Mindfulness is the act of focusing one’s attention on the present moment and accepting all thoughts, feelings and sensations. Practicing mindfulness has many benefits such as improved focus and emotional regulation, as well as decreased stress levels. This is something that I have recently incorporated into my own life and I feel that it would be an extremely effective classroom management strategy. Some examples of mindfulness exercises that can be easily integrated into any classroom are breathing exercises or body scans. These can be done in as little as a minute meaning that they can be used effortlessly as part of a routine or when they become necessary.
Mindfulness practices have grown in popularity in recent years and some schools have even used it to replace detention. When students break the rules, rather than being punished, they are asked to go to a designated mindfulness area and take a moment to calm down using strategies that they have learned in the classroom. Schools that have made this change have experienced an increase in attendance and a decrease in suspensions. Through this inquiry I hope to find strategies for integrating mindfulness practices into the classroom and using them in a way that will be most effective as a classroom management tool.
References:
Tarantino, Hadley. “Mindfulness in the Classroom.” Inpathy Bulletin, Inpathy, 27 Apr. 2017, inpathybulletin.com/mindfulness-in-the-classroom/.
Mindfulness as a Classroom Management Tool 
I feel as though this would be a fantastic way to build stamina and continue to practice self-regulation as you mentioned. I would really like to know more about what mindfulness looks like at different ages/varied levels of child development and what kind of practices people use to promote it. My students almost go cross-eyed (okay thats me) when they hear mindfulness and I would like to make it and accessible tool to help them feel successful in and outside of the classroom. Thanks for your great idea!
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Using mindfulness with different age groups is the next part of my inquiry so check back soon. If you are interested in practicing, I started out by using an app called Simple Habit.
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I love that you are exploring mindfulness in the classroom Miss. Balle because it is a topic I also am very interested to find more on. Before I attended the Super Conference in Vancouver I was all about mindfulness and how I could incorporate that into the classroom. At one of my presentations the man leading the conference said “mindfulness is a trend, but can it be change”? This lead me into more research on the topic… I think this video may help you with your inquiry, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it. https://www.mindful.org/meditation-public-schools-pro-con/
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Thanks for sharing that video! It was interesting to hear peoples thoughts from a different perspective. I think it’s unfortunate that these programs are being targeted more to certain groups. I feel that mindfulness an excellent practice for anyone, regardless of race, gender, age or any other factors. I would love to chat more about it as I continue to learn about the topic.
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Mindfulness is at the core of where education is headed. It’s that look inward that allows for a true and honest experience in life.
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This reminds me of a moment in my practicum class last year, my class was borderline mayhem and I had them take a few breaths with an anchor charm. It was amazing how you could just feel the energy change throughout the whole room. I am not sure if it was because it calmed my body as well but I felt the energy shift in the room. How often do you practice this?
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I haven’t had the opportunity to anything aside from short breathing exercises but these work so well. When the class gets out of control, I often stop what we are doing and have students put their heads on their desk to take some deep breaths. Depending on the day, I might use this technique anywhere from once or I might use it ten times; whenever students (or myself) need it.
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