{"id":246,"date":"2020-09-21T10:34:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-21T14:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/?p=246"},"modified":"2023-08-29T10:23:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T14:23:14","slug":"bringing-mindfulness-to-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2020\/09\/21\/bringing-mindfulness-to-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing Mindfulness to the Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Wellness Resource Center<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/teaching.temple.edu\/sites\/teaching\/files\/styles\/featured_image\/public\/edvice\/mindfulness_Feature-Image_0.png?itok=pZF8zw6e&amp;c=ce4c7e95b087afc7f5b4ba994cbf1f1f\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mindfulness is becoming more popular in American culture. As the large body of research about its benefits continues to grow, increased attention has been paid to integrate mindfulness into educational institutions, from K-12 schools to colleges and universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is mindfulness, exactly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mindfulness is the capacity to be aware of the present moment (rather than getting caught up in the past or future); it is both innate and a skill that can be honed through regular practice. Mindfulness can be practiced by bringing focused attention to the present-moment experience with kindness and free of judgment. The more we practice this skill, the better we can become at recognizing our thoughts, emotions, and bodies and better manage stress. Even a couple of minutes per day can help someone (especially students with busy schedules) prioritize their well-being. Mindfulness can be practiced formally through meditation exercises, and also informally during regular daily activities by bringing attention to the present moment experience. Anything can be done mindfully, from eating to moving and even washing the dishes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Organizations and researchers have found many benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindful.org\/meditation\/mindfulness-getting-started\/\">Mindfulness can increase attention and focus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.psc.2017.08.008\">Regular practice reduces anxiety and depression symptoms<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindful.org\/how-mindfulness-helps-you-cope-with-stress\/\">A mindfulness practice cultivates self-awareness and the ability to manage stress<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ideas.repec.org\/a\/taf\/jeduce\/v50y2019i1p1-16.html\">Studies show mindfulness enhances academic performance<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can mindfulness be useful as an instructor?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acha.org\/documents\/ncha\/NCHA-II_SPRING_2019_US_REFERENCE_GROUP_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf\">The American College Health Association found<\/a>&nbsp;student well-being impacts how they are showing up in the classroom. By acknowledging their lives outside of academics and taking a \u201cwhole person\u201d approach, we can cultivate a community where students feel more open to take care of themselves as a way of supporting their goals and well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is important to consider how mindfulness shows up in your own life. Having your own mindfulness practice can benefit your well-being and performance as an instructor. It can also help you integrate some of these approaches and strategies into your classroom. Mindfulness can be quite personal; how much you share about your own experience is always at your discretion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can mindfulness be implemented?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a few things to note about your approach to bringing mindfulness to your classroom:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Explain why you\u2019re introducing this to your classroom and relate it back to the course (e.g. when students are well, they do better in class).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make it accessible. Use simple, neutral language to avoid jargon or terms that may not feel as relevant to students. For example, students may be more receptive to the term \u201cmindfulness\u201d rather than \u201cmeditation.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make it optional. It\u2019s important for folks to be open to mindfulness and approach it with curiosity. If it feels forced, it probably won\u2019t go well. Let\u2019s students know that it\u2019s an invitation and not a requirement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You can integrate mindfulness and related approaches by:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Taking a few mindful breaths together at the beginning or end of each class.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Setting aside 5-10 minutes to do a guided mindfulness practice together as a class. You can find&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/student.korumindfulness.org\/free-guided-meditations.html\">free recordings online<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Including&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/teaching\/2014\/10\/07\/mindfulness-in-higher-education\/\">assignments that align with a mindfulness approach<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Acknowledging that you care about student well-being and providing periodic reminders about self-care, especially during high-stress times of the semester.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Remind students that grades do not define their worth and that they deserve to take care of themselves.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Students can take care of themselves by building routines around food and meal times, sleep and rest, movement or physical activity and leaving even a few minutes of \u201cyou\u201d time to do things that help them feel well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spending a minute or two talking about this at the beginning of class can be a helpful way to cultivate community in your classroom. It can also serve as a reminder that self-care is important for well-being, and can benefit their academic performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Encourage students to access mindfulness resources on campus:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/counseling.temple.edu\/\">Tuttleman Counseling Services offers options<\/a>&nbsp;for therapeutic yoga and mindfulness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/campusrecreation.temple.edu\/group-fitness\">Campus Recreation offers 30-minute mindfulness<\/a>&nbsp;meditation sessions as part of their group fitness schedule.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wellness.temple.edu\/events\">Wellness Resource Center offers 50-minute Mindfulness Basics<\/a>&nbsp;sessions to provide skills and practices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wellness.temple.edu\/\"><em>The Wellness Resource Center<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;(WRC) is Temple University\u2019s health promotion office. The WRC offers a variety of intentional learning opportunities to promote well-being and cultivate community. Services include peer-led workshops, campus-wide events, staff and faculty training, wellness consultations, and safer sex supply sales. Learn more about these services and how to request programming at&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/wellness.temple.edu\/\"><em>wellness.temple.edu <\/em><\/a><em>or connect with the WRC on social media (<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bewelltu\/\"><em>Instagram<\/em><\/a><em>,&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bewelltu\"><em>Twitter<\/em><\/a><em>, and&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BeWellTU\/\"><em>Facebook<\/em><\/a><em>)&nbsp;<strong>@BeWellTU.<\/strong><\/em>Image credit: &#8220;Body of Water and Sunlight&#8221; released under&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/deed.en\">Creative Commons CC0<\/a>&nbsp;(public domain) by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peakpx.com\/578771\/sunset-phoot\">PeakPx.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wellness Resource Center Mindfulness is becoming more popular in American culture. As the large body of research about its benefits continues to grow, increased attention has been paid to integrate mindfulness into educational institutions, from K-12 schools to colleges and universities. What is mindfulness, exactly? Mindfulness is the capacity to be aware of the present &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2020\/09\/21\/bringing-mindfulness-to-the-classroom\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Bringing Mindfulness to the Classroom<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29430,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-course-design","category-faculty-wellness-preparedness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":247,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246\/revisions\/247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}