Seeing Anew: Practicing Curiosity and Attention

Pre-Work: Setting the Frame (5 minutes)

• Explain to students: “Often we move quickly from seeing to judging. This activity is about slowing down and noticing, without trying to be right.”
• Emphasize:
  • There are no correct answers
  • Curiosity matters more than interpretation
  • Silence and time are part of the process

Warm-Up: Slowing Down Attention (5 minutes)

• Invite students to take three slow breaths.

• Then say: “For the next few minutes, your only job is to notice, not to explain.”
• Ask students to quietly observe a chosen focal point:
  • An image, object, or space
  • A piece of text
  • Something ordinary in the room

Core Activity: See / Think / Wonder (15-20 minutes)

• Introduce the three prompts one at a time, allowing quiet reflection between each.
  • SEE
    • What do you notice? (Encourage listing details without interpretation)
  • THINK
    • What do you think might be happening? (Invite possibilities, not conclusions)
  • WONDER
    • What questions does this raise for you?
  • Students may respond by:
    • Writing
    • Sketching
    • Making simple lists

Optional Sharing & Sensemaking (5-10 minutes)

• Invite students to share selectively, using sentence starters:
  • “One thing I noticed was…”
  • “Something I wondered about was…”
• Encourage listening without correcting or debating.
• If appropriate, ask:
  • How did slowing down change what you noticed?
  • How might this way of seeing apply to people or situations in real life?

Reflection & Closing (5 minutes)

• Invite students to complete an exit reflection: “One way slowing down my attention changed my thinking was…”
• Optional extension: “One situation where I want to practice seeing anew is…”
• Thank students for practicing patience and curiosity.

Educator Support

• Facilitation Tips
  • Model neutral, descriptive language
  • Resist the urge to interpret for students
  • Allow silence, not disengagement

• Differentiation
  • Students may respond through drawing or lists instead of writing
  • Pair students for sharing if whole-group discussion feels intimidating

• Assessment
  • Quality of observations (detail, care)
  • Reflection responses
  • Respectful listening during sharing

• School Support
  • This activity is low-intensity and generally does not require additional support