WELLBEING, WELLBEING, WELLBEING!
From the point of view of Mindfulness in Education, wellbeing is the touchstone of the new syllabus.
From 15 mentions in the previous syllabus (2007) wellbeing has sprung to 269 mentions.
And it’s hardly surprising. The world has moved on in leaps and bounds in appreciation of wellbeing in the last decade.
It is now commonplace for health practices to address the whole person: the mind alongside the body; mental health as a critical component of overall physical health.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE
The PDHPE Syllabus Glossary supports the wellbeing focus with two significant new entries.
Both start with the letter ‘M’: mental health and mindfulness. Mental health is fundamental to wellbeing; mindfulness is a proven way to establish and maintain mental health.
From the point of view of Mindfulness in Education, wellbeing is the touchstone of the new syllabus.
From 15 mentions in the previous syllabus (2007) wellbeing has sprung to 269 mentions.
And it’s hardly surprising. The world has moved on in leaps and bounds in appreciation of wellbeing in the last decade.
It is now commonplace for health practices to address the whole person: the mind alongside the body; mental health as a critical component of overall physical health.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE
The PDHPE Syllabus Glossary supports the wellbeing focus with two significant new entries.
Both start with the letter ‘M’: mental health and mindfulness. Mental health is fundamental to wellbeing; mindfulness is a proven way to establish and maintain mental health.
Mindfulness has gone from zero mentions in the old PDHPE syllabus to five mentions in the new (two of these mentions applying to stage 2). Mental health had zero mentions in the old syllabus; the term has rocketed to 22 mentions in the latest version.
Good work, Department of Education! Children will benefit so much from the updated approach.
THE SKILLS DOMAIN OF SELF-MANAGEMENT
Inclusion of the two new categories, Mental Health and Mindfulness in the PDHPE glossary, reflects the broad brush approach to physical health and wellbeing within the new PDHPE syllabus.
The PDHPE K–10 syllabus is shaped by five propositions, organised into three content strands, with a focus on three PDHPE Skill Domains.
While physical fitness remains central, the new Skill Domains seek to enhance children’s “own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing” and widen the net to encompass three key areas: self-management, interpersonal skills and movement skills.
Self-management is a flagship skill of Mindfulness. Self-management in the PDHPE Syllabus encompasses five key areas, two of which are central to mindfulness:
- Self-awareness
- Emotion and stress-management.
Self-management skills are frequently referenced in the PDHPE Syllabus. Self-management gets
58 mentions; self-management skills get 31 mentions.
INFORMATION IN THESE INFO-GRAPHICS IS EXTRACTED FROM THE PDHPE SYLLABUS
SELF-MANAGEMENT AND MINDFULNESS: the Mindfulness Triangle
What does self-management look like from the vantage point of mindfulness?
Mindfulness in Education has developed a model of Mindfulness as a Triangle*. The three sides overlap and support each other.
Each side of the triangle has particular skills and practices you can teach. Depending on the situation and your intention/need, you choose where to focus:
TRIANGLE SIDE 1
Focusing and Training Attention / Calming the Mind / Body
TRIANGLE SIDE 2
Understanding and Valuing Myself: understanding body/mind/emotions/connections. Developing self-acceptance and self-compassion.
TRIANGLE SIDE 3
Understanding and Valuing Others: developing empathy, perspective-taking, kindness, positivity and appreciation.
MINDFULNESS PRACTICE
Through a variety of applied mindfulness tools, the different areas of the Mindfulness Triangle contribute to self-management and self-regulation.
MINDFULNESS TRIANGLE SIDE 1- Bringing attention to the anchors of breath, body or senses calms the nervous system. Staying with the anchor, and returning to the anchor repeatedly when distracted, builds focus and concentration. Distraction is not a downfall: the very act of noticing distraction and then returning to the anchor again and again is what builds the ‘mindfulness muscle’ and corresponding focus pathways in the brain.
Mindful focusing practices can be done formally as a seated meditation, or in a more informal sense, via movement, music, balancing, tasting, hearing, seeing, etc.
MINDFULNESS TRIANGLE SIDE 2
Mindfulness in Education, we teach:
Pupils are guided to bring a gentle, curious, non-judgemental (kind) noticing to their thoughts and feelings and to the way thoughts and feelings affect and are affected by the breath, e.g. shallow / deep or slow / fast, etc. or by body sensations, e.g. butterflies in the tummy, feeling ‘happy inside’, tight shoulders, etc.
We share a range of game, songs and practices to embed these teachings.
MINDFULNESS TRIANGLE SIDE 3
is about relating to others. We give “opportunities to develop a capacity to empathise with others” (p35 PDHPE Syllabus), supported by stories, video clips, activities and scientific backing.
Children “participate in games and physical activities and recognise how it can benefit their mental health, eg increased self-esteem, feeling calm and relaxed” and “express ways of showing kindness and care to others.” (PDHPE syllabus p44: Early stg 1)
- Mindful noticing of thoughts and emotions; naming and normalising thoughts and emotions
- Accepting and developing tolerance for strong emotions
- Noticing and affirming positive feelings, self-acceptance and self-compassion
- Noticing and gently letting go of negative self-talk and harshness towards oneself
Pupils are guided to bring a gentle, curious, non-judgemental (kind) noticing to their thoughts and feelings and to the way thoughts and feelings affect and are affected by the breath, e.g. shallow / deep or slow / fast, etc. or by body sensations, e.g. butterflies in the tummy, feeling ‘happy inside’, tight shoulders, etc.
We share a range of game, songs and practices to embed these teachings.
MINDFULNESS TRIANGLE SIDE 3
is about relating to others. We give “opportunities to develop a capacity to empathise with others” (p35 PDHPE Syllabus), supported by stories, video clips, activities and scientific backing.
Children “participate in games and physical activities and recognise how it can benefit their mental health, eg increased self-esteem, feeling calm and relaxed” and “express ways of showing kindness and care to others.” (PDHPE syllabus p44: Early stg 1)
IMPLEMENTATION
Implementation of the new syllabus is optional for Primary School K-6 in 2019, with full implementation required in 2020.
Send us a line at Mindfulness Education to discuss the services we can bring to your whole school. Or, individual teachers can attend our workshops at set locations throughout the Northern Rivers NSW in 2020 (NESA-approved 5 hours PD).
We can also travel further afield. Please get in touch so we can make arrangements in advance.
* thanks to Bobbi Allan for the Mindfulness Triangle
copyright Shakti Burke 2019