Teaching Mindfulness

Educators and students are in a whirlwind of constant stresses and high pressure situations. Mindfulness is a means to calm the business and become present in that moment. Teaching mindfulness will encourage better learning.

Practice Mindfulness with your Students

How to Introduce Mindfulness in Your Classroom

Share personal connection with mindfulness. Detail your practice and routines.

Model it. Do as I say, and Do as I do! :)

Use encouraging language and integrate mindful vocabulary.

Integrate Mindful Breaks to allow students to self-monitor and reflect.

Develop a system to highlight kindness

Create goals and routines

Embrace the practice.

How to Integrate Mindfulness into Your Class

Make the time. Schedule mindfulness into your plans.

Develop routines and stick to them.

Model, model, model mindfulness

Assess and support student needs

Mindful Technique in the Classroom: Mindful Breathing

Mindful breathing is essential for making a routine. Use the first few minutes to start class with a mindful breathing practice to:

1. 1. Boost the immune system
  2. Reduce stress
  3. Improve memory
  4. Foster compassion
  5. Develop better eating habits

Planning Mindful Moments

Use the start of class as the trigger to build the routine

Start each class with a Two-Minute Breathing exercise

Raise awareness of posture and body tension

Begin a “mindful minute” to set the tone for class. Students should think about:

Reflect on past classwork
Set goal for the day
Clear mind of outside distractions that are presently inapplicable to this class
Set an intention to carry mindfulness throughout the class and day

Cognitive Flexibility

“Cognitive flexibility refers to our ability to disengage from one task and respond to another or think about multiple concepts at the same time.”

Marianne Stenger

Cognitive Flexibility is a skill that students must become competent to become successful thinkers. To solve problems, learners must develop the ability to seek various ideas and perspectives. In mathematics, logic requires relationships. The more intense the problems are, the less obvious the relationships become. Through developing an ability to become cognitively flexible, we are gaining experience to become deep thinkers, in addition to the benefits of learning how to multitask. There are many ways to encourage cognitive flexibility. One that stands out is by practicing thinking creatively.

7 Ways to Develop Cognitive Flexibility

Meena Srinivasan is a Mindfulness in Education expert. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher specializing in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), which goes hand-in-hand with mindfulness.