Bernay 2014

Source:   RESEARCH ARTICLE

APA Citation:

Bernay, R. (2014). Mindfulness and the beginning teacher. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(7), 58-69.

Author bio:

Ross Bernay – AUT University, New Zealand

Abstract:

·         five beginning teachers introduced to mindfulness during their initial teacher education program

·         personal wellbeing was enhanced, stress was reduced, and they could focus greater attention on their lesson planning and their students … responded rather than reacted

·         introducing mindfulness in teacher education could enhance the wellbeing of student teachers and beginning teachers and enhance job retention

Purpose:

To review the effects of mindfulness on the professional lives of a group of beginning teachers

Mindfulness defined: being present in each moment in order to focus attention and be totally engaged with whatever is happening, with compassion, curiosity, and openness (non-judgment) 59

Research questions:

·         What effect does mindfulness have on the personal and professional resilience of these beginning teachers in their individual contexts?

·         Can introducing mindfulness lead to greater ability to cope with the demands of the first years of teaching, and possibly lead to improved academic achievement and social relationships for students? 61

Study Design:

·         43 primary school teacher education students at AUT University were introduced to mindfulness and a series of strategies to build mindfulness in everyday life. 61

·         Five participants completed journals during their first year of teaching

·         They were interviewed 3 times

·         Data was read, cross-checked for comparisons by the researcher, meditated upon, and then key ideas and themes written up in draft form for participants to review and discuss with the researcher 61

·         From these discussions, key aspects of the first year of teaching was described noting effects of mindfulness on: their personal and professional wellbeing, teaching, and their desire to remain in the profession 61

·         Data was interpreted using hermeneutic phenomenology

o   Phenomenology – researcher is able to study the lived experience … then be used as a way of knowing or interpreting the information from those lived experiences; requiring focused awareness so that the experience or object can be described in detail 61

o   Hermeneutics is the art of interpretation to gain insights about information 62

·         Data was analyzed – focused concentration on an object or experience; mindfulness meditation was also used to gain knowledge in the data interpretation cycle

·         Interview transcripts and journal entries were read and re-read, followed by a mindful meditation, and then a period of writing; researcher and participants then engaged in a hermeneutic circle of interpretation as described above to refine the descriptions of their lived experiences 62

Findings:

A variety of practices were used by different participants, but all participants engaged with the body scan and breath focus regularly 62

All of the participants were aware that they were ‘noticing’ and observant in the moment 63

Key themes: striving for perfection, connecting through awareness, and gaining authenticity 63

Overall findings showed that the participants highlighted their greater resilience by using mindfulness. Their stress levels were reduced, they could focus their full attention on the lesson planning and on their students, and they were more authentic in their teaching. In addition, they found they were responding rather than reacting emotionally to the children in their classrooms. 65

Notes:

Very few teacher induction or mentoring programs address the need for personal and professional support to promote wellbeing and cope with the demands of the profession 58

Across the US, a growing number of professional development programs for teachers that include mindfulness have been established, such as Parker Palmer’s Courage to Teach, Cultivating Emotional Balance at the University of California, and Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) at the Garrison Institute in NY; all showing a range of benefits including increased self-regulation, attention, and non-judgmental awareness, key mindfulness skills. 60

The most significant contribution to the research is that mindfulness has been shown to be identified as a potentially valuable component of teacher education programs. 65

This research should be considered by curriculum planners and educators who develop teacher training or professional development programs. 65