A new study from the University of Virginia provides strong evidence that mindfulness training for teachers can help them cope better with stress on the job while also making the classroom environment more productive for learning.
Two hundred and twenty-four teachers from 36 urban elementary schools in New York City with primarily low-income/high-risk students were randomly assigned to receive instruction via a program called Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE), a 30-hour mindfulness-based training for teachers spread out over a four-month period. The program involved training in mindful awareness, stress reduction, and emotion skills aimed primarily at increasing teacher wellness rather than improving teaching, per se.
Perhaps more surprisingly, the study also found improvements in the emotional climate of the classroom and increased class organization for those teachers who’d been through the training. Those trained via CARE behaved differently in the classroom:
- smiling more
- asking more questions
- remaining curious about student misbehavior rather than moving toward punishment
- taking deep breaths and slowing down encounters with students when annoyed rather than yelling
To read more of Jill Suttie's article, please click here.
Comments (0)