Tagged With "Mindfulness"
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An Alternative to Suspension with Trauma-Informed Dynamic Mindfulness: Building Stress Resilience, Emotion Regulation and Empathy
At the November 2019 Northern California Safe and Healthy Schools Conference at UC Berkeley, Niroga Program Managers Sam Weiss and Fatima Ahmed facilitated a session incorporating the theory and practice of Dynamic Mindfulness (DMind) to a standing room only crowd.
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Developing Mindful Trauma-Informed Schools, Families and Communities.
We’re pleased to announce that B.K. Bose of Niroga Institute has been selected to present at The Institute for Educational Leadership’s 2019 National Family and Community Engagement Conference in Reno, NV! This convening is a wonderful professional development and networking opportunity for state leaders, school and district leaders, administrators, educators, community-based organizations, researchers and families to come together and focus on solutions that enhance and expand engagement...
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Do You Have a Story to Tell? Speak at the 2018 Fall Trauma-Informed School Conference
Beyond Consequences is excited to announce that our Call for Proposals for the 2018 Fall Trauma-Informed School Conference has been extended. If you have a great story to share about your experience in working with students who’ve had adverse childhood experiences, we would love to hear from you! Here are some examples of sessions that fit in at our nationally recognized conference: Administrative/School-Wide Track • Mindfulness Instead of Suspension • Special Education Law & Advocacy •...
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Does Mindfulness Actually Work in Schools? (theatlantic.com)
A research team in Chicago has spent a year studying whether students who are taught to be in touch with their emotions do better academically. And they say the initial results are promising. Perhaps counterintuitively, when kids take a break from a classroom lesson on the solar system to spend a quiet moment alone watching a three-minute nature video, or participate in a teacher-guided breathing exercise with their class after lunch, they seem to become better overall students. That’s...
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Embedding Trauma-informed Practices within Existing School-wide Practices
https://medium.com/@drjimwalters/embedding-trauma-informed-practices-within-existing-school-wide-practices-a17a65256f36
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From Trauma to Peace: Mindfulness Program at Willard Middle School
From Berkeley Public Schools Fund, March 22, 2018 Once a week at Willard Middle School, there’s an unexpected sight of a classroom full of students sitting still with their eyes closed. With the support of our Strategic Impact Grant , Willard Middle School has implemented a weekly Dynamic Mindfulness program where students engage in mindful ABCs (Actions, Behaviors, and Centering) during their Advisory period. The 15-minute program involves grounding activities from listening to a bell until...
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Improve Classroom Climate with Dynamic Mindfulness
Improve Classroom Climate with Dynamic Mindfulness January 2020 We know that challenges with toxic stress and trauma amongst our educators and the youth they serve affect learning readiness, school classroom climate, and teacher burnout. What can we do about it? Many educators are struggling with this question and searching for answers. Niroga Institute's Dynamic Mindfulness (DMind) programs should be considered as a comprehensive solution. Dynamic Mindfulness is a combination of movement,...
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Setting the Tone for a Mindful School
From ACSD Express Setting the Tone for September August 23, 2018 | Volume 13 | Issue 24 Table of Contents Setting the Tone for a Mindful School John Jimno and Bidyut K. Bose A Principal's Story: As I (John) prepared to leave at the end of a long school day, a student I'll call "Carl" came running toward me across the asphalt, clearly upset and in tears. Shortly after, another student whom I'll call "Ron" came tearing across the yard in our direction. Ron was frequently referred to my office...
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TEDxAmherst: Checking in With Yourself
High school is stressful. Spending hours a day sitting hunched over small desks writing papers and taking notes only to go home and spend even longer working can take its toll on anyone. Not only is your body cramped, but you start to lose focus because you’re stressing over deadlines or upcoming tests. Well, Kofi Charu Nat Turner, a professor at UMass Amherst has a practice for you. It’s called “ Dynamic Mindfulness ” and he has been bringing it to the inner city New Jersey schools for...
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Mindful-Based Practices, Therapeutic Activities, & Ways to Relax: For Teachers, Parents, & Children
Yoga is a great activity for children and adults and is easy to do just about anywhere! Children need to have multiple healthy ways to express their feelings and have opportunities for mind and body awareness. Yoga is beneficial because it is... Non-competitive Gender neutral Enhances motor skills and balance Improves listening skills in a fun approach Children can focus on what is happening in the moment A healthy way to express feelings Supports social and emotional learning and...
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Mindfulness Resources
Watching the video Gail just posted, I was inspired to look for further resources as to how this could work. Here's a link to what I believe are helpful in implementing such a program and The Smiling Mind can be downloaded for older students to use on their phone, etc. And it's free. https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/mindfulness-and-children/further-resources
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Mindfulness techniques are an economic and effective way to help students cope with stress
According to a recent article in Child Trends - A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness interventions in schools can boost children’s ability to regulate emotions and manage their feelings of stress. Educators. and school staff looking for interventions to help students manage stress may want to consider mindfulness programs. These programs, which don’t require any special equipment, can also be relatively inexpensive to implement; school staff can often be trained to become...
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Building Authentic Relationships with Teens online training
I watched a few of the intro webinars to this course and it looks like a great training from the Center for Adolescent Studies. https://centerforadolescentstudies.com/bars/ 4-Weeks: May 29th - June 26th, 2018 (and a 2-week grace period to finish all lessons to get your certificate of completion) Online: Completely online; login whenever you want each week to access the course material (mostly video presentations, approx. 2 hours per week) Learn: Critical skills for building relationships...
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LGBTQ+ Youth: A Guided Workbook - #1 NEW RELEASE on Amazon!
Friends, Check out this new tool to use with youth of all ages! LGBTQ+ Youth: A Guided Workbook to support Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity is the most comprehensive, practical and user-friendly workbook written specifically for clinicians and educators to engage and support lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and questioning youth. *Deal with the challenges of coming out *Understand sexual identity, gender norms and fluidity *Safety plan and address negative attitudes at school and in...
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The Future of Education: Mindful Classrooms [mindful.org]
A new Guide by mindful.org: What can you d to bring mindfulness into your child’s school? What are the best strategies, practices, and resources to implement a mindfulness program? Implementing a school-wide mindfulness program can take several years, so create a well-thought-out plan that includes presenting programming to parents and faculty. Be patient— making changes in schools can be a lengthy process. [To check out this guide, go to...
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The Importance of Physical Activities, Yoga, and Mindful Based Practices for Young Children
The topic of this blog post is the importance of physical activity for children. In terms of physical activity, I chose to focus on yoga practice for young children. I believe that children are a big part of our society and their health is a reflection of their surroundings, which is why children’s health is so important. I researched three unique and professional studies that show how yoga builds resilience, self-awareness, self-image, self-esteem, quality of life, and dramatically reduces...
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This School Replaced Detention with Meditation and the Results Are Phenomenal
Instead of sending children to stand outside the classroom, or go to the principal's office every time they misbehave, they get sent to the 'Mindful Moment Room'.
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Re: From Trauma to Peace: Mindfulness Program at Willard Middle School
Helping children regulate is key to helping them to navigate through the challenges in their world.
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Re: From Trauma to Peace: Mindfulness Program at Willard Middle School
Agreed Bob. Seems to apply to us adults as well
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Re: From Trauma to Peace: Mindfulness Program at Willard Middle School
Absolutely Heidi! In fact, we need regulated adults to avoid dis-regulating children (originally or further). In my parenting work and professional development for teachers (including preschool and chid care pro's) I help adults recognize how and when child behavior triggers their own disregulated and thus disregulating reactions, and how to transform their responses with mindfulness, a process I call The Method , and the 7 Mindsets . I've been doing this work for over 30 years. I also work...
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Self-Regulation Tools for Special Ed Students
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Using Big Data with a Warm Hand-off to Help Students
This piece is about how big data can be a service provider -- and there can be a warm handoff. We can use data and technology to improve education and healthcare and many other fields.
Ask the Community
Pilot Program... Can a Picture Book Promote Mindfulness?
Have you used a picture book to promote mindfulness? What was your observations? I wrote a picture book "Edwina Beena's Polka Dot Day" to help children like me (traumatic childhood) to have a more peaceful mind. My original goal was to get my...
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Dynamic Mindfulness Foundations Training
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Dynamic Mindfulness Teacher Training
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Mindful Monday in May
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Re: Embedding Trauma-informed Practices within Existing School-wide Practices
Yes... AND...With all due respect, I think we are asking for more really. It isn't about what it looks like, it is how it is lived. To do that we have to dig deep and think about the systems, even in education, that perpetuate the systemic inequities. We used to teach using praise and by making students "pay" or hurt (consequences). Now there are more effective tools to adopt. When we really dig deep, we must re-examine how to build relationships, inspire internally instead of externally -...
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Re: Pilot Program... Can a Picture Book Promote Mindfulness?
Hi! I am very curious what you found after using your book in the school setting. I am a school counselor to K-5th grade students in Texas. I look forward to hearing how you were able to use your book and the results of your project. Thank you in advance.
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Re: Pilot Program... Can a Picture Book Promote Mindfulness?
Here is an attachment a teacher made to show other teachers the success of our program. I would be happy to talk to you on the phone if you like.
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Teenagers and Reopening: Tips for helping kids stay safe during a confusing time [childmind.org]
By Rae Jacobson, The Child Mind Institute, June 23, 2020 It’s a trying time to be the parent of a teenager. After months of being cooped up at home away from friends, unable to attend school or go out, most kids are chomping at the bit to get back to the lives they had before the pandemic. Getting teens to take safety seriously is a struggle at the best of times, and as the nation moves towards reopening, it’s never been more important to ensure kids are following the rules. How can parents...
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Prevent Teacher Burnout
Great strategies! I am really happy with the information, techniques, and discussion from today's webinar. Thank you! Rated 5 out of 5 - Assistant Principal, Lancaster School District, California DMind is just as powerful for school staff as it is for students. Thank you for another wonderful discussion. Rated 5 out of 5 - School Counselor, Houston This is just a sample of the reviews from Niroga Institute’s recent free webinar Prevent Teacher Burnout. It's not too late to learn, practice...
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Ray: Translating Mindfulness to Distance Learning
The many challenges of this year have required people to cope with a range of external stressors. The United States is still navigating community response to George Floyd’s killing and racial inequities. Many are physically distancing and trying to survive economic fallout from the pandemic. As an adult, I find it hard to take things one day at a time, focus on my breath, and move forward with purpose and gratitude. Young people are looking for ways to cope and heal as well. At our middle...
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Mindfulness for Teachers: A Program With Proof [edweek.org]
By Catherine Gewertz, Education Week, July 21, 2020 Teachers across the country are preparing for a school year brimming with unprecedented challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. A likely byproduct? Teachers’ stress levels could soar, making an already-tough job tougher. By now, it’s a truism that teaching is stressful. Researchers have increasingly documented that stress, in surveys and in the trails of burned-out teachers leaving the profession. In the last decade, many...
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Press Release: No-Cost “Mind Matters Minutes” Builds Resilience in Youth
BERKELEY, CA (January 14, 2021) - Young people, especially in these times, can be stressed and anxious. Are you seeing this in the youth you serve? What about those youth who have experienced prior trauma or ACEs? Would building resilience skills help them? The Dibble Institute is pleased to announce Mind Matters Minutes , a free, virtual self-regulation series, created especially for today’s youth. Mind Matters Minutes provide teachers and youth workers with nine no-cost short video...
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New Guidance from Dept of Ed Recommends Urgent Attention To Mental Health
Over the course of 15 years of research, I and my team at Sharpen have created a comprehensive system to help school districts accomplish all of the recommendations released in yesterday's report from Dept of Ed; including: enhancing mental health literacy, reducing stigma about mental disorders, implementing evidence-based prevention practices and establishing an Integrated Framework of social, emotional and behavioral health support.
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Free emotional wellness toolkit for educators
Sharpen announces a free emotional wellness toolkit for educators.
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Scholarships available for Mind Matters Now
Has the pandemic stressed you out? Would you like to learn the self-soothing skills of Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience directly from the author, Dr. Carolyn Curtis? Good news! The Dibble Institute has received generous funding for scholarships to the online, full 12-lesson series , Mind Matters Now . The course helps teachers, social workers, medical professionals, and others manage their stress by building resilience skills and practices for mental wellbeing.
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"5 Minute Mindfulness" activity cards for schools
Evidence-based "5 Minute Mindfulness" cards are available that boost resilience, mental health literacy and accessibility.
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Mindfulness / Resiliency "Shop" for Schools
Announcing the Sharpen Shop with an entire collection of resiliency gear that has powerful messages of hope and healing. In particular the award-winning "5 Minute Mindfulness" program has been deployed in resilient schools and community suicide prevention initiatives for over 10 years.
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Re: Embedding Trauma-informed Practices within Existing School-wide Practices
School experiences may contribute to racial stress and worsen historical trauma for kids of color, especially Black pupils. Presenters at the conference emphasized school practices and policies that may lead to continued student racial trauma, such as zero-tolerance policies and curriculum that is distant from students' experiences. Each speaker pushed educators to assist in breaking the cycle of historical and racial trauma by recognizing and developing culturally responsive school-level...