Mindfulness for Youth
Mindfulness-based training in education, which is also referred to as contemplative pedagogy, has proven to greatly improve the education experience and well-being of both students and teachers. This assertion is being increasingly supported by scientific research reported in peer-reviewed journals.
Today, there are an ever-increasing number of books and organizations that provide activities that train both students and teachers in being mindful. Many of these organizations, including Programs for Mindful Living, provide curricula to follow. The most common ways of introducing mindfulness-based activities in a classroom setting are (from most effective to least effective): to train teachers how to use mindfulness techniques in their teaching, to have a mindfulness instructor teach a regular session on mindfulness (let’s say once a week) throughout a semester or school-year, and to have an outside mindfulness instructor give a special talk on mindfulness once or twice a semester. Given the typical workload of a teacher, it has proven most effective to have a teacher bring in mindful moments within a class session: thus the emphasis on training teachers to teach mindfully.
Besides focusing on mindful education within schools, there is a growing emphasis on teaching parents these skills, too. The intent is to provide students with opportunities for learning to be mindful both inside and outside of school – and there is no better place than within the home.
For an overview of mindfulness for kids’ programs and literature, see our “Mindfulness in the Classroom: An Overview for Educators” guide. The guide is available from Programs for Mindful Living.
Mindfulness-based training in education, which is also referred to as contemplative pedagogy, has proven to greatly improve the education experience and well-being of both students and teachers. This assertion is being increasingly supported by scientific research reported in peer-reviewed journals.
Today, there are an ever-increasing number of books and organizations that provide activities that train both students and teachers in being mindful. Many of these organizations, including Programs for Mindful Living, provide curricula to follow. The most common ways of introducing mindfulness-based activities in a classroom setting are (from most effective to least effective): to train teachers how to use mindfulness techniques in their teaching, to have a mindfulness instructor teach a regular session on mindfulness (let’s say once a week) throughout a semester or school-year, and to have an outside mindfulness instructor give a special talk on mindfulness once or twice a semester. Given the typical workload of a teacher, it has proven most effective to have a teacher bring in mindful moments within a class session: thus the emphasis on training teachers to teach mindfully.
Besides focusing on mindful education within schools, there is a growing emphasis on teaching parents these skills, too. The intent is to provide students with opportunities for learning to be mindful both inside and outside of school – and there is no better place than within the home.
For an overview of mindfulness for kids’ programs and literature, see our “Mindfulness in the Classroom: An Overview for Educators” guide. The guide is available from Programs for Mindful Living.
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