Source: BOOK
APA
Citation:
Rechtschaffen,
D. J. (2014). The way of mindful
education: Cultivating well-being in teachers and students. New York, NY:
W.W. Norton & Company.
Author
bio:
Daniel
Rechtschaffen, a Marriage and Family
Therapist, has a master’s degree in counseling psychology. He founded the
Mindful Education Institute and the Omega Mindfulness in Education conference,
has developed a variety of curricula for mindfulness in the classroom, and
leads mindfulness trainings for schools and communities around the world.
Notes:
·
Introducing mindfulness practices into the
classroom at any grade level involves
considerable creativity and innovation on the part of the classroom teacher
xxi
·
There
is no right way to teach mindfulness and that it functions
best when the teacher is experimenting with using his or her own life as a
laboratory for exploring and deepening the practice of mindfulness xxi
·
If mindfulness works so well for adults,
imagine how much easier it would be to teach self-love, inner resilience, and
non-judgment awareness right in the beginning of life before the layers of psychological
armoring build up 5
·
Mindfulness invites us to turn our ship of awareness directly into the storm.
Its magic is that when we relax our resistance muscles and open up to what is
true, here and now, a whole new way of being and teaching unfolds. 5
·
Kids are already immersed in the
present moment,
and I am mostly interested in not squashing the bright awareness that is
already there 7
·
We can listen to experts in the fields of
education, developmental psychology, and neuroscience, but the most important people we need to listen to
are our children 11
·
The children
represent their inner emotional state in symbols and then play with them to
try to find resolution. The stressors children are raised with form the
architecture of their very brains and bodies, influencing who they will be for
the rest of their lives 11
·
The premise of mindful education is that all human beings are born with the seeds of
the most beneficial universal qualities, such as compassion, creativity,
integrity, and wisdom 13
·
Instead of creating an atmosphere of
stress, competition, and punishment, we create an atmosphere of acceptance,
care, and encouragement. We start by honoring children exactly as they are 13
·
When
we don’t listen to our students, we are in a perpetual
battle against them. When we don’t honor the amount of physical movement kids
need, we have to fight them or medicate them into sitting at a desk all day.
When we don’t offer students a healthy way to express difficult emotions, we
end up being perpetually frustrated by their behaviors. When we don’t tach them
how to pay attention, we end up yelling at them when they are distracted. So
many teachers have expressed grief to me because they feel as if they are in a
war with the very kids they want to help 14
·
History
o
John
Bowlby, psychologist
§ The
infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate, and continuous
relationship with his mother in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment
(Bowlby, 1951) 15
§ There
was a great fight against Bowlby’s idea … many assumed that as long as food and
shelter were provided, the child would be fine 15
o
Maria
Montessori, Rudolph Steiner
§ Recommended
experiential and emotionally responsive teaching
o
Howard Gardner, teacher (1983) 16
§ Theory
[that] sees humans as having nine relatively independent arenas of
intelligence, each of which needs to be exercised and nourished. These nine
types are
·
Linguistic
·
Logic-mathematical
·
Musical
·
Spatial
·
Bodily
·
Interpersonal
·
Intrapersonal
·
Naturalistic
·
Existential
§ Note:
this theory has been challenged and is no longer held
o
Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence 17
§ SEL
– values based educational learning into schools since the late 1960s
§ SEL
programs support students in developing these five social-emotional
competencies
·
Self-management
·
Self-awareness
·
Social awareness
·
Relationship skills
·
Responsible decision making
o
Linda Lantieri
– leading visionary of the SEL movement 17
§ CASEL
– Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
o
Daniel Siegel
§ They
discussed the core competencies of SEL and went on to explain how mindfulness
practices are the best ways to cultivate these competencies. Siegel gave a
synthesis of everything we had been saying about SEL and mindfulness in one
word: integration
·
He described how mindfulness practices
support the integration of separated functional areas of the brain, linking
them with synaptic connections. When mindfulness links the brain up in this
way, the five competencies of self-management, self-awareness, social
awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making naturally arise
18
·
Three main approaches to introducing
mindfulness in youth-based settings
o
Training
and self-care for teachers
§ Cultivation
of mindfulness in teachers 19
§ Belief
that mindfulness is only truly taught through the transmission of an
experienced practitioner 20
§ Resources
and time are often an obstacle for schools, and longer trainings can be
expensive and hard for educators to afford 20
o
Direct
service to students
§ Trainers
go into juvenile detention halls, schools, and after-school programs to teach
mindfulness practices directly 20-21
§ The
problem with direct service is that often these amazing teachers open up new
ways of seeing the world for kids, but then they leave … a lack of systemic
change with direct service
§ If
the classroom teacher is not supportive of mindfulness, then the outside
provider’s lessons may be directly contrary to the way the teachers directs the
class 21
o
Curriculum-based
teaching
§ Mindfulness
lessons are inherently supportive for the emotional, mental, and physical
development of all children 21-22
§ A
proliferation of mindfulness-based curricula for students of all ages and
demographics, some of which can be bought online and used without any previous
training 22
·
Mind Up, .b curriculum, Learning to
BREATHE, Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens 22
o
All of the above
§ We
need a multi-faceted approach to
integrating these practices into work with youth 22
·
Qualities
of a mindful teacher; often these qualities are hampered by
our stress and lack of external support 89
o
Compassion
§ The
manner in which we offer our knowledge is always relational, and therefore the
level of care or coldness in which we offer it will have a great effect on the
way the information is received and integrated 89
§ When
we see a student being resistant, distracted, or even obstinate, we can use our
mindfulness to see the student within the student 90
·
NOTE: cross-ref lecture of overcoming
adaptations/plateaus in brain injury/stroke rehab, that one cannot learn when
anxious, frustrated, or angry (and what about resentful?)
o
Understanding
§ We
have no idea what is truly happening within the mind, heart, and body of
another human being 90
§ When
we develop real interest in others, we offer our students the gift of being
truly seen 90-1
o
Boundaries
§ We
need to be mindful when setting boundaries that w are not simply creating a
doctrine where everyone needs to do what the teacher says just because that’s
the way it is. We want to perpetually look deeply at ourselves and the needs of
our students to discern the most appropriate boundaries for the student. For
trust and safety to develop in a classroom, children need respectful boundaries
to be set and modeled by their teacher. 91
·
Boundaries offer students the space in
which they can feel secure enough to learn, be creative, and thrive 91
o
Observation: Learning is a process of
vulnerability; cross-reference Rothberg - safety
o
Attention
§ When
we are directly present to our students, we are able to track each student’s
individual needs. Students feel seen and we as teachers can feel greater competency
92
o
Intention
§ The
difference between intention and expectations
·
Intentions are essential
·
Expectations are our own projections of
what we think our students need 92-3
§ The
mindful teacher needs to be incredibly flexible with the current of her
classroom, while at the same time maintaining focus on her intention to
transmit knowledge 93
o
Authenticity
§ The
most inspiring teachers are those who are fully being themselves 93
§ When
teachers are able to admit their own humanity, the students enter a room in
which it is safe to be themselves 94
·
Essential
ingredients of a mindful classroom
o
Remember that systemic change is always more productive than simply offering
these practices in one classroom. For the greatest effect, we want the whole
school to be practicing together, we want to be training families in
compassionate parenting, and we want the communities we send our children into to
continue supporting the qualities they are cultivating with mindfulness. 95
o
The greatest
teaching impact comes through relationships – your emotional accessibility
and your compassionate presence throughout the day supports the child’s ability
to learn 96
o
It is very beneficial to let students themselves ask for a mindful class
moment before a test or whenever there is a lot of stress 97
o
Scheduled around transitions, mindfulness practices can be very helpful in bringing
students back to a place of stillness throughout the day 97
o
Peace
corner
§ Concept
by Linda Lantieri (SEL)
§ A
safe, nurturing, dedicated space somewhere in a classroom or other room in the
school 97
·
Collaboratively created with students
·
Tactile object for play, coloring
materials, soothing music
·
Decorated with pillows, fabric, and other
nourishing objects
·
Students are self-referred when they are
feeling dysregulated, and come back out when ready to learn
§ “Most
teachers find that students go to the corner right before they would usually
act out and they don’t stay in for too long. All the teachers I have spoken
with said that their students only go to the corner for 5 – 10 minutes and do
not use the space to skip out on lessons” 97-98
§ Create
a ‘peace classroom’ – take a seat in
the students’ chairs and see what the learning environment feels like. What
would make your nervous system feel more relaxed and ready to learn? 98
·
NOTE: I love this! I am not so sure about
the peace-corner idea– it seems as though it would be yet another distraction
to a very full daily schedule
o
Building a mindfulness vocabulary will help students speak articulately about
their inner lives so they can communicate better with each other and with you
98
§ A
mindful body means that we are paying attention to the sensations inside of our
bodies and aware of the space around us 98
o
Brain
§ Reptilian
– part of the brain that motivates hungers, desires, protection, and many
behaviors that can be very reactionary 99
§ Mammalian
brain motivates our emotions and is what rules much of our relational behaviors
99
§ Neocortex
– part of the brain that creates higher reasoning and can regulate the rest of
the brain, like the captain of a ship 99
·
Co-created
agreements
o
The practice of group decision-making
itself is an amazing collaborative learning experience. There is also far less
resistance to rules when they have been collectively created 100
o
To create shared group agreements, you can
begin by identifying common values.
You can write down all the values that students think make the ideal classroom.
Some examples would be safety, respect, fairness, fun 100
o
The next step: students share agreements
that they believe will cultivate one of the group values 100
o
Next discuss what the effect would be if
these agreements were broken 101
o
Agreements can become an ongoing
discussion as the class negotiates new experiences
o
Agreements empower students as they
internalize the agreements (because they have arisen out of what is important
to them) 101
o
As
the group learns to regulate itself, individual students cultivate their own
inner regulation 101
·
Sometimes a class needs to go slow to
bring everyone on board rather than trying to speed up by getting rid of
obstacles
o
It is far more productive to let a child
sit out in the beginning and enter later of their own interest than to mandate
participation from the beginning and have to drag them along the whole time. If mindfulness is being pushed, it is not
mindfulness 102
§ Ref. the mantra: Connect not correct
·
Council practice 102-3
o
Council is a communication structure that
invites nonhierarchical dialogue and
deep listening
§ Ref.
Insight dialogue with children
§ This
is very much like the TNH conversation circle
o
Council can be used to share the insights
they have gained and questions or difficulties that arise
§ Safe
space
§ Confidential
§ Ritual
that creates ‘containment’ (or a container for safety, confidentiality,
relationship-building)
§ Talking
piece
o
In mindfulness classes, council is an
ideal way for students to discuss their experiences
§ Questions
about students’ social and emotional lives can open up important discussions
about how to integrate mindfulness practice into their lives 103
·
Teachers must care for themselves first
104
o
NOTE: Oxygen mask: place yours on first
before assisting your neighbor
·
Diversity & Inclusion
o
Inquiry into the truth of each student’s
inner world
o
Mindful awareness can lead to
understanding, which can lead to compassion which can lead to empathic action
106
o
Once we are aware of privilege and
discrimination, we can hopefully gain greater understanding of the dynamics in
our communities and work toward equity 106
o
Nearly one-quarter of kids in the US live
in poverty. Half of these kids will still be in poverty at age 35, a third will
not graduate from HS, and they have an eight-year lower life expectancy
(Emanuel, 2012). 107
o
Children who grow up with neglect,
domestic violence, and other forms of environmental trauma can particularly
benefit from the emotional regulation tools, stress relief, and impulse control
techniques offered by mindfulness. Mindfulness can be a home base of stability
and an inner lifeline in a tumultuous young life. 107
o
Most administrators and teachers are not
looking at ways to put those in there are in touch with their anger; they would
simply like students to become easier to deal with 108
§ Note:
this seems rather harsh, however there is truth in it. I am not sure teachers
start out with this in mind, but with stress and other limitations of their
time and attention, disruptions and ongoing difficulties with certain students
may lead to this attitude
o
When you are genuinely interested in who your
students are, they can feel it. They can sense that someone cares. Some
children have never felt really cared for or seen. When we get interested, kids
can remember that there is something truly special inside of them and gain the
bravery to show the world who they really are 109
o
It is incredibly important to do some
research about the ethnic identity of your students, and the best research you
can do is to talk with your students and their families.
o
Working with Diversity and Inclusion
Summary:
§ Do
research about the populations and cultures you are working with 110
§ Cultural
and religious traditions have different ways that they view emotions
§ Be
yourself, authentic
§ Offer
opportunities to explore ancestry, culture, family history 111
·
Stress and Trauma
o
Although youth may initially resist
mindfulness practices, once they have experienced the direct beneficial effects
in their minds and bodies, the practices become allies that they rely on 113
o
By stepping out of the usual pattern of
emotional reactivity, [students] are able to observe objectively and respond
with discernment 114
§ Note:
the whole idea is to foster awareness of habitual destructive habits, and the
possibility of change
o
Kids need to know what to do with toxic
stress
§ If
not given adequate practices and venues to relieve their tensions, the basics
physics of the body necessitates some other form of release. If they cannot do
so in a healthy way, kids can choose the endless unhealthy opportunities at
their disposal 115
§ Every
child grows up with some stress, but many grow up with significant trauma
·
Neglect
·
Random accident
·
Ongoing abuse
§ Trauma
distances us from the present moment, disassociates us from our bodies, and
turns us away from our emotions and difficult sensations 115
·
Mindfulness returns us to the present
moment, bringing attention back to our emotions, sensations, and our
ever-transforming experience 116
§ “In
trauma, the body’s alarm systems turn on and then never quite turn off. And we
experience the intense suffering of never truly feeling relaxed, at ease in
life, always intensely on guard, with the primitive brain constantly scanning
for threat or opportunity. Our inner sentry is always on watch” (Emerson,
2011). 116
·
With trauma our inner sentry is always on
high alert as if the initial trauma was still physically imminent, even if the
current situation is completely safe 116
·
One must invite the student to orient
themselves back into the room, helping them feel their body in their chair,
seeing the colors and shapes around them, hearing the sounds of their immediate
surroundings. You want to help the student reorient to the present moment, where
they are safe and sound.
·
Trauma separates us from the present
moment, so mindfulness is a good antidote to invite kids into a restful space
in their bodies … to help kids find a place where they feel safe. 116
·
With mindfulness we are cultivating an inner
experience of stillness, safety, and happiness. Creating this base of safety
gives kids with a history or trauma, or continue to live in traumatic
situations, a refuge. 116-7
§ It
has been shown how two people can share the same threatening experience but
respond to it very differently – one with trauma and the other with a harrowing
story. The determining factor seems to be whether the person has the inner
skills to meet the experience with resilience and hope rather than hopelessness
and shame. 117
o
When we teach our children the inner
resources to meet difficult experiences or give them appropriate methods to
release trauma, they carry it into their bodies and inflict this pain either on
themselves or the world around them 117-8
§ We
can offer students the requisite experience of a safe interpersonal space to
rewire their relationship to past stressors. The nervous system cannot learn a
new way forward until it has had a true visceral experience of another way. The
brain literally needs to be rewired, and this rewiring can only happen with
repeated empathic interactions 118
§ We
systematically teach students how to witness the hijacking system of trauma and
invite them back into their bodies in the present moment 118
o
Embodied mindfulness can integrate a
stressed system, but we need to be very aware threat mindfulness practices can
also provoke difficult emotional responses in children that can have adverse
effects if there is not adequate containment. Usually kids learn to build
emotional armoring, and when a mindfulness class opens a safe and caring
atmosphere these locked-in emotions may spring forth. We want students to have
a safe space to bring their full emotional experience, but if the container is
not adequately held, the release will be a re-traumatization rather than a
corrective experience. 118-9
o
Without adequate understanding of trauma a
mindfulness teacher could unwittingly push a student into a sensory awareness
that was overly distressing 119
o
While this is not to say that traumatized
individuals should not meditate … it asks teachers to become knowledgeable
about the potential pitfalls of contemplative and somatically-based practices
119
o
Trauma arises because of a level of
somatic (bodily) distress that the psyche of the individual cannot contain, one
that causes them to split off from themselves to protect their basic sanity. We
would never throw a child back into an abusive situation in which they had been
traumatized, but entering back into the somatic experience, without proper therapeutic containment, is ostensibly
the same thing as the original trauma. 119
§ Therapeutic
containment: (example) When two people meet, two
nervous systems shake hands. That means the nervous system of others affects
you - including and especially so - your therapist.
§ When
you say you're trying to "hold it together" you're in a sense trying
to "contain" that pent up energy.
§ The
therapist’s nervous system is actually making it easier for you to contain that
energy for the simple reason that we are all interconnected that way.
§ A
good therapist, 'contains the space' by being emotionally attuned, by
maintaining clear
boundaries, and by creating the sense that "you have all the
time you need".
§ Therapists
who are self-regulated are better at creating an
atmosphere of connection. They are sensitive to it and can create that warm,
safe feeling when the client needs it. That's because they have a strong sense
of themselves through their own body.
o
“this places traumatized meditators in the
precarious position of being mindful of sensations that may perpetuate a
fear-immobility spiral” (Treleaven)
§ Mitigating
dangers: thorough training in trauma and stress-related disorders (!!) 120
·
Different Age Groups – K-2nd, 3rd-5th
o
K-2nd
§ Close
to the unfiltered baby awareness that arises without any shame, emotional
constriction, or self-limiting beliefs
§ Naturally
eager, curious, and open to learning and playing 125
§ Because
their minds are so plastic, it is that much more important that we create a
loving, nonjudgmental, safe space in which they can learn
o
3rd- 5th
§ In
a natural state of wonder and creativity 127
§ While children at this age retain a great
sense of imagination and enthusiasm, their rational minds are rapidly
developing. When they report emotions and awareness of inner experience, their
statements are much more reliable that those of younger children. Mindfulness
practices for these grades are aimed at broadening self-awareness while helping
them maintain the creative wonder of their young minds 128
§ With
the evolution of self-awareness can come self-criticism and insecurity. There
is a great need to please at this state, and relationships are extremely
important. Social anxiety and performance anxiety can arise at this time in a
child’s life. Impulse control, calming strategies, and other self-regulation
skills are invaluable mindfulness practices for this age group. Students at
this age need a lot of positive reflection. Remember to offer positive feedback
without too much praise or blame. Simply offering kind, supportive attention is
all that is needed. 128
§ Practice
–
·
Lessons can last 10 – 45 minutes; silent
practices up to 10 minutes
·
Council dialogue, mindfulness journals,
mindful movement games, deep listening to sounds
·
short practices every day at set times
·
Students can be empowered to be leading
their own practices
·
Spontaneously use practices for conflict
management, test stress, and other moments of difficulty 129
·
Break lessons into pieces and take plenty
of time
·
(students at this age have waves of energy
that have them buzzing around the room at one moment and crashing with
exhaustion the next.) 129
·
Learning with the teacher rather than simply being taught; students enjoy
knowing that you do not know everything and that their views are respected 129
·
To teach mindfulness it is important to treat the material differently than you
would a usual lesson 139
·
Setting
up the room: it is important to shift the seating
arrangement so that everyone is in a circle or some configuration that is more
conducive to a sense of equality and openness. You will want the space to feel
safe
o
Experiment with ways of making the space
feel more safe and supportive. You can change the lighting, get comfortable
cushions, or take recommendations from the students regarding what would help
them to connect to their mindfulness time 140
o
Make mindfulness classes optional; if
students don’t want to take part in the class, you can let them sit on the side
without distracting anyone 140
·
Inviting
stillness: invite students into an experience of mindfulness
without any instructions about breath or closing our eyes. Simply ask them to
be still and notice 141
·
When we invite youth to close their eyes, we need to remember that for some
of them this may
not feel safe. We are inviting them to withdraw their attention from
the visual world and this can feel threatening to some children.
o
You can simply ask these students to focus
their gaze on the floor or desk in front of them 142
·
Example dialogue: When we are mindful, it is like we are waking up from a dream. All of a
sudden when we listen with our mindful ears, we hear little sounds like the
lights above us buzzing and the sound of our friend’s breathing next to us. All
these sounds have been going on all the time, but we were so caught up in our
thoughts that we didn’t notice. There are so many amazing songs to hear,
beautiful passing birds to see, and delicious foods to taste. When we open our
mindful awareness, we can play basketball or jump rope with focus … we can
learn to study for a test or play an instrument without all the usual
distractions, and get things done quickly and easily 143-4
·
Layout
of a Mindful Lesson 145
o
Opening
mindful moment
o
Check-in and report back
§ Ask
them about how they have been using their practice in everyday life 146
o
New lesson
introduction
§ It
is important not to tell students what the experience will be like, but simply
set up the lesson as an exploration 147
o
Practice
o
Sharing/council
§ Some
time to share how the experience unfolded for them. Listen openly without
judgment, and you will learn a lot about your students. Remind the students to
share their direct experience without getting lost in stories or ideas about
what happened 147
o
Journaling
§ Give
the students time to reflect in their journals about the lesson (draw pictures
or journal reflections) 148
o
World discovery
§ Suggest
a way to explore the theme at hand in daily life 149
o
Closing
mindful moment
§ At
the end of the session, you can again lead a short mindfulness practice (i.e.
belly breathing)
§ You
might say that you hope these practices are helpful in their lives and that all
the practices they have done can bring greater mindfulness into our world 149
·
Curriculum
o
Lessons are presented in a specific
progression because some lessons are best practiced before others
§ Embodiment:
begin with embodiment lessons to gain the language of our physical sensation
150
§ Focused attention:
once students learn the language of their bodies, they can begin cultivating
their attention 151
§ Heartfulness:
once students have an understanding of the language of their bodies and how to
anchor their awareness, they can learn how to identify and feel emotions in
their bodies 151
§ Interconnections:
once students have become mindful of their bodies, minds, and hearts, they can
integrate their awareness into everyday life 151
o
Helping students feel safe and secure in their bodies should be a
top priority. If students don’t feel comfortable, they
will easily get distracted, act out, and have difficulty learning
§ Dysregulation
= Emotional dysregulation (ED) is a term used in the mental health community to refer
to an emotional response that is poorly
modulated, and does not fall within the conventionally accepted range of
emotive response.
·
Possible manifestations of emotional dysregulation include angry outbursts
or behavior outbursts such as destroying or throwing objects, aggression
towards self or others, and threats to kill oneself.
These variations usually occur in seconds to minutes or hours. Emotional
dysregulation can lead to behavioral problems and can interfere with a person's
social interactions and relationships at home, in school, or at place of
employment.
·
Emotional dysregulation can be associated with an experience of early psychological trauma, brain
injury, or chronic maltreatment (such as child
abuse, child
neglect, or institutional neglect/abuse), and
associated disorders such as reactive attachment disorder. Emotional
dysregulation may be present in people with psychiatric disorders such as attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, bipolar
disorder, borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder,
and complex post-traumatic stress
disorder. ED is also found among those with autism spectrum disorders. In
such cases as borderline personality disorder and complex post-traumatic stress
disorder, hypersensitivity to emotional stimuli causes a slower return to a
normal emotional state. This is manifested biologically by deficits in the
frontal cortices of the brain. (wiki)
No comments:
Post a Comment