Benefits of Mindfulness in Education - Part 1:
The Mindful Schools
The
very first 60-day Mindfulness program for a group of Sri Lankan school
children got underway at a premier school in Colombo on 11 January 2016.
Every day for the next 60 days, students will learn and practise
Mindfulness techniques under an experienced Mindfulness coach. And they
will continue with the practice during their balance school careers to
gain significant benefits in three proven areas.
Proven benefits
The improvements proven through scientific research are in the areas
of academic attainment and results, mental health of the children and
thirdly the character- building and resilience, which cover a range of
non-academic skills and capabilities. Both at an individual and at a
collective level, these are very important benefits.
So what was initiated on 11 January 2016 by a single forward thinking
Mindful School could herald a totally new set of opportunities to other
Sri Lankan schools.
Executive control and emotional regulation
The majority of child psychologists believe the most important
fundamentals for child development are executive control (the management
of mental processes such as memory, problem solving, reasoning and
planning) together with emotional control (the ability to understand and
manage emotions - especially impulse control). These main contributors
to emotional regulation reinforce emotional wellbeing, effective
learning and academic attainment.
They also predict income, health and criminality in adulthood (Ref: A
gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public
safety -PubMed)
Growing body of scientific evidence
Emotional resilience, coping skills, the capacity to manage
difficulties and the ability to form constructive relationships are all
important aspects of a child's overall development and there is evidence
that Mindfulness contributes to each of those. (Ref: Healthy Young
Minds: Transforming the Mental Health of Children- Report of WISH Mental
Health and Wellbeing in Children Forum 2015) There is new scientific
evidence to show that the above emotional positive aspects are often
apparent three years after taking a course in Mindfulness. And continued
short inputs produce discernible results. (Ref: Developing Mindfulness
with Children and Young People - Journal of Children's Services)
One pilot study of a group of students aged 17-19 in the US showed
decreases in tiredness and negative affectivity (a term which covers a
range of negative emotions such as sadness, fear, nervousness, guilt,
disgust, anxiety and anger) and increases in calm, relaxation and
overall wellbeing. (Refs: 1. A controlled trial of mindfulness training
in schools: The importance of practice for an impact on well-being - The
Journal of Positive Psychology. 2. The Effectiveness of Mindfulness
Training on Behavioural Problems and Attentional Functioning in
Adolescents with ADHD 3. School-based meditation practices for
Adolescents: A Resource for Strengthening Self-Regulation, Emotional
Coping, and Self-Esteem)
In another study involving 12 schools in the UK, students reported
fewer depressive symptoms, lower stress and greater wellbeing at
follow-up (Ref: Mindfulness Nation UK Report - Oxford Mindfulness
Centre)
Additional benefits
Another area of particular interest to schools is how Mindfulness
positively impacts on difficult behaviour, Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder, as well as impulsiveness and aggression. The
positive outcomes are consistent with the beneficial impact of
Mindfulness on self-regulation such as controlling impulses, delaying
gratification and monitoring attention.
Decisive factors for successful implementation
The consensus reached as a result of the global experience on
Mindfulness Programs in schools focus on two key areas. The first is
that the success of the program depends to a considerable extent on the
quality and experience of the Mindfulness teacher's own mindfulness
practice. That can take several years of sustained personal commitment,
which is well beyond personal training. (Ref: Mindfulness Nation UK
Report - Oxford Mindfulness Centre - Page 18)
The success of the school Mindfulness program also depend on how it
is implemented; an isolated incident of a Mindfulness teacher working
with one class is less effective than a whole school approach in which
everyone in the school community including parents and staff participate
in the program. A significant positive link has been found between the
amount of home practice a child does and improvements in wellbeing.
Active support of the parents and school teachers are needed to develop
a sustained practice at home for children.
Some of the teachers and parents of the pioneering Sri Lankan school
also started to practice with the children both at school and at home.
One of the unexpected results emerging from this teacher/parent
support is the improvement in adult wellbeing leading to beneficial
results in their lives and at work.
Aruna Manathunge has practised Mindfulness for over
43 years. During the past 7 years he has closely followed the
development of Mind Science in the Western world. He has had a long
career as the Country Head of Sri Lanka and the Head of the Indian
Sub-Continent of an American Pharmaceutical Multinational company.
Presently he conducts Coaching in Mindfulness to Schools and Companies.
Aruna can be contacted at
[email protected] |