Integrating Mindfulness During Distance Learning

�Discussing and sharing mindful strategies to help yourself and your students focus, organize, and be present during distance learning

By Lisa Kilcourse and Kimberly Shapiro

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May 8, 2020

Quick introductions

Name

School/Grade level

Position

What brings you here today?

Mindful Moment

Please make sure you’re sitting up straight, feet on the floor. Close your eyes if it’s comfortable and get ready to relax.

What? Why?

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Aggression

Academic performance

Social performance

Executive functioning

Self-awareness

Resiliency

Blood pressure

Heart disease

Chronic pain

Sleep

GI issues

Immunity

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Stress

Anxiety

Depression

Mood

Focus

Working memory

Self-esteem

Productivity

Emotional intelligence

Emotion regulation

Clarity of thinking

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Mindfulness is

“… the awareness that arises through paying attention, in the present moment, on purpose, without judgment.”

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

Benefits

Reactivity

What? Why? continued...

Science shows

• Prefrontal cortex
• Amygdala
• Hippocampus

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It’s not just meditating and yoga!

When students are unbalanced they do not have access to higher level decision making capacities

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Allows executive functions of the brain to come back online

What does Mindfulness Actually Do?

Autopilot

Stimulus → Response

Mindfulness

Stimulus → Mindfulness → Response

*Mindfulness trains our minds, which in turn trains our brains.*

Creating a virtual space

Physical Space

• Create a space that allows you to feel comfortable
• Consider your home’s background noise
• Change of scenery for certain calls
• Where can you be most productive?
• Tip - refrain from working on your bed or in pajamas - spaces/items associated with sleeping, when used for anything besides sleeping, negatively impact emotions and productivity

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Mental Space

• Know what times work best for you
• When can you be most present?
• Consider your back to back meetings - schedule yourself breaks ahead of time and use them to do something fun, relaxing, enjoyable… recharge your batteries
• Create ground rules for yourself and others and adhere to boundaries

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*Important for both staff AND students!*

Meeting others where they are at

• Wifi and/or devices being shared
• Rooms being shared
• Parent job stress (both working at home, layoffs, decrease in pay)
• All kids at home (college, babies, etc.)
• Language barriers

Being “mindful” of other families and what they might be going through.

Assignments might not be priority for them the same minute that they are priority for you.

Fighting the Negativity Bias

• The idea that, even when of equal intensity, things of a negative nature have a greater effect on one’s psychological state than neutral or positive experiences

• A concerted focus on the positive can help reduce the effects of negativity - practicing gratitude is important to combat this

Virtual awkwardness

• Acknowledge and accept it
• Allow for wait time and inevitable glitches

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The power of breath

Slow the stress system down

Prevents answering intensity with intensity

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ease-anxiety-and-stress-take-a-belly-breather-2019042616521

Now breathe...

Examples:

• Before you click “join”
• Activity that begins your work with student
• Humming
• Singing

Scripts

Q & A

Any questions/suggestions/ideas? Let’s share!

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