Jennings (book) 2015

Source:   BOOK

APA Citation:

Jennings, P. A., & Siegel, D. J. (2015). Mindfulness for teachers: Simple skills for peace and productivity in the classroom. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.

Author bio:

“Tish Jennings is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of social and emotional learning and mindfulness in education with a specific emphasis on teacher stress and how it impacts the social and emotional context of the classroom and student well-being and learning. She is an Associate Professor of Education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia” (source: http://www.tishjennings.com/)

Notes:

Jennings, Ch. 2, The Emotional Art of Teaching

·         Teaching is an ‘emotional practice’ 25

o   Intrapersonal emotional experiences

o   Interpersonal emotional experiences

o   Emotional relationship with each student

o   Each student has both internal and external emotional experiences

o   Social sub-groups (cliques, rivalries, partnerships)

o   Emotional contagion (draws entire group into a synchronized emotional experience)

·         Emotions – multi-competent response tendencies – incorporating muscle tension, hormone release, cardiovascular changes, facial expression, attention, and cognition … that unfold over a relatively short time span 26

o   Universal (basic human) expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise

§  These basic emotions are found in every culture and they have clear adaptive functions that are evident in their associated physiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses 27

·         Emotions and their responses are no longer thought to be conditioned

·         The more we understand our emotions and our emotional patterns, the better we can manage them 27

·         Victor Frankl, Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor

o   “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose to respond. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

·         Basic dimensions of emotional experience

o   Valence

§  Pleasant and unpleasant sensations 28

o   Intensity

§  From subtle to extremely intense 28

o   Arousal

§  Ex: Anger is an arousing emotion because it prepares us to fight; sadness tends to subdue to help save our resources so we can better manage loss

§  When a task is both interesting and challenging, but not too challenging, students tend to feel engaged 29

·         Reactivity

o   When I consciously respond to emotionally charged situations, rather than unconsciously and automatically reacting to them, I enhance my effectiveness, resilience, and enjoyment of teaching 29

o   We are held accountable for our students’ achievement even when multiple factors beyond our control influence their motivation and capacity to achieve 30

o   When we are in the midst of teaching, it is often difficult to notice how we are feeling because our attention is directed outward, to the task at hand. If I don’t notice an emotional reaction as it begins to build, it becomes difficult to regulate and I may end up doing something I regret 31

o   Adlerian approach to behavior management:

§  Approach involves two steps:

·         Assessing the motive for the behavior

·         Applying the strategy that most appropriately matches the motive 31

o   I can engage my senses to help recognize and regulate my emotions

§  Notice the physical sensations that come with emotion

§  The thoughts and thinking patterns that reinforce the emotion

§  The changes in tone of voice

§  Notice changes in others’ facial expression in response to my emotion

§  Perceive the emotional energy that is being exchanged between individuals 32

o   If we are feeling angry, it is impossible to completely inhibit its expression, and there are times when the expression of anger is important and useful. However, as we develop a more mindful approach to our emotional experience, we learn to synchronize with the experience and modulate emotional expression in a way that is more conscious, respectful, and effective 33

o   Model the process of regulating our emotions:

§  “I am feeling very frustrated right now, and it’s hard to teach when I am frustrated. I am going to stop and take some deep breaths right now so I can calm down” 33

§  Often we accidentally model behaviors that are exactly the opposite of what we are trying to teach 34

o   Much of our learning comes from social and emotional conditioning that creates shortcuts for learning important things quickly 35

§  When I am running late I feel very anxious and guilty. This is an emotional program or script. When I am wrapped up in this script, I have trouble noticing it. I take it very seriously. But when I can step back and observe the experience objectively, I can see that my strong emotions are really reacting to my thoughts of the past (judgement) or future (fear of judgement), not my actual experience in the present moment. 35

§  Learned shortcuts can actually impair our adaptation because they interfere with our ability to respond with flexibility35

§  Mindfulness allows us to notice and overcome our automatic shortcut learning so we can approach each situation with freshness. We then have available a myriad of possible responses rather than one or two shortcut reactions 36

·         SEL

o   We want students to learn to succeed academically, but we also want them to learn to manage relationships in skilled and respectful ways

§  Practice positive, safe, and healthy behaviors

§  Make ethical and responsible contributions to their peer group, family, school, and community

§  Demonstrate basic competencies, work habits, and values as a foundation for a meaning full life and engaged citizenship 36

o   CASEL defines social and emotion learning as instruction that promotes social and emotional interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies 36

§  Interpersonal: Self-awareness, self-management

§  Intrapersonal: social awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills

§  SEL improves school culture, student behavior, and academic achievement 36

o   Students learn by example

§  As teachers, we set the tone of the classroom by developing supportive and encouraging relationships with our students; designing lessons that build on student strengths and abilities; establishing and implementing behavioral guidelines in ways that promote intrinsic motivation; coaching students through conflict situations; encouraging cooperation among students; and acting as role models of respectful and appropriate communication and behavior. 37

§  We also need to have a high degree of social awareness, so we can understand how our behavior and expressions of emotion affect our interactions with students 37

§  Prosocial – promoting positive social and emotional experiences within ourselves and among others

·         Empathy

·         Compassion

·         Perspective-taking

·         Cooperation

·         Gratitude

·         Helping

·         Caring for

·         Using good manners

·         Including

·         Welcoming

·         Speaking up against cruelty and injustice 37

§  Most of us received little to no pre-service or in-service training aimed at our own personal development 38

·         Burnout results from a breakdown in teachers’ ability to cope over time, and is viewed as having three dimensions 39

o   Emotional exhaustion

§  Chronic state of physical and emotional depletion that results from the inability to cope with stress and emotional demands

o   Depersonalization

§  A coping strategy – to cope with a disruptive classroom, teachers may develop a callous, cynical attitude toward students, parents, colleagues 39

o   Feelings failure or lack of personal accomplishment

§  At this point many teachers decide they just can’t hack it and leave the profession; many feel trapped in their jobs because they have already invested so many years toward their pension and keep working despite their burnout 39

·         Research has found that burned-out teachers are less likely to demonstrate sympathy and a caring attitude toward their students, have less tolerance for disruptive behavior, and are less dedicated to their work 39

o   Students exposed to a burned-out teacher may be harmed: they may lose interest and enthusiasm for learning and may develop negative impressions of school and teachers in general 39-40

·         Teachers emotional exhaustion and classroom climate are closely related; as teachers become emotionally exhausted, the social and emotional climate of their classrooms deteriorates, creating a vicious cycle of negativity 40

o   Enhancing social and emotional skills may prevent emotional distress, and the burn-out associated with teaching

o   Practicing mindful awareness can help build these competencies; Research has demonstrated that practicing mindfulness builds connections in the brain that support our ability to regulate emotions 40

·         Emotions and classroom management 40

o   Over the past several decades, classroom management has experienced a paradigm shift toward a more democratic, proactive, and authoritative approach

§  Promotes student cooperation and prosocial behavior by establishing supporting learning communities and interpersonal relationships, assertive limit setting, and the use of guidance and preventative strategies rather than autocratic and coercive measures such as punishment 41

o   The proactive approach necessitates self-regulation among both teachers and students for the development of a learning environment where students behave out of a sense of shared responsibility, rather than to avoid punishment or earn rewards 41

o   This shift emphasized teacher social and emotional competencies that had not previously been required

§  The shift involved a changed from managerial practices intended to control student behavior to practices promoting students’ capacity for self-regulation and their motivation to engage in prosocial behavior.

§  To make this shift, teachers need high degrees of self-awareness, sensitivity, and thoughtfulness in their decision-making so that they can observe, understand, and respond respectfully and effectively to student behaviors. 42

§  When inappropriate behavior occurs, the teacher responds by providing assistance and support to help the child behave appropriately rather than punishing him or her 42

·         Requires a high degree of self-regulation, both attentional and emotional

·         Practicing mindfulness awareness promotes these self-regulatory skills so we can better manage these demands

·         The most effective teachers noticed subtle changes in their students’ emotions and behavior and responded proactively, letting the students know they were aware of them and responding matter-of-factly by remind them of the task at hand

o   Requiring self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, and relationship management 42

o   Mental set – a heightened sense of situational awareness and conscious control over one’s thoughts and behavior relative to that situation 43

§  A teacher’s degree of emotional objectivity; teachers who remain cool under pressure, addressing disciplinary issues matter-of-factly without taking behaviors personally, are the most effective classroom managers 43

·         When students feel a sense of community in their classrooms, they are more cooperative and helpful, demonstrate more concern for others, and are less prone to disruptive behaviors 43

o   Teachers can provide opportunities for students to collaborate with others and reflect upon the experiences and needs of their peers 44

o   When a student’s need to belong in and make valuable contributions to a community is satisfied, they are more inclined to behave in accordance with community’s values, reducing the need for the external control of adults 44

o   Practicing mindful awareness can add value to social and emotional learning programs designed to build a community of learners 44

Ch. 3 – Understanding Negative Emotions

·         The Edge: understanding and mastering negative, unpleasant emotions 51

·         Emotions have common triggers that all relate to a single theme – survival 52

o   Characteristics of emotions 52

§  Occurrence as a result of automatic appraisal of a situation

§  Commonalities in antecedent (a thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another) events or triggers

§  Present in other primates besides human beings

§  Quick onset

§  Brief duration

§  Unbidden occurrence (not under conscious control)

§  Distinctive physiology to enhance survival

§  Distinctive (universal) signal (expression)

·         Moods resemble an emotion, and mood feeling states are similar to emotional feeling states. The primary difference is that moods last longer then emotions and may not be directed at an object 53

o   Moods predispose us to certain emotions

o   Each primary emotion is associated with a mood

o   We experience high levels of emotional stress primarily because of psychological threats rather than physical threats

§  Fear of being judged or criticized

§  Losing our job

§  Not being respected

o   Anger and negative emotional reactivity in response to psychological threat causes emotional stress 53

·         Nervous system 54

o   Conscious

§  Self-motivated action

o   Autonomic

§  Heart rate, respiration, etc.

§  Sympathetic (accelerator) & parasympathetic (brake)

·         Sympathetic system triggers release of chemicals (adrenaline, noradrenaline)

·         If sustained for any length of time, stress reactions intended to help survival become toxic themselves 56

·         Scripts

o   Scripts are shortcuts, they enable us to react to a situation quickly and without thought 60

o   Today scripts can create problems

§  Cause automatic reactions that may be inappropriate

§  Interfere with perceptions of reality

·         Even if the current event is not the same as the past event that programmed the script, we interpret it as similar 61

o   Emotionally controlled scripts develop when we are exposed to a situation that elicits a strong, negative emotion 61

§  The stronger the emotional response, the greater the likelihood of developing a strong script and the greater the difficulty in recognizing and weakening it 61

o   We cannot help but bring a lifetime’s worth of scripts into the classroom

§  We may assume that a student’s behavior is conscious and intentional when it is more likely the result of poor regulation, trauma, or something going on outside of school 62

§  Kids develop scripts about teachers and school. When students have poor relationships with their teachers, they begin to dislike and fear school. Eventually this may lead to feelings of alienation and disengagement from school. When students feel alienated, they are at much greater risk of developing antisocial behaviors, delinquency, and academic failure 62

·         In education, we speak a great deal about reflective practice – the capacity to reflect on our actions so we can continually learn from our experience; mindfulness helps to be deeply reflective and be aware of emotional patterns and the scripts associated with them 63

·         Research has demonstrated that when we are feeling intense negative emotions, our attentional focus narrows; this helps us fully on the threat, but it also limits our ability to see the bigger picture and take in the context of the situation 65

·         Hand-model of the Brain – 68

·         When we become highly emotional, we lose our ability to self-monitor and self-regulate; when we attend to the subtle signals of an emotional reaction before we flip our lid, our prefrontal cortex becomes engaged in the process. Our executive functions can allow us to maintain awareness and control over our emotional reactions 69

o   If we don’t notice our anger, we can’t regulate it. 69

·         Sometimes dysregulated students become class scapegoats. Their classmates know they can be easily provoked, and they become targets. When we are unaware of how our anger is distorting our perceptions, we can easily be fooled by students who understand how to manipulate the social and emotional environment 71

·         When individuals feel unfairly accused and punished, they usually feel angry and want revenge. If we are not careful, we can inadvertently teach students, through modelling, that anger and revenge are socially acceptable means of gaining power over others. As we practice mindfulness and begin to recognize the signals of our anger, we can take a moment to calm down by taking a mindful breath or two and consider how best to respond to the situation, rather than overreacting 72

·         Its good to recognize fear; if we notice fear in our students there is a strong possibility they are afraid of us; if students are entirely focused on protecting themselves against a threat, they are not attending to our lessons. As we become more mindfully aware of the emotional climate we are creating in the classrooms, we become more tuned in to the possibility that our behavior is having a negative effect on our students’ ability to learn, and we can change 75

·         The universal trigger for sadness is loss

o   Ranges from mild disappointment to severe agony 76

o   When I began to apply a mindful approach to sadness, I noticed how the emotion impaired my ability to act in ways that might be helpful to students. I realized that while my empathy for their situation was giving me a sense of how difficult their lives were, it wasn’t motivating me to be helpful. Empathy involves experiencing the same emotion as the other, which can often be overwhelming. As I learned to manage my sadness, I was able to shift my empathy toward compassion – which involves the motive to help – and find ways I could be helpful 76

·         Disgust can be directed at inanimate objects and substances, while contempt is reserved for people 77

o   One danger associated with disgust and contempt is depersonalization. If we feel disgust or contempt for another person, we may have a tendency to feel entitled to treat that person badly. We may begin to think of them as less than human, as a monster, or an animal. In this way, disgust and contempt can interfere with the relationships we build with our students 77

o   Disgust and contempt can be a way to cope with exhaustion; and excuse not to treat them with care, respect, and compassion [which takes more effort, btw] 77

·         Summary

o   What stressed us today is often not physically threatening, but psychologically threatening 78

o   The sense of threat that we feel arises from a script – a pattern of neural networks that respond habitually to a situation similar to one that provoked strong emotions in the past rather than to the actual circumstances of the situation at hand 78

o   With time and attentive, mindful awareness, you can learn to recognize and let go of our scripts so that you can consciously respond to situations rather than automatically reacting

o   Your own negative emotions and those of your students have a critical effect on your classroom relationships and the creation of a learning environment 78

READING NOTES – Jennings, Ch. 4-5 – The power of positivity

·         Apply mindful awareness to cultivating and sustaining a positive classroom climate that promotes creativity, cooperation, higher-order thinking, problem-solving, and intrinsic motivation 83

·         Barbara Fredrickson (2001, 2013) “broaden and build” theory of positive emotions

o   Proposes that positive emotions evolved to support survival by building an individual’s resources through broadening the scope of awareness. Positive emotional experiences allow for a wider array of thoughts, responses, and perceptions 84

·         The average person experiences 10 basic positive emotions on a fairly regular basis: joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love, the most commonly experienced positive emotion of them all 84

·         When we appraise a situation as bad for us, we experience negative (or unpleasant) emotions. When we appraise a situation as beneficial to us, we experience positive (or pleasant emotions – that is, we experience positivity) 85

·         Unlike negativity, positivity does not have dramatic and universal effects on the cardiovascular system. Positive emotions do not have discrete biological signatures beyond one facial expression: the authentic smile 86

·         Positive emotions function to “undo” the physical effects of negative emotions 86

o   Amusement and contentment undo the effects of the fear reaction 87

o   Positive emotions broaden our awareness and build resources that promote resilience 87

·         When study participants were induced to feel positive emotions (Fredrickson & Branigan, 2005), they were more likely to perceive the image from a global perspective 87

o   When they were induced to feel negative emotions, they missed the big picture and focused on the details 88

§  Positive emotions literally broaden our visual search field 88

·         Positive emotions make people more attentive to the needs of those around them … increase trust and promote a variety of interpersonal bonds among people, which broadens social opportunities, breaks down ‘us vs. them’ barriers and reduces biases.

o   Positive emotions change how we think, function, and act. Over time, these experiences build important and enduring resources that enable us to be resilient and help us thrive, both inside and outside the classroom 88

·         Positive emotions enhance cognitive abilities and promote strong and enduring social relationships, good health, longevity, resistance to illness, agency, and efficacy … directly contribute to improvements in our overall life satisfaction 88

·         Under conditions of high motivation, positive emotion facilitates our cognitive processing … thinking becomes more efficient and thorough, yet also more flexible and innovative … more creative and open-minded, forward-looking, high-level, and efficient 88

·         If we can consistently maintain a positive emotional climate in our classroom, and at the same time elicit interest and motivation in our students, it’s likely that our teaching and our students’ learning will improve dramatically 89

·         Positive emotions are self-reinforcing … once you have mindfully and intentionally established a positive emotional climate in your classroom, research has shown that your students will help reinforce it 89

·         Positive climate will also promote prosocial behavior … more generous and helpful 89

o   Promotes innovate approaches to problem-solving, conflict resolution, and team behavior in a variety of work settings … more likely to think creatively about how to solve interpersonal difficulties and to apply perspective-taking to the situation … positivity makes people less defensive in stressful situations 89

·         Ruminative thoughts reinforce feelings of remorse and sadness; negative reactions can create negative co-created spirals called power struggles

o   Students who push our buttons typically have problems managing their own emotion reactivity. They pose a challenge in a classroom setting because they are missing important social and emotional skills that they require to manage themselves and behave appropriately. When we overreact to these kids, we reinforce their reactivity. It is likely that they don’t understand why we’re upset, and they may feel that our overreaction is unfair. This leads to defensiveness or revenge, which further reinforces our perception that the student is disrespectful and intentionally trying to upset us 90

·         Positive emotions can help us cope with such challenges by lifting us out of negativity … the hallmark of resiliency is the ability to harness positive emotions when we need to counter the effects of hardship 90

·         You can teach your students to notice and savor positivity 92

o   “you really worked hard and solved the problem, and I can see you feel really proud. Doesn’t that feel good? How does your body feel when you are proud? Can you draw a picture of yourself when you are feeling proud?”

·         You can point out positive emotions in teaching content:

o   Seize opportunities to point out positive emotions through poetry, literature, math, science, and social studies 92

o   Share stories that have positive emotional themes: the thrill of invention, the hope and joy associated with overcoming great odds, the awe of discovery 92

o   When we associate a positive emotion with information, we remember it better 93

·         By nature, most children and young adults are incredibly sensitive to the emotions in their environment   

o   Our students look to us for cues about how to feel about and respond to any given situation 94

o   By taking a moment to slow down and stake stock of our own emotional tone and that of our students in a nonjudgmental way, we create the space to shift the emotional energy to serve our instructional goals and objectives 94

·         LOVE is the most common emotion – positivity resonance that occurs when two or more people share positive emotions; it is the experience of attunement with another

o   In our culture we also define love in more durable terms, as a strong intimate commitment to another, with or without a romantic connection

o   We share frequent ‘love moments’ with many people in our lives with whom we are no so intimate 95

o   To cultivate these moments, there are requirements

§  A sense of safety – if we feel threatened we go into survival mode and prepare to protect ourselves, we become wary and defensive 95

§  Physical connection or close proximity which allows attunement with another 96

§  Eye contact – we can intuit what the other is feeling by reading facial expression

o   Love arises when any of the other positive emotions is felt in the context of a safe relationship; love reinforces the resources generated by the other emotions 96

o   There is an innate human drive to connect in an authentic way and to make valuable contributions to our community 96

·         JOY – when something is pleasant and unexpected occurs 97

o   Many adults have lost the spontaneous joy that children experience 97

o   Not all learning tasks are fun and exciting, but positive emotions like gratitude, interest, and prode can help motivate our students even when the task at hand is challenging 97

·         GRATITUDE – is associated with healthy psychological and social functioning

o   Frequently-grateful people experience more life satisfaction, vitality, and optimism … experience less depression and envy … tend to be more supportive, helpful, forgiving, and empathetic toward others 98

o   When we share our gratitude and appreciation with our students, we convey that we value them 98

o   Practicing gratitude may also enhance youth development in important ways, motivating young people to give back to their community and make important contributions to the world 99

·         INTEREST – arises when we are faced with novelty in a way that is safe – something mysterious or challenging but not too threatening or overwhelming. Interest triggers the urge to explore and learn, building lifelong skills 99-100

·         HOPE – is unique in that it typically arises under circumstances of threat; expressing hope on a regular basis can prevent student discouragement and ‘learned helplessness’ 100

o   Children and youths need us to believe in them. They need a sense of hope that they can succeed and thrive 101

·         PRIDE – when we accomplish an important goal; this builds motivation to achieve bigger and better things 101

o   Teachers can instill pride in their students through praise, compliments, and expressions of appreciation 101

§  However empty praise can result in a fixed mindset; by praising effort, we send a message that they can accomplish anything with persistence and hard work 102

·         Children are naturally attracted to positive emotions 104

o   Through a strong, loving relationship with their parents, teachers, and other caregivers, children build all the important resources they need to thrive in the social domain 104

o   Feeling loved and cared for supports children’s resilience and protects them from mental health problems as they grow and develop 104

o   We teachers make critical and long-lasting contributions to our students’ social and emotional development 105

·         Truly supportive relationships with caregivers are characterized by

o   Trust

o   Responsiveness

o   Involvement

·         When teachers are supportive, they provide students with a sense of connection with the school environment and the security to explore new ideas and take risks – both of which are fundamental to learning 105

·         Studies involving children have shown that positive emotional facilitates memory, learning, and prosocial behavior, and that negative emotions impair these functions 106

Ch. 5 – the heart of teaching

·         The school institution was created to fulfill a societal need for an educated public based upon certain assumptions about what will best prepare them for the future (‘virtue caring’) 119

o   In our culture it is virtuous to care about the education of young children. However, virtue caring does not require the establishment of a caring relationship. It assumes responsibility for the recognition of need rather than being open and responsive to the needs an individual actually expresses 119

·         Mindfulness can help us recognize and appreciate others’ values and perspectives. It helps us suspend our tendency to judge so that we can be more helpful and caring. We can recognize the needs actually being expressed by our students and their families, rather than clinging to the institutional needs that seem to take precedence. This helps us build strong relationships with our students and their families because they know that we are listening and that we truly care about and respect their perspectives. 120

·         [reference Ms. Chen and rituals to greet and acknowledge each child every morning, allow children to take responsibility for the care of their environment through morning chores, and showing respect and care toward their fellow classmates during morning meeting and greeting each other). Through preparation and care, children feel safe and secure. They know what to expect, that they are cared about and cared for, that they belong, and they know how to contribute to their school family. It facilitates a safe place to learn. 125

·         Caring attention takes the form of face-to-face interpersonal contact. When we look into our students’ eyes, we can see the emotions on their faces. We see the spark of interest, the thrill of imagination, and the worry that we will judge them and won’t accept them as they are.

·         If we keep our hearts open and warm, respect our students, and offer them our care, they will respond. If our students have been exposed to violence and trauma, it may take a bit longer. They may not trust us at the beginning, and they may test us. They key to dealing with these situations is consistency. 126

·         An important part of caring involves setting and protecting limits 126

o   We can say “I cannot give you my attention right now because I am helping someone else. I will be happy to help you when I can. Right now I want you to go back to your desk and try to figure it out for yourself.” 126

·         Universal compassion involves acting with compassion toward everyone, under all conditions … compassion becomes more challenging when we are under stress and faced with multiple, conflicting needs and demands. Under these conditions, our scripts can interfere with our compassion. 127

·         GRACE – principled, ethical, and compassionate-based action; engaging or applying compassion in service of others: 128-9

o   Gathering your attention

o   Recall your intention

o   Attune to yourself, (your body, heart, mind), before attuning to those around you

o   Consider what will serve your student or colleagues

o   Enacting and ending (letting go of any lingering feelings to be ready for next situation)

·         Aggression in childhood is a symptom of deep suffering – acting with compassion involves discernment 129