Lessons from a Mindful Journey: Suggestions for Educators by Bill Zimmerman
Academic stress and the social pressures of college life have left a generation of college students looking for relief. In an exploration of more than 150,400 students who received mental health services at 139 college and university counseling centers, researchers found that more students are seeking services with the primary concern being anxiety (Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2017). Mindfulness, a way of being focused on living in the moment and observing thoughts nonjudgmentally, may be a tool for professors to help these students. What follows is a roadmap for how educators can use contemplative practices to take college students on a mindful path toward healing.
Haynes et al. (2013) define mindfulness as “moment-by-moment present awareness, which is available to everyone, regardless of religious or spiritual orientation” (p. 64). Mindfulness practices can take various forms, such as meditation, deep listening, exercises with the body and journaling. After these activities, they found that undergraduate students reported experiencing an increase of empathy and a sense of community in the classroom, sensed more patience and compassion toward themselves and others, learned new ways of managing stress and felt more creative. A study of first-year college students found that mindfulness-based programs increased students’ satisfaction with life and led to a decrease in depression and anxiety (Dvořáková et al., 2017). The program focused on improving emotional regulation, introducing mindfulness techniques focused on stress relief and creating a supportive learning environment.
From my own experiences teaching journalism as an adjunct instructor at Pennsylvania State University, some areas of focus in the mindfulness-based approach for college educators repeatedly appear.
Establish a regular practice for yourself
If instructors expect students to unlock the benefits of mindfulness, they need to be companions on the journey, willing to take time for contemplation outside of the classroom and bring mindfulness’ spirit of nonjudgement into the classroom. Uhl and Stuchul (2011) warn that instructors need to be aware that feelings of their own inadequacy can manifest as harsh judgment and disapproval toward students. To bring about compassionate self-acceptance within students, instructors must be on a journey of “self-discovery, self-knowing and self-love” (p. 81).
Mindfulness practices can be mutually beneficial for both educators and students. A mindfulness program for middle school teachers resulted in the educators reporting more positive emotions, less burnout and fewer physical symptoms of stress (Harris et al., 2015). The Holistic Education Faculty Circle at Penn State uses similar practices from the study such as meditation and a sharing of experiences among colleagues to support professors. I’ve joined in multiple sessions and find it enlivening. Participants in the circle start with a guided meditation and hold discussions in the “council” style, allowing each member time for uninterrupted sharing through the passing of an object such as a stick or a heart-shaped stone. As one participant put it, we’re “recognizing that our lights burn brighter in community” (Zimmerman, 2017).
During especially stressful times in the semester, I found it helpful to take a few moments for gratitude, simply a little quiet time to dwell on a student whose writing has significantly improved, a student who thanked me for an insight or a student who simply told me to “Have a good weekend.” I’d take a break from grading to spend a few seconds giving thanks for these small breakthroughs, make a mental gratitude list for the day before going to bed or playback these moments during a 10-minute morning meditation. What matters is that these encouraging moments don’t slip away. All of this illustrates ways that we as instructors can be exemplars for our students.
Nurture students’ mindfulness practices
Mindfulness practices can be an antidote to students facing traditional pressures (e.g. to fit in and to succeed) as well as newer pressures (e.g. information overload and a sense of isolation), according to Janice Wall (2014) who started teaching a course called “A Holistic Approach to Healing” in 2004. In the freshman psychology course at Lesley University, Wall begins each class with a one- to two-minute mindfulness practice. An emphasis on mindfulness is also evident in the assigned use of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s best-seller Wherever You Go There You Are as required reading in Wall’s course. In response to these actions, Wall writes that students report a level of relaxation that sets the tone for the day and a better ability to focus on the present.
Educators at Penn State are using methods for cultivating relaxation and heightened focus such as starting class with a guided meditation, encouraging students to take note of their thoughts for a moment before writing, leading students through standing yoga poses and conducting deep-breathing exercises before exams. To further nurture students’ fledgling mindfulness practices while teaching a course, I invited doctoral students to speak about mindfulness research. The doctoral students offered meditative techniques to the students who then wrote an article summarizing the talk in the remaining class time. The topic resonated with students as the stress of finals week approached. My students appreciated a topic that was out of the norm as well as the brisk deadline that wouldn’t be hanging over their heads for weeks. The assignment itself was a significant exercise in mindfulness given that effectively writing on a tight deadline requires an intense focus on the task at hand. Introducing students to the concept of mindfulness through texts and lectures along with opportunities for them to put principles into practice in class can make the benefits more immediate and profound.
Create a space for reflection and questions
Mindfulness creates a place where inquisitive students can have their curiosity satisfied and their pathways to worthwhile reflection opened. Uhl and Stuchul (2011) urge instructors to make eye contact, smile and greet students in a genuine way, and to avoid judging, blaming and labeling students who have not met our expectations for behavior or objectives of performance. They recommend shared agreements with students, such as a class mission statement, and building discussions on a model of speaking and listening rooted in compassion.
When students turn questions inward through reflective exercises it “can promote resiliency and resourcefulness in the face of life’s dynamic challenges and encourage habits of individual and collective attention and analysis” (Rogers, 2001, p. 55). The analysis completed by Rogers (2001) explored methods such as journaling, role modeling and questioning, and advocates for personal and professional reflection through individual and group activities as well as with a mentor. In order to create an open space for reflection and inquiry in my own practice, I prompted students to reflect weekly on what’s going well in my teaching of the course, what needs to be improved, and what topics they want to see covered more by having them anonymously share their thoughts on sticky notes. This encouraged students to analyze their experience and conveyed a level of trust, allowing them to play a role in shaping the course. I received input on the topics that are most challenging to the students, ways I could improve my delivery and aptly timed compliments on my strengths as an instructor.
In conclusion, instructors willing to create stillness and heightened awareness in students, as well as in themselves, may appear to be following a trend or subscribing to new age notions of well-being, but evidence suggests that a stressed-out generation is finding real benefits through a mindfulness-based approach to education. By nurturing themselves with a personal practice, leading students to techniques that are useful inside and outside of class, and creating a welcoming space for reflecting on the journey, educators can empower today’s college student.
References
Center for Collegiate Mental Health. (2017). 2016 Annual Report (Publication No. STA 17-74). Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/ccmh/files/2017/01/2016-Annual-Report-FINAL_2016_01_09-1gc2hj6.pdf
Dvořáková, K., Kishida, M. Li, J., Elavsky, S., Broderick, P.C., Agrusti, M.R., & Greenberg, M.T. (2017). Promoting healthy transition to college through mindfulness training with first-year college students: Pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of American College Health. Jan 11: 1-9. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2017.1278605.
Haynes, D.J., Irvine, K., & Bridges, M. (2013). The blue pearl: The efficacy of teaching mindfulness practices to college students. Buddhist-Christian Studies, 33, 63-82. doi: 10.1353/bcs.2013.0015
Harris, A.R., Jennings, P.A., Deirdre, A.K, Abenavoli, R.M., & Greenberg, M.T. (2015). Promoting stress management and wellbeing in educators: Feasibility and efficacy of a school-based yoga and mindfulness intervention. Mindfulness, 7(1), 143-154. doi: 10.1007/s12671-015-0451-2
Rogers, R.R. (2001). Reflection in higher education: A concept analysis. Innovative Higher Education, 26(1). doi: 10.1023/A:1010986404527
Uhl, C. & Stuchul, D. L. (2011). Teaching as if Life Matters. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Wall, J. M. (2014). Finding an inner voice through silence: Mindfulness goes to college. Journal of College and Character, 15(2), 133-140. doi: 10.1515/jcc-2014-0017
Zimmerman, B. (2017). Holistic education group looks to sustain the ‘light and passion’ of teaching. Penn State News. Retrieved from http://news.psu.edu/story/453691/2017/03/10/holistic-education-group-looks-sustain-light-and-passion-teaching
Common resistance to Common Core? by Emily Hodge
The rise of the “Nones”: Does education explain the decline in religious affiliation? by Victor Sensenig
This subject matter is of so much importance to the current generation of students, as well as to their teachers. It’s essential for teachers and students to build relationships based on trust and acceptance. By using mindfulness techniques, teachers can first care for themselves, which in turn will cause them to show students how to learn self-care for themselves. As well, the growth of social-emotional learning has been making headway in schools because it allows students to learn in schools how to deal with stressors and anxiety and apply these techniques to other areas in their lives. It is a systemic framework that promotes growth throughout all areas of their lives. This form of learning also allows for way greater relationships and bonds to build among students and adults because of how to fosters greater self-awareness and self-understanding. Every Friday in the previous schools year, teachers from various districts attend session in Baltimore to learn about the “Happy Teacher Revolution.” The purpose of this Revolution is to educate teachers on mediation, yoga, aromatherapy, and other techniques that could be beneficial for their students in the long run. They make efforts to discuss their own choices and commitments to being a healthy and balanced teacher. These commitments they make will guide students in the long run to make their own commitments and goals to achieve their own self-growth and balanced-healthy lifestyles.
I strongly agree with this article’s assertion about how important it is to have time for mindfulness from every stress and pressure that students and educators face in their daily lives. Certainly, it would be also very helpful for educators or teachers to make them to reflect on what they need to improve on and to get more time to interact more in depth with their students. Ways to know how to maintain positiveness and to manage stress are related strongly to the potential that each individuals can reveal in academic field. Personally, I experienced that I can focus well on the studies for the exam when both of my physical and mental health are at the right point. When I feel like I can’t manage my stress well enough, I easily get distracted to other unnecessary things and it leads to the whole loop of unproductive outcomes. As the author states in this article, I tried to make my own time to meditate and listen to mindfulness music. Then, it really helped me to release stress. I would like to recommend mindfulness practice to any of students and educators who are under a lots of pressure and are in need of their own time of contemplation.
Contrary to what the banking system of education may suggest, being an educator has never been about simply spitting out information to ask students to regurgitate it twice a semester. In order to truly have an impact as a role model and mentor, educators must fulfill their due diligence in inspiring their students to maximize the potential of their learning. By teaching (and practicing) mindfulness in the classroom, educators have the ability to positively influence everyone around them. Every student has had a teacher who didn’t like them… just ’cause. And I’m sure that many teachers will report that they’ve had inherent biases for (and against) students for no real apparent reason. And those are the types of situations that could potentially be avoided if everyone were more aware and mindful of their thought processes.
And the benefits are definitely not confined to the educators; the younger students are when they start learning practices that they can apply to their daily lives to improve their well-being, the more they are able to focus on the content at hand and learn to their full capacity. Teaching requires a safe, open environment to facilitate the best learning, and can be achieved by creating a setting that encourages various methods to retain focus. The feeling of stress due to the overwhelmingly fast pace of life (also known as neurasthenia), as well as more traditional stresses in student life, makes mindfulness a uniquely necessary tool in our rapidly developing digital age.
I feel that this article assumes that professors are teachers when in reality they are not, they are facilitators of learning. They are researchers who share their expertise with students, although I do believe that mindfulness practices can be beneficial professors are not instructed or trained to teach unless they took a traditional education path which is uncommon in today’s time. My perception of college professors are they not the same as my perception of teachers although both are educators. It could be helpful to promote mindfulness practices in college classrooms, but I do not think that it is realistic. College professors are too focused on their own careers and their own research to care about stress in students. I do think that if we teach mindfulness in primary and secondary schools students will carry those skills with them forever and in turn benefit in the same ways. Another suggestion could be for the University to host events focused around mindfulness practices and teachings in order to promote it as a tool to combat stress. At penn state, it could be a CAPS program to help students who are prone to high levels of stress. Just providing the resources would be a great idea because I do not believe professors care enough to change their “teaching” practices.
Mindfulness and mental health are perhaps one of the most significant issues in the realm of higher education. While universities provide psychological services and counseling centers that are available as resources to students, there are other circumstances that come up and it can truly be hard to help students with all that can happen. Regardless, it is absolutely critical to encourage and assist with exercises and practices that encourage the well-being of all students on every front. As someone with a history of anxiety and depression, I have turned to practicing deep breathing and stress management exercises in order to achieve balance and calm down.
I like the comment under “Create a space for reflection and questions,” where it discusses the need to help students ask questions and reflect on what they are thinking and how they are feeling. I firmly believe that few things are more important than teachers/professors establishing a healthy, judgment-free environment for their students. Students aren’t always the quickest or most willing to admit a need for help, but based on personal experience, it has always been nice knowing that the professor is there as a resource. College creates a whole new realm of stress in students, and because of that, it is essential for instructors and other university employees to be prepared to help.