I am so excited to see all the research coming out lately on the benefits of teaching mindfulness in schools!
A sampling:
The University of British Columbia released the results of a randomized controlled study of fourth- and fifth-graders who participated in a mindfulness program in their classrooms (published in the journal Developmental Psychology).
The results were impressive. According to the write-up in Time magazine, “Compared to the kids in the social responsibility program, children with the mindful intervention had 15% better math scores, showed 24% more social behaviors, were 24% less aggressive and perceived themselves as 20% more prosocial. They outperformed their peers in cognitive control, stress levels, emotional control, optimism, empathy, mindfulness and aggression.”
I’ve taught mindfulness to my tenth graders, and they tell me they use mindfulness practices to help them focus in class, to remain calm when something upsets them, and to deal with stress and anxiety. I taught a five-week mindfulness course for teachers at my school, and those teachers have shared with me that mindfulness has made them more attentive and compassionate in their work with students.
Check out the infographic below to learn more about the benefits of bringing mindfulness to our schools:
Want to learn more about mindfulness in schools?
Mindful Schools has TONS of resources available for educators!
.b is another commonly used mindfulness curriculum. Check out their Mindfulness in Schools website.
You can read about the MindUp curriculum (the program used in the study mentioned in this article) here.
Also check out The Way of Mindful Education by Daniel Rechtschaffen — this is the book I often us in the courses with teachers..
- A Mindful Approach to New Year’s Resolutions - January 13, 2020
- Just This Next Step - December 16, 2019
- WAIT: A Mindfulness Practice for Waiting in Line - December 9, 2019
