Blog Post #6
Avila, A. (2019). EDUlastic. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://images.app.goo.gl/3Qcirj6pQwT4r6uF9.
This module provided a significant amount of helpful information on the topic of Social Emotional mindfulness. It allowed me to further my knowledge on the subject and understand the importance of this aspect. Between the articles, the documentary, and the app I chose to use, I saw how essential it is to obtain proper mindfulness skills.
The article pertaining to using mindfulness in a way that accounts for trauma was very intriguing to me. Trauma certainly seems to be a significant problem that people in our world face. With that in mind, it's crucial to create practices in which mindfulness can be performed without creating an uplift in one's trauma. One of the ways the article suggests this can be done is by preventing harm. It can be harmful to people suffering from trauma to taker part in mindfulness if not done correctly. To prevent harm, it's suggested that "no one should be forced to close their eyes or sit a certain way" (Schwartz, 2019, para. 4). There needs to be a great deal of attention to detail with mindfulness. Those who practice need to do it on their own terms and not be forced into some set form or criteria, as it can lead to problems.
My favorite part of this module was getting to read the article pertaining to mindfulness in the world of education. As a future teacher, this article showed me just how important it is for mindfulness to be present in the education setting. The article did a great job of highlighting some of the many reasons that mindfulness can benefit both students and teachers. My particular favorite related to the role that stresses and anxiety can play in schooling. These are consistent obstacles that many in the field of education face, and it can really damage a person on so many levels. To combat this, the article notes that mindfulness can play a key role in limiting the amount of stress and anxiety people face. (Why is Mindfulness Needed in Education. (n.d.)). Mindfulness clearly takes a lot of the problems that not just those in education deal with but the world as a whole and allows us to combat them with more ease and comfort. By doing so, we are able to complete tasks with greater efficiency and quality.
It was very interesting and beneficial to have the opportunity to look at the guidelines of the state in play for social and emotional learning. As I observed, I noticed a great deal of emphasis on relevant concepts, resources, and activities to promote high-quality social-emotional learning. (Social Emotional Learning, 2022). Within this website, the link that observed how social-emotional learning is crucial for both school and life was very informative. One of the key ideas discussed related to the improvements found in the classroom through SEL. An increase in the quality of academics and attitude was observed in a study pertaining to the impact of SEL, while there was a decrease in poor behavior and distress. (Social Emotional Learning:
Essential For Learning, Essential For Life, 2018). Just from simply incorporating SEL practice, there is a tremendous amount of benefits that can be noted in both the classroom and the outside world. This is why it truly is important to consider this aspect and apply it to daily life as frequently as possible.
With the documentary Room To Breathe, it was fascinating to see mindfulness's impact on the students. It really did allow them to just take a step back from everything around them and be in touch with themselves, which was amazing to see. It was even stated by a student that this practice, helps with relaxation and just distancing from all that goes on in life. (Room To Breathe, 29:30). Having the students' perspective really adds value to the role mindfulness plays in classrooms. It certainly seems to be such a beneficial practice that can set students up for great success.
Getting to use a mindfulness app for the week was so beneficial. I decided to use Headspace, which I had actually used in high school my senior year, for my science class, which was why I used it, so it was great to reconnect and go back to it. It felt great using this app, as it was very helpful to have those guided meditation sessions to really get in touch with myself. I also think teacher burnout often occurs because teachers don't take a step back and check in on themselves. Through this app, I can certainly see prevention in teacher burnout because it allows you to pump the brakes a little and reflect. I can see myself doing what my science teacher did back in high school. Just devoting a couple minutes of class weekly to mindfulness and meditation to ensure a successful week ahead and good well being.
References
Long, R. (director/ producer). (2012) Room To Breathe [film]. ZAP Zoetrope Aubry Productions.
Schwartz, K. (2019). Nine ways to ensure your mindfulness teaching is trauma informed. KQED Mindshift. Link
Social Emotional Learning (2022, November 14). New York State Department of Education. https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/sel
Social Emotional Learning: Essential For Learning, Essential For Life. Social emotional learning. (2018). Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/documents/SELEssentialforLearningandLife.pdf
Why is Mindfulness Needed in Education. (n.d.). Mindful Schools. Link
Hey Anthony,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog about mindfulness and social-emotional learning. Reading these articles also gave me a lot of insight on how to use mindfulness in the classroom and be able to utilize these practices and also help my students use them outside the classroom. Mindfulness allows the students to allow their stress to go away even if it is just for a couple minutes. I think mindfulness also allows for the students to be comfortable in the classroom. Many students go through different problems and this is a great way that teacher can help them by letting the students take a couple minutes to themselves to breathe and collect their thoughts. I also like how in your blog you talked about some of the guidelines that go with social-emotional learning. I also looked at this article for my blog and their were some very good insights on what you can do in the classroom and some goals that can be achieved with social-emotional learning in the classroom. By allowing the students to practice social-emotional learning in the classroom they can take the ideas that they have and bring them out of the classroom as well. A lot of these ideas with mindfulness and social-emotional learning can be used outside the classroom. Lastly, I also used the Headspace app. I thought that it was very helpful as well, it allowed me to choose the type of meditation I wanted to do and it was something that I would love to use in my classroom. Great Job!