Integrating Mindfulness Within the Classroom

Overview

Talking about mental health and learning how to approach negative emotions are difficult topics, but practicing and discussing mindfulness may help. Here are two guided meditation resources that I combined to share with my students.

Materials

Weekly handouts, speakers

Resources

• Headspace App (free for educators)

• Mindful Choices

• Why I’m into meditation | Bill Gates

• Kobe on sleep and meditation

Pacing

Suggested Pacing:

10-15 minutes, weekly

Week 1 - Headspace Basics 1 | Mindful Choices Mini-Lesson 1

Week 2 - Headspace Basics 2 | Mindful Choices Mini-Lesson 2

Week 3 - Headspace Basics 3 | Mindful Choices Mini-Lesson 3

…and so on.

Pacing w/ Teacher Notes

Week 1 - My main goal with the first few lessons is to get buy-in. I give a basic explanation of what mindfulness is and share examples of famous people who have voiced their support for it (e.g. Bill Gates, Kobe, etc.). The first mini-lesson goes over its benefits as well. This sets the rationale for why students should care.

I typically listen to the Headspace session prior to sharing it with them, so I can give students an idea of what to focus on when we start. The Mindful Choices Mini-Lesson is assigned for homework.

Week 2 Onward - Depending on the upcoming Headspace session and Mindful Choices mini-lesson, I may supplement or omit portions. Before each session, I remind them to focus on what they want to improve on and how to have good posture, etc. For students who get distracted, a gentle reminder generally gets them to refocus.

Credits: Headspace and Alliance for Decision Education (Mindful Choices) .