in teaching children how to control their emotions by using effective behaviour management strategies. These methodologies help develop wonderfully creative minds and teach children to enjoy learning, since a student’s emotional and mental state has a huge impact on his or her ability to learn.

A teacher says, “We would like the children to know these useful strategies early in life. Some learn quickly and easily as they have been encouraged by their teachers and parents at home while others need support from teachers to overcome their psychological problems and enhance their learning capabilities.

“Learning NLP is different because it is about what you can do rather than what you know. The strategies are helpful for teachers in various aspects — self-management, presentation skills, use of language for precise communication, study skills, classroom management and learning about child behaviour.”

Similarly, an NLP trainer says, “Empowerment, flexibility, and sense of worth are key concepts. We need to empower students for them to be able to learn and adapt within a rapidly-changing world, and to appreciate his or her valuable contribution to society.”

Another teacher adds, “I also coach students on motivation, methodology and handling personal issues when needed. In that respect, NLP is also very useful for active listening since it helps to focus on verbal and non-verbal signs.”

Meanwhile, one teacher shares her experience of how she used to teach under stress and how it affected her own behaviour. “When under stress or pressure myself, I have noticed that I used to get so confused that I couldn’t communicate well with my students and effectively deliver the lecture. This led to disciplinary problems in the classroom as well.” But after taking help from NLP teaching methods, she felt a positive change in herself. “It has helped me to become a competent teacher and develop a clearer vision of values in life.”

NLP is a field of practice and innovation with a wide range of tools and techniques that learners and professional educators can apply within both formal and informal educational settings, boost their learning and develop a positive personality.

The writer is a research fellow at Educational Resource Development Centre.

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