RESEARCH
Gratitude in Education – A Radical View
Dr Kerry Howells lectures and researches in Education at the University of Tasmania. In order to fully realise her passion to teach to the ‘awake’ or truly present learner, no matter what the subject matter, Kerry developed ‘A State of Preparedness’, a unique approach to teaching and learning which addresses student disengagement. Her approach advocates for students to take greater responsibility for the state of being they bring to their learning, and what they can give back out of gratitude. Over the past fifteen years she has demonstrated that traditional teaching and learning practices are enhanced by greater attention to practices of gratitude, and that students’ gratitude is more fully realised when teachers and school leaders first attend to their practice of gratitude.
Gratitude is one of the positive skills developed when focusing on Side 3 of the Mindfulness Triangle.
Watch Kerry Howell’s presesntation at the 2012 Mind & Its Potential Conference: http://www.mindanditspotential.com.au/presentation-2012-gratitude-in-education-a-radical-view-128928.stm?utm_source=Think+%26+Be+Happy&utm_campaign=85f8a6595a-T_BH_19_March_2013&utm_medium=email&ct=t(T_BH_15_January_20131_3_2013)&mc_cid=85f8a6595a&mc_eid=cd87bdfefa
UK School students settle exam nerves with mindfulness
Many year 11 students have recently been sitting GCSE mock exams. It is a stressful time. One teenager, Jess, describes her state of mind. “I was so nervous before the English language exam,” she says. “I did, like, twenty 7/11s.” A “7/11” is not the latest in teenage kicks, but a breathing exercise characteristic of a movement that is undergoing a surge in popularity in schools, known as “mindfulness”. The 7/11 is a relaxation breathing exercise. Matching the counting to the breath, you breathe in for a count of seven, and out for a count of 11. It works for teachers, too. Another technique much in evidence under mindfulness is called “beditation” – again, not something to panic a teenager’s parents, but simply the practice of meditation while lying down.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/mar/04/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-meditation
Integrating Mindfulness into Teacher Training: a study by Geoffrey T. Soloway et al (2010)
After the first year of implementation, the initial results of our research demonstrated that in comparison to teacher trainees in control classrooms, those taking the Stress and Burnout course exhibited significantly greater increases in mindfulness, life satisfaction, and teaching self-efficacy. Teaching students are reporting an important link between their learning in the Mindfulness and Wellness program and their experience in their practicum classroom:
“My attitude and mind-set can be picked up by the students and when I present myself as a balanced and mindful teacher, the students will respond in a calmer manner. The basics of this course can be used to approach classroom management from an entirely different perspective.”
Jennings and Greenberg (2009) identified social and emotional competence (SEC) and well-being of the teacher as an integral part of cultivating a healthy teacher–student relationship and effective classroom management skills. Further, the growing research investigating the impact of mindfulness practice with children and youth (Burke, 2010) suggested that mindfulness training for preservice teachers will extend beyond a preventive approach to teacher stress and burnout. Mindful teachers will also bring knowledge, skills, and strategies into the classroom for students.
A Great Talk about Why we need to Teach Mindfulness to Adolescents in Schools
This TedX talk is by a High School teacher who has her own adolescent children. It is a passionate and exceptionally clear talk about mindfulness and why we need to teach it to adolescents in all schools.
Read more: http://www.tedxmilehigh.com/talks/why-arent-we-teaching-you-mindfulness/
Katharine B Weare, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Southampton, UK: Developing mindfulness with children and young people: a review of the evidence and policy context (2013) Journal of Children’s Services, March 2013
Professor Katharine B Weare reviewed research on Mindfulness with children and young people in schools. She concluded:
“Mindfulness for young people is easy to carry out, fits into a wide range of contexts, is enjoyed by both students and teachers, and does no harm.
Well conducted mindfulness interventions can improve the mental, emotional, social and physical health and wellbeing of young people who take part.
It has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, reactivity and bad behaviour, improve sleep and self-esteem, and bring about greater calmness, relaxation, the ability to manage behaviour and emotions, self-awareness and performance skills and executive function. It can help young people pay greater attention, be more focused, think in more innovative ways, use existing knowledge more effectively, improve working memory, and enhance planning, problem solving, and reasoning skills.”
https://mindfulnessinschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Weare-Evidence-Review-Final.pdf