HeartMind e-News: Teach, Learn, Lead

A monthly publication dedicated to trauma-informed, compassionate school practices that help educators, students, and families move toward a sense of wholeness and well-being

FEATURED ARTICLE

Mindfulness in Classrooms: A Window to Well-Being

Alexis Richmond, CEI Research Assistant, and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director

It is no secret that teachers and students alike bring trauma, stress, anxiety, and more into the classroom with them each and every day. While we can’t prevent this from happening, we can work to put solutions in place that help reduce the likelihood of a negative impact on the classroom.

To combat trauma and anxiety, mindfulness has gained traction in the educational world. As Katherine Weare, a professor at the University of South Hampton, reports in her review of 30 significant research studies on mindfulness based interventions (MBIs), the overall well-being of students can be positively influenced by practicing mindfulness in the classroom. In her review, Weare found positive impacts from MBIs on academic performance, executive functioning, and self-regulation, even as she recommends additional randomized controlled studies of MBIs (Weare, 2019).

Let’s dive deeper into the potential benefits of creating a mindful classroom, as well as the best approaches to incorporating mindfulness in the school setting.

Benefits of a Mindful Classroom  

Incorporating mindfulness into the classroom is still a relatively new concept; however, there are a plethora of benefits. For example, in a study by Amundsen et al. (2020), 9- and 10-year-old children reported higher levels of positive outlook and life satisfaction after completing a one-hour weekly mindfulness session for six weeks. The study was conducted in England, and all school staff completed an 8-week adult Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course and were required to maintain a minimum of 6 months of personal practice. The program included sessions on knowing your mind, your body, your thoughts, your emotions, friendliness, and “your life.” It encouraged children to become more mindful of their present experiences in the classroom and become aware of their automatic thought processes. Children were also given opportunities to explore the connection between their thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and relationships with others. In summarizing the results, the authors recommended that teachers make sure to include follow-up mindfulness activities into their classroom routines. 

As mindfulness continues to increase in schools, it will be easier to measure potential long-term academic benefits.

Trauma-Informed and Culturally Responsive Mindfulness 

As MBIs and other mindfulness techniques for the classroom continue to grow, being trauma-informed and culturally responsive should be at the forefront of every educator’s mind. When implementing mindfulness in your classroom, consider the following trauma-informed principles (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, 2014).

1. Safety 
2. Trust and transparency 
3. Peer support 
4. Collaboration and mutuality 
5. Empowerment, voice, and choice 
6. Cultural, historical, and gender issues 

As you implement mindfulness in your classroom, your can improve the efficacy by attending to mindfulness features that are specifically designed to address race-based stress (Watson-Singleton et al., 2019). Watson-Singleton et al. (2019) proposed a culturally responsive MBI model after conducting an MBI with African American women. These women took part in focus groups and individual interviews to help make recommendations for culturally responsive MBIs. The resulting model includes eight factors to help guide educators in implementing mindfulness practices that keep culturally responsive pedagogy at their core.

Culturally Responsive Factors to Include in MBIs (Watson-Singleton et al., 2019) 

1. Include African American facilitators 
2. Incorporate cultural values  
3. Use culturally-familiar terminology 
4. Provide culturally-tailored resources 
5. Utilize community locations 
6. Address religion concerns 
7. Accentuate benefits 
8. Underscore holistic health 

By keeping both trauma-informed principles and culturally responsive factors in mind, mindfulness can be about equipping students with an approach to use when they find themselves stressed, anxious, or in a crisis. Furthermore, educators can foster growth in all students, not just some.   

Do’s and Don’ts of Creating a Mindful Space  

Reaching for the benefits of mindfulness mentioned above, while also keeping in mind trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices, can be hard. It involves a sensitivity to the needs of both individual students and also the group. For teachers who are feeling the pressure of helping students make up for time lost during the pandemic, without a clear sense of purpose, integrating mindfulness can begin to feel like one more thing. However, if teachers start with a few basic guidelines, it can become easier to find time to include mindfulness activities during the academic school day.

Below are some do’s and don’ts of mindfulness to give educators a great place to start in their journey to create a mindful classroom! These strategies are all adapted from Duane et al. (2021). 



Do’s:  

1. Allow students to use mindfulness strategies even when it might not be convenient for the teacher. 
2. Give students different choices of mindfulness breaths/activities that they can practice. 
3. Partner with community/cultural organizations to promote mindfulness. 
4. Garner student feedback before, during, and after mindfulness practices.  

Dont’s: 

1. Force students to close their eyes. Instead give them the option to “close their eyes or lower their gaze.” 
2. Tell students to “just breathe.” Instead help them to understand more about breathing. Even phrases such as “slow down your breath, breathing deeply” are helpful. 
3. Shame students who are struggling with mindfulness practices/activities. Instead, give them prompts or options for other ways to practice. 
4. Get upset if you make mistakes while practicing mindfulness with students. We recommend, that you practice ahead of time to help clarify how you will explain the exercises to students and to increase your confidence. However, if you do make mistake, it is easy to say, “let’s try that again.” 

Opening Windows 

Mindfulness in the classroom, when implemented consistently by adults who understand and value the practice, can open windows to many positive outcomes for students and teachers. We believe the best and safest way to implement these practices is through a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens. Duane et al. (2021) reinforce this idea by saying, “This is a key aspect of centering equity, where each student can learn and practice mindfulness in a way that works for them” (p. 8).   

Mindfulness begins with understanding something about ourselves and others. However, to arrive at a deeper understanding, mindfulness tools such as movement and breathwork, can be a great assist. As you consider how to implement mindfulness in your classroom or school, you can build on practices found to be effective by others – including making sure that you yourself have used and continue to bring mindfulness into your repertoire of strategies, continuing to reflect on what’s happening around you, and expanding your conscious awareness and understanding of how to support and uplift others and yourself. 

References



Amundsen, R., Riby, L. M., Hamilton, C., Hope, M., & McGann, D. (2020). Mindfulness in primary school children as a route to enhanced life satisfaction, positive outlook and effective emotion regulation. BMC Psychology, 8(1).  

Duane, A., Casimir, A. E., Mims, L. C., Kaler-Jones, C., & Simmons, D. (2021). Beyond deep breathing: A new vision for equitable, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed mindfulness practice. Middle School Journal, 52(3), 4–14.

SAMHSA. (n.d.). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach.  

Watson-Singleton, N. N., Black, A. R., & Spivey, B. N. (2019). Recommendations for a culturally-responsive mindfulness-based intervention for African Americans. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 34, 132–138.

Weare, K. (2019). Mindfulness and contemplative approaches in education. Current Opinion in Psychology, 28, 321–326.