Yogi/ni in the Classroom: Reaping the Academic Benefits of Mindfulness Leslie Cramblet Alvarez, Ph.D. Adams State University Bethany Fleck Dillen, Ph.D. Metropolitan State University of Denver

Outline Definitions Research Interactive demonstrations/techniques that you can utilize right away in your own courses 1.Stress reduction & breath 2.Classroom Assessment Techniques (Angelo & Cross, 1993) 3.Just in Time Teaching

Definitions Mindfulness Moment-to-moment, nonjudgmental awareness often controlled through breathing Being attentive to and aware of what is taking place in the present Drop Anchor Contemplative pedagogy the inclusion of mindfulness techniques in the classroom The Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education (2009) Practices: mindfulness, focused attention, open-awareness.. (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Howell & Buro, 2010; Zajonc, 2013)

(Zajonc, 2013)

Research—General Benefits of Mindfulness Physical and Mental Health Immune system response Cardiac patient improvement Pain reduction Faster healing Stress reduction Anxiety & Depression Clinical applications MBSR MBCT DBT Summarized from Kabat-Zinn, 2013 Zeidan, et al. (2011) Parswani, Sharma & Iyengar (2013)

Research—Educationally Relevant Benefits Boosts in Working Memory Capacity Delay of Gratification Mastery Goals Self-Regulation & Persistence Attention & Focus Jha et al. (2010) See: Howell & Buro (2011) Haydicky et al. (2015)

Especially for Teachers Decreased Reactivity “Equanimity” Stress reduction Burnout Acting with Awareness

In Practice--Mindfulness in Education Have you been mindless? You react very strongly to a relatively minor issue with a student, and later realize your emotional arousal was due to something else, and had nothing to do with what happened. You suddenly notice a colleague has been speaking to you for at least 15 minutes and you've missed most (all?) of what was said. Checking during a committee meeting? Have you been mindful? You’re teaching a class when you notice-as if you were witnessing the situation while living it- your students and you are totally focus on the experience of learning. You’re listening to someone when you realize you’re totally tuned in to the experience of listening- and you’re not thinking at all about what to say next. When writing, you lose all track of time. (Schoeberlein & Sheth, 2009 )

Set an Intention Continual aspiration or path What is important to you? Actions align with intentions Notice something nice Breath before speaking Listening (Schoeberlein & Sheth, 2009 )

Using Mindfulness in the Classroom Mindful attendance Mindful breathing Activate PNS Connections to teaching techniques Angelo & Cross CATs JiTT (Schoeberlein, Sheth,, 2009 )

Mindful breathing (Schoeberlein & Sheth,, 2009 )

Stress Reduction & Breath Activate the parasympathetic nervous system! Breathing skills Diaphragmatic breathing Ujjayi breath Alternate nostril breathing Meditation and Body scans See Handout

Classroom Assessment Techniques Self-regulated learning “Active, constructive process whereby learners set goals for their learning and then attempt to monitor, regulate, and control their cognition, motivation, and behavior, guided and constrained by their goals and the contextual features in the environment (Pintrich, 2000, p. 453).” Metacognition Thinking about thinking, awareness of cognitive phenomenon Metamemory: intelligent use of storage, monitoring and retrieval (Hacker & Graesser, 1998) Like—one-minute paper, muddiest point (Angelo & Cross, 1993; Howell & Buro, 2010; Pintrich, 2000)

Classroom Assessment Techniques Punctuated Lectures Chain Notes Focused Listening Think, Pair, Share (Angelo & Cross, 1993)

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Just in Time Teaching Focus attention prior to class Close the feedback loop Responsive teaching Interaction (engagement) Application (connection)

Summing up Mindfulness benefits students and educators Many ways to practice mindfulness Breathing Meditation Yoga Some teaching techniques may assist in facilitating a more mindful classroom Get Present!