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Center for Enlightened Leadership
 
THE LENS E-NEWSLETTER/JOURNAL

Mindfulness Education: Keeping Children in the Now
By MAYBETH CONWAY

  Maybeth Conway
  Maybeth Conway
Senior Associate

Infants excel in the now. Did you ever encounter a healthy baby who had trouble conveying immediate needs? Without words, the newborn lets parents and caregivers know exactly what is sought at precisely this moment. “Pick me up!” “Feed me!” “Change me!”—those have to be some of the clearest nonverbal messages ever communicated.

Unfortunately (some weary parents might disagree), this refreshing capacity of “nowness” is extremely short-lived. Before we know it, the expression of simple basic needs gives way to complex and often convoluted cognitive processing. Living in the now becomes a rare occurrence.

What happens? Developmental neuroscientists tell us to blame it on the prefrontal cortex. This is the magnificent area of the brain that most distinguishes humans from other forms of animal life. It is where some of our richest thinking takes place, where we become mental time travelers who can reflect on the past and project into the future. When those reflections and projections are productive, they are the source of our genius. When they are not, they breed worry, fear, anger, and resentment. When that happens, we long for the purity of the newborn, who finds it so simple to stay in the now. Within the scientific and educational communities, a new partnership is emerging with a mission to promote “nowness” and the capacity to influence habits of mind in children. Leading the way is the Garrison Institute’s Initiative on Contemplation and Education, where research scientists and educational leaders are coming together to foster contemplative teaching and learning. Their leadership council offers the following description of their program:

The Initiative on Contemplation and Education works to introduce relevant contemplative techniques to educators, helping create healthy school environments conducive to children becoming responsible, productive, caring adults, while at the same time helping improve student academic performance.

To promote this goal, the Initiative offers a CARE (Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education) program for educators. This seminar helps teachers to develop the pedagogy and practices that they will need to create a healthier, contemplative learning environment. As the teacher cultivates personal skills, new strategies are introduced to transfer these practices along to students.

At the center of this initiative is the practice of mindfulness, which is succinctly defined as “paying attention, in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). As anyone who has ever attempted this practice can attest: easier said than done! Proponents contend that by paying attention in the present moment students gradually learn to enhance focus and reduce anxiety. They go on to suggest other benefits such as mental clarity, calmness, flexibility, and compassion as the natural outgrowth of a mindful practice.

The contemplative classroom may include many related activities. Yoga, Tai chi, imaginative inquiry, sensory awareness, mindful art and music, and reflective journaling are all possible components of a comprehensive curriculum designed to deepen learning and strengthen such skills as attention and self-regulation.

Only about 10 years of serious research and development activity have been devoted to the practices of contemplative teaching. Early research into the efficacy of these programs is promising. Most teachers who have participated in the CARE program report excellent personal and professional results, and their self-reports have been validated in some instances with empirical data. However, institute leaders are cautious and point to the many questions and concerns yet to be addressed. Here are just a few:

  • What are the most productive classroom interventions?
  • Do some students need contemplative teaching techniques more than others?
  • What represents a reliable source for a given intervention, and who should develop the specific instructions?
  • What degree of training is necessary to implement these techniques?
  • How frequently should these skills be addressed?
  • What are developmentally appropriate contemplative learning activities?
  • How will we measure the short-term and long-term efficacy of these techniques?
  • Can and should all teachers be required to embrace these practices?
  • How will these techniques be infused into the public school setting?

As this limited list of questions suggests, there’s much work to be done. Yet, with the demands on children growing daily, it may well be worth the effort. For those with further interest, the website for the Garrison Institute is an excellent resource (www.garrisoninstitute.org).

What will be the future of mindfulness education? Perhaps, if a few more of our researchers join a few more educators to pass the message along to a few more students, a movement may grow. Perhaps it will be called the Nowness Movement and its members will help the Garrison Institute to promote its vision:

Contemplation is a natural human capacity that can be cultivated with practice. Becoming fully aware of one’s own nature and connections with the world engenders a deep respect for life. This, in turn, motivates ethical ways of living, caring for others, and thoughtful and compassionate action in the world.


Center for Empowered Leadership ®
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