Research, reasons, and methods for effective utilization within the classroom Andrea Dillard Fall 2015

According to Meena Srinivasan, mindfulness “is a way of being, a practice we can engage in. It’s not an abstract state; it’s a kind, curious, nonjudgmental awareness that we try to bring to each moment” (p.18). Being mindful means being completely present and allowing distracting thoughts to “float” away, as if a cloud in the sky of your mind. Becoming mindful often uses pragmatic (deep) breathing, meditation, posture, and self-reflection by locating current emotions.

In the words of Ruby, a 12-year-old student of Meena Srinivasan, “Mindfulness is the practice and ability to identify emotions and become more in touch with those around you” (p. 174). A 7 th grade student, according to the Hawn Foundation, states: “It’s a way to focus your mind, calm down and reflect on a situation when you need to make a choice” (p. 6).

* Social and emotional learning continues to play a large part of a student’s academic progress. In fact, Caprara et al. (2000) found that “changes in academic achievement in grade 8 could be better predicted from knowing children’s social competence five years earlier than from grade 3 academic competence” (p. 8).

We all have experienced stress at some point in our lives, and the part of our brains called the amygdala serves as an information filter regulated by our emotional state. If we are calm, information can flow more freely and with less bias or judgment. The “filter” is wide open, so to speak. If we are stressed, executive functions and cognitive control are limited, and information cannot be processed as quickly or detailed. The “filter” is closed.

According to The Hawn Foundation, mindfulness can enhance students’ social and emotional learning in the following ways: Self-Awareness Self-Management Social Awareness Relationship Skills Responsible Decision Making (p. 8) Mindfulness has been shown to enhance a sense of hopefulness and metabolic states. “Hope and optimism enable achievement” (p. 9).

Happy brains are better working brains! The chemical dopamine is released and flows freely whenever we are engaged in a positive activity. The opposite is true for negative activity (p. 10). According to The Hawn Foundation, “dopamine pleasure surge is highest when students are fully engaged with their learning.” These activities include: Participating in acts of kindness Collaborating with peers Making choices and solving problems Engaging in physical activities, such as sports, dance, and play Enjoying creative efforts and disciplines such as music, art, drama, reading, and storytelling

From The Mindful Child by Susan Kaiser Greenland: “Thirty years ago…Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn used the practice of mindfulness to develop a secular ‘mindfulness-based’ stress- reduction program for adults, known as MBSR. In broad terms, Dr. Kabat-Zinn taught adults to hold off, for just a short while, from reacting to or even analyzing a stressful situation and rest in the experience of what is happening in order to see it clearly. And it worked. This learned skill allowed those who practiced mindfulness-based stress reduction to better control their own reactive emotions, and therefore, respond, when they were ready, in a more thoughtful, calm, and reasonable way” (p. 23).

1. Greenland, S. (2010). The mindful child: How to help your kid manage stress and become happier, kinder, and more compassionate. New York: Free Press. 2. Srinivasan, M. (n.d.). Teach, breathe, learn: Mindfulness in and out of the classroom. 3.The MindUp curriculum: Brain-focused strategies for learning- and living. (Vol. Grades 6-8). (2011). New York, N.Y.: Scholastic.