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“In what ways can the regular implementation of mindful practice in a classroom be
beneficial to the mental health of students and teachers?”
Essential Question #1: What types of practices promote mindfulness in and outside of the
classroom?
As topics regarding mental health and well-being (and the potential detrimental and wide-ranging
effects of such), have become increasingly more prevalent in present society (Ronis, S.T. et al. 2017: 956;
Kutcher, S., Bagnell, A., & Wei, Y., 2015), it is becoming apparent that the implementation of innovative
strategies to understand and properly promote a healthy mental health state are paramount. In particular,
these skills and strategies should be taught throughout the entirety of young students’ education in order
to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to deal with current and later mental health
issues (Manion, I.G. 2010). One such innovative strategy has been proven beneficial within a classroom
Mindfulness refers to “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the
meditation may include activities such as breathing exercises, body scanning, loving-kindness meditation,
and thought observance meditation (Newman, 2016). The incentive and application of this practice is to
regulate feelings of stress and anxiety, encourage attention, enhance academic learning, promote the
increase of positive emotions, vitality, and focus, and among other benefits in order to develop healthy
and effective coping methods. This ultimately ensures a better quality of mental, emotional, and physical
health for the individual who practices regularly. As has been demonstrated, mindfulness can be used as a
“potential construct to manage stress and enhance academic success” (Mcconville, J., Mcaleer, R., &
Mindful practice is like a seed that is planted within students; ultimately, it is their decision if
they would like to nourish that “seed” and let it grow to become a more prominent presence in their life
within and outside of the classroom. Regardless, students are equipped with the fundamental knowledge
Essential Question #2: What could be potential benefits of practicing mindfulness in a classroom
setting?
“As approximately 14-25% of Canadian children and youth have a diagnosable mental disorder”
(of which only 25% will receive treatment) (Manion, I.G. 2010: 50) and a further “29.1% of Canadians
aged 13-19 years have mental health problems” (956), yet only 43.3% of high-school aged youth felt that
they have a high level of coping skills (Centre for Chronic D.P., 2017), it is apparent that many youth are
struggling to deal with mental health. Furthermore, in a Canadian study, 24% of students perceive school
as very stressful and 60% find school moderately stressful (Gouda et al. 2016: 2). These stresses that
students face and the “emotional dysregulation that accompanies those stresses can interfere with
students’ happiness, learning and socialization within the classroom” (Killoran 2017: 99). These findings
suggest that many school-aged youth lack the support, knowledge, and innovative resources needed to
Mindfulness practices have been shown to “improve people’s ability to tolerate and cope with
negative emotional states, by extinguishing responses and avoidance behaviours” (Meland et al. 205:
192). These practices have also been shown to increase overall awareness and acceptance ( Dragon, N.
2015). In terms of physiological effects, mindful practices “may lead to decreased physiological arousal
and better autonomic regulation (e.g., parasympathetic cardiac control and respiration)” (Crescentini, C.
2016: 313). Overall, mindful practices can be extremely beneficial to students in and outside of the
classroom in aiding them to cope with the emotional and physiological effects of stress. By teaching
students about mental health from a young age, in a non-judgmental and supportive manner, a
theoretically reduced level of de-stigmatization can be achieved. This can be extremely beneficial as up to
63% of youth have indicated that “embarrassment, fear, peer pressure, and/or stigma were the major
barriers to young people seeking help for mental health problems” (Manion, I.G. 2010: 51). By
destigmatizing negative mental health and teaching students the skills necessary to effectively manage
stress and maintain positive mental health in a wide variety of practices and applications, students could
become less afraid to seek help for mental health issues and can become capable of managing stresses in
and out of the school environment. In addition to aiding students, mindfulness in classrooms can greatly
benefit educators. As it is well known, teachers have a demanding profession; the result of which is that it
is estimated that nearly half of teachers are at risk for burnout and severe stress (Gouda et al. 2016: 3). By
understanding the “ways that teachers manage job-related stress has implications for their health and well-
being, as well as their effectiveness on the job in the classroom” (Taylor, C. et al 2015: 115). In a
comparable study, emergency room nurses were taught a variety of mindful practices which were to be
used daily. By the end of the pilot study, many nurses reported they felt more confident, focused, relaxed,
and were able to “have more emotional energy to give to patients” (McIntosh, T. 2014: 73). This pilot
study can theoretically be applied to teachers as well, whereby teachers can partake in mindful practices
Essential Question #3: How can this be an inclusive practice while acknowledging it may not be as
beneficial for certain students?
Maintaining inclusivity within a classroom is a dynamic and ever-evolving task, and the
incorporation of mindful practices must not become static because the dynamics of a classroom
continually change from year to year and from student to student. That being said, the act of giving
students “choice is a consistent characteristic of mindful teaching” (Sherretz, C. 2011: 84). Teachers must
regularly incorporate a variety of choices and opportunities for students in order to reflect the fact that
“learning is not always a linear process” and that the flexibility of mindful practices encourage
individuals “to view the information from several different perspectives instead of from one constructed
category” (Sherretz, C. 2011: 91). By ensuring a variety of practices are available in multiple forms to all
students, students play a major role in deciding which practice is most effective for them.. Furthermore,
mindful practice is not restricted to able-bodied individuals, those of differing socio-economic standing,
ethnicity, cultural background, gender identity, age, physical fitness, or any other differences. Mindful
However, some students may not be as eager to participate, or may take advantage of certain
opportunities, such as meditation, in order to pursue more leisurely activities. Ultimately, mindful practice
can be universally beneficial, provided that the learner is willing to become an active participant in their
own practice.
Regardless, the implementation of mindful practice may be faced with financial backlash. In
particular, in Canada we are “dealing with a fragmented, [and] underresourced mental health system” that
is “compounded by an uneven distribution of existing resources across geographic regions” (Manion, I.G.
2010: 51). A similar financial situation can be compared to the current and past educational systems on a
provincial and federal level. Nevertheless, mindful practice can be implemented in a classroom without
the addition of material items, and teachers can learn mindful practice alongside their students and do not
necessarily require additional certification in order to teach mindful practice. Nonetheless, it is up to the
school and the teacher as to the extent to which they would like to add mindful practice to their
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