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Mixed Reality breaks through emotional barriers so students can experience life from new perspectives.

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Expanding your classroom with mixed reality is easier than ever. With simple tools, students can immerse themselves in learning, and dive deeper into each subject.

22%

Improvement in test scores among students using immersive technology

35%

Increase in student engagement and retention when learning with immersive and 3D technologies

Expand your classroom with MR

Dive deeper into every subject with the immersive and engaging power of Mixed Reality.

Increase student engagement

Increase overall success and improve learning outcomes when students learn with 3D technologies.

Fostering social and emotional learning

Mixed Reality breaks through emotional barriers so students can experience life from new perspectives. With this immersive technology, you'll create a setting for learners to collaborate and give them access to once out-of-reach experiences.

Windows 11 MR-ready devices

All the tools you need to get started are in your affordable, easy-to-manage Windows 11 device.

Case study

The results so far speak for themselves. There's been between a one- or two-letter grade improvement from pre-test to post-test scores, and students at WCU-Los Angeles had a 10 percent improvement in test scores compared to last year
Segar Annamalai, Chief Information Officer

Bring your lessons to life

With Paint 3D, we are making it easy for everyone to create in 3D.

Mixed Reality tools for education

Expanding your classroom with mixed reality is easier than ever. With simple tools, students can immerse themselves in learning, and dive deeper into each subject.

Windows 11 devices

Every Windows Mixed Reality-ready PC delivers a vivid, exhilarating experience.

Immersive headsets

Escape into the world of imagination with cutting edge, lightweight, and comfortable headsets from the most innovative hardware brands.

Mixed Reality apps

Students experience curriculum in completely new ways with Mixed Reality apps, bringing the content closer than ever in a truly engaging way.

Get Windows Mixed Reality for your school

Our MR kits are the perfect way to introduce your whole school to mixed reality.

Mixed Reality Apps for the classroom

Experience mixed reality apps with 25 volumes of free curriculum created by VictoryVR and nationally recognized teacher, Wendy Martin.

Explore even more MR devices

The best way to experience mixed reality is on the industry's most innovative devices, designed with MR in mind.

Windows Mixed Reality-ready PCs

Windows Mixed Reality-ready PCs deliver a truly beautiful, immersive experience.

Microsoft Hololens 2

HoloLens 2 offers the most comfortable and immersive MR experience available-all with the reliability, security, and scalability of Microsoft.

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Mixed Reality for Education | Microsoft Education

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Engage and empower students with immersive technology like Windows Mixed Reality for education. Using augmented reality for education helps students learn.

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Meeting the needs of all diverse learners

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Digital Learning Tools | Microsoft Education

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Empower every student with digital learning tools from Microsoft Education. Explore Microsoft learning tools for reading, math and writing apps, Immersive Reader, and more.

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Office 365 Education delivers the next wave of innovation for inclusive and collaborative learning

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Office 365 Education delivers the next wave of innovation for inclusive and collaborative learning

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Office 365 Education delivers the next wave of innovation

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This week at Bett, a global education conference, we’re announcing new features for Office 365 Education to empower personalized, collaborative learning.

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Microsoft Education

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As schools, educators, and students transition to remote learning, the right tools, training, and resources can help you continue to support the wellbeing of your students even when they're not within the classroom.

OECD Launches results from the world-first ever international comparative survey into Social and Emotional Skills (SES)

Watch the launch event of this world-first survey, featuring information about the scope, approach and findings from OECD Director for Education and Skills. Andres Schleicher, followed by a discussion with an international panel of education leaders and SES experts.

Prepare students with the right tools for social and emotional learning

Help students develop future-ready skills like self and social awareness, self-management, and responsible decision making with powerful technology from Microsoft.

Minecraft Education

Find out how you can help your students take a breath in Minecraft Education - Mindful Knight lesson, in this episode of You Can in :90.

Listen to the Educator Insider podcast episode on The Mindful Knight

Hear about the new Minecraft Education lesson that helps students practice mindfulness.

Engage and amplify, anytime and anywhere, with Flip.

Learn how students across ages, abilities, and confidence levels can come alive as they express their thoughts and creativity through short, social videos in response to educator-defined discussion prompts.

Connect all your learners with Flip

In less than 2 minutes, learn how you can foster creative discussion and engage all your learners using Flip. Help your students express themselves and their emotions through video, in an engaging social environment.

Listen to a podcast episode on building social and emotional skills with Flip

Hear one educator's story about how she's using Flip to help students build social and emotional skills and amplify their voice.

Transform learning with Microsoft Teams

Use Microsoft Teams to introduce your students to new ideas with challenging lessons that use collaboration to build the critical teamwork and engagement skills they'll need.

You can in :90 with Microsoft Teams

Get started with Microsoft Teams in less than two minutes with these easy-to-follow videos. Learn how to connect, collaborate, communicate, and engage students- from anywhere and on any device.

Listen to a podcast episode on Microsoft tools for remote learning

Hear some real-world examples of remote learning in action using Microsoft Teams and other technologies and tools.

Watch more "You Can in :90" videos from Microsoft Education

This video series features 90 second "How To" videos based on your top requested tips and tricks using Microsoft Education's technology in education.

Connect to the Microsoft Education resources and support you need

Promote social and emotional learning with resources and tools created just for educators.

Prioritize social-emotional learning with innovative solutions from Microsoft Education partners

Continue to support the wellbeing of your students-wherever they're learning-with low-cost and free apps from Microsoft Education partners that help give students the tools they need to be creative, confident, and optimistic learners.

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Social Emotional Learning Activities & Curriculum | Microsoft Education

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As schools, educators, and students transition to remote learning, the right tools, training, and resources can help you continue to support the wellbeing of your students even when they're not within the classroom. Watch the launch event of this world-first survey, featuring information about the scope, approach and findings from OECD Director for Education and Skills.

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padlet

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joan doyle padlet

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The Power of Social + Emotional Learning

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The Power of Social + Emotional Learning

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Flipgrid

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Hear the latest news and Grid Tips from Flipgrid.

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free downloadable resource from Transforming Education

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What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of awareness and a practice; it involves attending to the present moment and cultivating an attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance of one's experience. It is a secular (non-religious) practice that is backed by a growing body of compelling scientific evidence that indicates a wide range of potential benefits, from improving physical and mental health to promoting pro-social behavior. Mindfulness can play a vital role in helping students and teachers create a classroom environment conducive to learning and personal growth.

Learn More about Mindfulness

Below, you can download our Mindfulness Toolkit-a 90-minute professional development session designed for educators seeking research-based strategies to help their students build this particular competency.

Why Download the Mindfulness Toolkit?

Our free toolkit provides educators with a variety of resources and strategies to support the development of mindfulness.
The toolkit includes:

More information on what mindfulness is and why it matters;

A range of strategies teachers can integrate into their practice at all grade levels;

A video on student and parent perspectives on mindfulness; and

A facilitators guide (including an abbreviated guide for a 45-minute session).

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What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is a state of awareness and a practice; it involves attending to the present moment and cultivating an attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance of one's experience.

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Pause, Refocus, Assess: Meditation in the Classroom

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Pause, Refocus, Assess: Meditation in the Classroom

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Edutopia

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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In honor of Calm Classroom's 10 Year Anniversary, we are excited to share our new website and updated logo!

We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us on our mission to create more peaceful school communities across thousands of schools and classrooms worldwide.

Stay tuned for more blog posts featuring our latest news, mindful classroom tips, teacher self-care, and much more!

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, or CASEL, has announced that eight states will be working together to create and implement plans for social-emotional learning in their schools.

Thinking about starting a personal mindfulness practice or integrating mindfulness into your classroom?

Take this mindfulness test to gauge your moment-to-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and environment, as well as your ability to accept of these aspects of your life.

As growing numbers of children are exposed to toxic stress and its impact on their ability to learn, academic leaders around the country are calling for a more holistic approach to education. An op-ed published in last week's Baltimore Sun discusses how mindfulness-based interventions can address this need by improving students' ability to focus, manage their thoughts and emotions, and cope with stress. Click here to read the full article. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-breathing-showalter-20160609-story.html Calm Classroom is proud to empower educators with tools to help counteract the effects of chronic stress throughout the school day. Our simple, scripted mindfulness techniques increase students' self-awareness, overall well-being and ability to thrive...

We all experience stress, but sometimes it can be hard to know when to stop and take care of ourselves.

Over time, neglecting to manage your stress can lead to muscle tension, irritability, worry and eventually illnesses like anxiety, depression and high blood pressure.

An article published on May 20th in The Atlantic discusses the great potential our project with Erikson Institute, University of Chicago, Chapin Hall and Chicago Public Schools is beginning to demonstrate.

This post was written by guest blogger, Gozde Nur Sahin, a school counselor from Istanbul International School in Istanbul, Turkey.
Calm Classroom is gaining popularity around the world. Last semester, Spring 2015, Calm Classroom program was implemented as a pilot project in Istanbul International School, Turkey.

As the 2014-2015 school year comes to a close, we are reviewing our year-end school surveys and want to share some lovely thoughts from Calm Classroom teachers:

The Calm Classroom team recently had the wonderful opportunity to support a "Create Your Own Calm Classroom" contest at Shields Middle School. With their incredible leadership team, this school really rallied behind the effort and created their own superhero to encourage the students to participate in the project: The Calm Classroom Crusader. After about a month of hard work and creative brainstorming, two winners from each grade level were selected. These students were awarded certificates and prizes from the Calm Classroom Crusader and the Calm Classroom representatives at the January 29th Celebrations Assembly. These students, along with many other inspired students, created...

This week, Calm Classroom co-founders, Jai & Joy Luster, had the pleasure of presenting and exhibiting at the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) Conference in Nashville, Tennessee! The 18th annual conference was held at the Sheraton Music City Hotel. A bit more about SSWAA: The Association was organized in 1994 and is dedicated to promoting the profession of School Social Work and providing training opportunities to practitioners in the use of evidence-based practices to meet the needs of students, families and schools. For more information, visit their website here. We are so happy to be a part of this great...

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In honor of Calm Classroom's 10 Year Anniversary, we are excited to share our new website and updated logo! We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us on our mission to create more peaceful school communities across thousands of schools and classrooms worldwide.

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The 5 best social emotional learning apps for teachers

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The 5 best social emotional learning apps for teachers

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Social emotional learning (SEL) is a facet of learning that is difficult to assess and evaluate in students. Teachers must analyze student behavior and convert their observations into ratings and values on charts, which is complicated to say the least. It is also an ambitious task to try and reach children who have a social learning challenge in the hopes of helping them develop these crucial skills.

Luckily, these difficulties have caught the attention of some very innovative people, who have created digital tools that help develop and assess SEL.

Here are five great social emotional learning apps that you can use with your students to help them develop SEL skills:

1. SuperBetter

SuperBetter is a free mobile app that turns everyday actions into video game objectives. It encourages its players to set reasonable goals for themselves (stop smoking, be more active, overcome anxiety, etc.) and also to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Players can use "power-ups" (healthy actions like drinking water, taking a walk, or reaching out to a friend), do
"quests," and battle "bad guys" (representing bad habits and emotional challenges) to achieve their goals. The app is self-regulated, self-paced, and accepts customization to fit your goals.

Teachers can suggest that their students use this app to help them plan homework, study, practice for an oral presentation to overcome anxiety, have healthy sleeping habits, maintain a positive attitude in class, or any other areas where they're struggling or would like to develop better skills.

Pros:
It's free
It lets players set their own goals
It uses video game progression and rewards to encourage healthy behavior

Cons:
The only accountability is to oneself, so success very much relies on one's own determination
Not suitable for very young children because it requires players to have a good level of self-control

2. Middle School Confidential

Middle School Confidential is a collection of digitally rendered graphic novels designed for children aged 8-14. It aims to help tweens and teenagers tackle their lack of self-confidence with an easy-to-navigate story.

The app explores many situations that are difficult for teens, especially in a school context, where self-confidence (or lack thereof) plays an important role in the outcome of social experiences. Bullying, positive self-image and social interactions, friendship, and critical thinking are all subjects that are explored and discussed in Middle School Confidential.

This is a good app for teachers who want to help their students develop good social skills and promote healthy classroom culture by using an interesting and interactive story.

Pros:
It's reasonably priced
The app includes background noises that make each scene come alive
The player can send emails to the "characters" of the story to discuss and share their feelings

Cons:
Although it aptly discusses self-confidence and relationships, it doesn't have a cooperative or teamwork aspect
While it focuses very much on children 8-14 years old, it may not appeal or be suitable for people outside of the target age group

3. The Social Express

The Social Express is an educational curriculum designed to teach children and teenagers how to perceive emotions and handle social situations. It uses interactive animated videos that put its protagonists in many different scenarios, and the player is prompted to evaluate the emotions of the scene and decide what action the characters should do.

The characters are presented in social encounters inside and outside of school, where identifying and understanding their companions' emotions and state of mind is beneficial to the resolution. In doing so, players are encouraged to adopt positive social behaviors and develop their social emotional intelligence.

This is a useful tool for teachers who are looking for a visual aid for teaching students about positive social interactions or for teachers who want to help special needs students develop emotional intelligence.

Pros:
It can be used individually as well as in groups
The animated videos show the results of both good and bad decisions

Cons:
The app focuses on teaching positive social behaviors to children with a social learning challenge, so players outside its target audience may not find it as useful

4. Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind is an Aussie-designed mobile app that aims to teach "mindfulness" to people of all ages through sessions of guided meditation of varying length. It contains a vast repertoire of programs aimed at different age groups (from ages 6-12, to teenagers, young adults, etc.) and different activities (school, daily commute, sport, relaxation, and more).

The app is easy to navigate, and you can begin a new program at any time. You can use the app for a minute, two, or 10 anytime during your day to have a break and refocus.

This app can be helpful for students who have difficulty concentrating in class, who experience outbursts of frustration and anger, or who just need a short boost of calming energy during the day. Teachers can also use the school programs to initiate their entire class to relaxation and guided meditation.

Pros:
It's free
It takes mere seconds to set up and can be used for short "boosts" of mindfulness during the day
The programs for children and students are especially well done

Cons:
Its focus is mainly on self-improvement and healthy habits; only a small portion of its lessons tackle relationships

5. Classcraft

Classcraft is a classroom management tool that uses gamification to boost student engagement. One of its stronger aspects is its effect on class culture and student behavior: It encourages cooperation, communication, and other social emotional skills by rewarding these behaviors through its game aspects.

The program truly connects with children because it is built around an environment they know and are passionate about: video games. Unlike the other apps in this list, Classcraft is a much more in-depth management tool that also gamifies every aspect of the classroom to make it more engaging and fun - from quizzes and grades to exam review and teamwork.

This system is great for teachers who want to use gaming principles to develop collaboration, accountability, positive social interactions, and a healthy culture in their classroom.

Pros:
It is available to play for free, and it also has a Premium version that has even more features
It is an extremely versatile system for classroom management with many interactive tools
It is completely customizable to accommodate all subjects, grade levels, and students or teacher needs

Cons:
It requires a higher degree of involvement to make it work than it does for smaller apps
At the moment, Classcraft uses a fantasy theme, which some teachers might not care for
Photo credit: Syda Productions / Shutterstock.com

Adrien is a community manager intern at Classcraft. He enjoys literature, poetry, and video games. He studies English Literature and Linguistics.

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The 5 best social emotional learning apps for teachers - Classcraft Blog

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Social emotional learning (SEL) is a facet of learning that is difficult to assess and evaluate in students. Teachers must analyze student behavior and convert their observations into ratings and values on charts, which is complicated to say the least.

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Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom

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Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom

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With a new school year beginning, many students are expected to rapidly transition from months full of activity and movement to a classroom that relies-primarily-on stasis. This can be a problem, especially when considering that the persistent demand for teachers to do more with their students has, unfortunately, pushed schools into thinking that movement and free play are just wasted time.

But studies show that children who are more active exhibit better focus, faster cognitive processing, and more successful memory retention than kids who spend the day sitting still. Keeping the body active promotes mental clarity by increasing blood flow to the brain, making activity vital to both learning and physical and neurological health.

The problem is that there aren't enough hands. Many educators know how important movement is, but don't have the classroom support to safely handle active children throughout the day.

Fortunately, teachers can take advantage of several opportunities to keep children active during the school day-without needing additional help to keep things under control.

Why Sitting Shouldn't Be the Standard

Sitting still and being quiet have always been schoolhouse rules. In recent years, the mantra has gained more steam with worries that today's children lack focus or aren't grounded enough in what has been dubbed an age of distraction. A 2011 study by researchers at Duke University found that a student's capacity to concentrate is one of the best predictors of success. The researchers studied more than 1,000 children in New Zealand over a period of eight years to track their ability to pay attention, then followed up with them as adults to measure their health and financial stability. Those with more self-control were less likely to have difficulty with money or health problems.

Given the endless media streams from devices like smartphones, iPads, and iPods, it's no surprise that children today seem less focused than kids 30 years ago. But tying them down is not the solution. Over the past few decades, the time schools have dedicated to physical education and recess has steadily decreased. Yet experts agree that children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. With this in mind, savvy teachers are increasingly making physical activity an important part of their lesson plans.

Play and movement give kids the chance to release stress and take breaks from the rigor of schoolwork. While it's important for children to learn how to work while sitting still, we also need to realize when our bodies are telling us to take a break-even as adults.

I learned the necessity of movement for myself in my college years. I retained a lot from sitting and focusing for two hours, but gained much less if forced to sit for five hours at a stretch. This knowledge has translated to my own work as a school-based physical therapist. I now help children and adolescents (and their parents) access specific strategies that can lead them to a more productive lifestyle.

Making Time for Activity

Discipline and order in classrooms help shape children's habits and rules of behavior early on in their lives-and these needs are not very different from what we need as adults. At work, you may hear co-workers say, "I'm going outside to get some fresh air for a few minutes" or "I need to take a walk to clear my head."

A quick 15-minute break helps adults tackle the rest of their day, and the same is true for children. More importantly, physical engagement helps children build the foundations of their social skills, particularly for children who are naturally shy or have difficulty with certain developmental areas. Kids can learn empathy by sharing, and build self-esteem and leadership skills by strategizing and working as part of a team.

Daily activity also helps boost balance, motor function, brain function, and cognition. According to a growing body of research, movement increases blood and oxygen flow, which positively affects cognitive development, physical health, and mental well-being.

I have supported teachers by teaching them how to use media in the classroom for breaks. YouTube is a great resource for finding videos to guide movement breaks and exercises. Teachers can also allow for free dance or movement periods during their classes.

Here are a few other ways teachers can seize opportunities that allow children to be more active:

1. Set ground rules for play.

Inviting children to move around more in the classroom can feel like inviting pandemonium. But as with all new strategies, the key is to set ground rules so children know what to expect. Before inviting them to move about, explain the purpose of an exercise that requires physical activity. Plan lessons and activities-even non-educational ones like jumping jacks-beforehand with clear objectives, time limits, and a backup plan in case the activity doesn't go as expected.

2. Make learning activities more active.

Create gallery walks in which children must travel around the room to observe visual aids for different parts of a lesson. Have children form groups to discuss and answer lesson questions, then have them write their answers on the board. Play board games tied to the current lesson and include spaces that call for students to do push-ups or jumping jacks. Making children carry their assignments to your desk, rather than passing them forward, can also introduce more movement into their day.

3. Encourage periodic breaks.

Midmorning snacks are an important way for adults to hold their hunger in check until lunch, and kids should have the same opportunity. Hunger can be one of the biggest distractions to learning, and offering snacks can also be a physical activity. Line up juice and snacks on a table at one end of the room, and have children take their refreshments back to their desks or to another designated area for some variety.

4. Take midday walks.

Taking a quick walk outside can do wonders to help lift the fog from a child's brain. If possible, plan lessons that can occur outside, or incorporate a 10- to 15-minute window around noon for the class to take a walk around campus. Walking offers fresh air and is one of the simplest and most effective forms of everyday physical activity.

There's a long way to go before incorporating physical activity into general lesson plans becomes the norm. In my practice, therapeutic play that emphasizes physical activity is paramount for children to acquire important cognitive and physical skills. When kids are moving, they're having more fun, often making lessons feel less like work.

However, we can't just state that activity is good for learning; we also have to prove it by tracking the performance and development of children who are more active. Once we begin to measure these effects, we can better understand how to implement activities into the broader educational system and better gauge which ones will give children the greatest health and learning benefits.

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Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom (Opinion)

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With a new school year beginning, many students are expected to rapidly transition from months full of activity and movement to a classroom that relies-primarily-on stasis. This can be a problem, especially when considering that the persistent demand for teachers to do more with their students has, unfortunately, pushed schools into thinking that movement and free play are just wasted time.

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Classroom Activities for Character Building

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Explore Character Building classroom activities to inspire and engage your students

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edutopia

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Even when students are working with apps and devices, their learning should be social and connected to the world around them.

When using digital devices, children often struggle to transfer the skills learned via the devices into their everyday lives. In a recent study, for example, children who used software that showed them how to complete puzzles were unable to complete the puzzles using physical pieces-yet when a human demonstrated the task, the children were able to successfully complete it.

How does this research inform my classroom practice with technology? Instead of relying on the tutorials that come with the educational software we use, I demonstrate myself how to use it, and I create my own video tutorials because my students are more likely to take up the skill when they hear my familiar voice and see me demonstrating the features.

Over the past decade, research on technology in learning has emerged that informs educators on best implementation strategies when using technology. Below are three practices that teachers can employ so they are using research-informed strategies when selecting tools and integrating those tools into learning.

Keep Learning Social

Many schools have moved to a one-to-one device experience, but social learning should not go away just because students have a personal device. It's important to find digital tools and instructional strategies that allow students to have two-way conversations about what they're doing and learning.

There are several ways teachers can bring social learning into technology integration. Look for applications that allow synchronous collaboration and feedback, such as Collabrify Suite and Scratchwork. Both of these tools support students and teachers in working together on documents, editing, and providing feedback in real time.

Teachers can also integrate social learning instructional strategies-such as turn and talks, share alouds, think/pair/share, purposefully partnering students, and questioning techniques-into situations when students are working on devices.

Lesson example of social learning with technology: Students use Google Docs to write an argument. Have them take full advantage of the synchronicity of Google Docs by editing each other's work and giving real-time feedback with the comment feature. This allows the students to share in each other's learning by engaging together in the writing process via technology.

Ensure That the Technology Adds Value

Technology is effective when it adds value to the lesson by enhancing the learning in ways that could not easily be done without technology. For example, some tools support differentiation or break down concepts to make them easier to understand. Additionally, software that helps students elicit higher-level thinking tends to be more beneficial to cognitive growth than drill and practice software.

Teachers can ensure that technology integration adds value by looking for applications that support students in engaging with higher-level cognitive skills and differentiated learning.

For example, in the activity lab of Seesaw, teachers can select or create activities at different learning levels and assign them to individuals or groups of students. Math software such as CueThink helps students to work together on math problems, and focuses on the process of doing math, rather than drill and practice.

Teachers can also integrate instructional strategies when using technology that evokes higher-level thinking, such as asking probing questions, using visible thinking routines and graphic organizers, or asking students to do reflective notebooks. This is particularly important if students are using drill and practice software.

Lesson example of adding value with technology: Students record themselves reciting poetry with Audacity to work on their fluency skills. The Audacity software adds value to the lesson in multiple ways: It allows the students' word enunciations to become visible in audio waveforms, it allows students to hear themselves so they can make modifications, and it enables students use their higher-level cognitive skills such as analyzing and comparing.

Make the Learning Authentic

Teachers can bring real-world learning with technology into the classroom by using applications that allow students to learn with others outside the classroom. iNaturalist, for example, encourages students to explore biological species in their hometown and share their scientific analysis with people across the globe. And mobile scavenger hunt tools such as GooseChase -which allows students to do field-based activities to gather knowledge about their communities-make connections between classroom learning and the world around students.

Teachers can also integrate instructional strategies that connect authentic examples with the classroom activity, such as partnering with expert organizations for project-based learning activities, asking students to come up with what they want to learn based on their life experiences, making text-to-self connections, setting up a pen-pal program, or bringing in experts on topics.

Lesson example of authentic integration with technology: Students studying environmental impacts on animals participate in a virtual field trip to an aquarium, where they learn about sea turtles and how the environment plays a role in the animals' lives. The students ask questions of the experts at the aquarium and can see how the turtles react to different elements in their sea environment.

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Even when students are working with apps and devices, their learning should be social and connected to the world around them.

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Calm Schools Initiative - free download for teachers

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The Science Behind Mindfulness Meditation

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The Science Behind Mindfulness Meditation

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(great sketch-noting!)

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The Science Behind Mindfulness Meditation

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by Yoga with Adrienne

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Classroom Meditation - For All Ages!  |  7-Minute Guided Meditation

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Microsoft Education

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As schools, educators, and students transition to remote learning, the right tools, training, and resources can help you continue to support the wellbeing of your students even when they're not within the classroom.

OECD Launches results from the world-first ever international comparative survey into Social and Emotional Skills (SES)

Watch the launch event of this world-first survey, featuring information about the scope, approach and findings from OECD Director for Education and Skills. Andres Schleicher, followed by a discussion with an international panel of education leaders and SES experts.

Prepare students with the right tools for social and emotional learning

Help students develop future-ready skills like self and social awareness, self-management, and responsible decision making with powerful technology from Microsoft.

Minecraft Education

Find out how you can help your students take a breath in Minecraft Education - Mindful Knight lesson, in this episode of You Can in :90.

Listen to the Educator Insider podcast episode on The Mindful Knight

Hear about the new Minecraft Education lesson that helps students practice mindfulness.

Engage and amplify, anytime and anywhere, with Flip.

Learn how students across ages, abilities, and confidence levels can come alive as they express their thoughts and creativity through short, social videos in response to educator-defined discussion prompts.

Connect all your learners with Flip

In less than 2 minutes, learn how you can foster creative discussion and engage all your learners using Flip. Help your students express themselves and their emotions through video, in an engaging social environment.

Listen to a podcast episode on building social and emotional skills with Flip

Hear one educator's story about how she's using Flip to help students build social and emotional skills and amplify their voice.

Transform learning with Microsoft Teams

Use Microsoft Teams to introduce your students to new ideas with challenging lessons that use collaboration to build the critical teamwork and engagement skills they'll need.

You can in :90 with Microsoft Teams

Get started with Microsoft Teams in less than two minutes with these easy-to-follow videos. Learn how to connect, collaborate, communicate, and engage students- from anywhere and on any device.

Listen to a podcast episode on Microsoft tools for remote learning

Hear some real-world examples of remote learning in action using Microsoft Teams and other technologies and tools.

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Social Emotional Learning Activities & Curriculum | Microsoft Education

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As schools, educators, and students transition to remote learning, the right tools, training, and resources can help you continue to support the wellbeing of your students even when they're not within the classroom. Watch the launch event of this world-first survey, featuring information about the scope, approach and findings from OECD Director for Education and Skills.

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Run, Jump, Learn!  How Exercise can Transform our Schools

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Run, Jump, Learn!  How Exercise can Transform our Schools

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John J. Ratey, MD at TEDxManhattanBeach

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Run, Jump, Learn! How Exercise can Transform our Schools: John J. Ratey, MD at TEDxManhattanBeach

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Powerful Video about Mindfulness in Schools

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Powerful Video about Mindfulness in Schools

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(high school - teens)

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Powerful Video about Mindfulness in Schools

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Live from Bett: What's new in EDU- Change within the Microsoft Educator Center and fostering future-ready skills in students | | Microsoft EDU

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It's Day 2 of Bett and we're back, ready to share the latest innovations in education technology and helping you get you started using the new tools and resources we announced last week. You can tune in live to watch special episodes of "What's new in EDU" each day of Bett at 5:00PM Local London time or noon EST and 9 am PT.

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Yogi Beans is a kids yoga company committed to introducing young people to a healthy and lifelong activity that is noncompetitive, non-judgmental, physically challenging, and a ton of fun!

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Peace in Schools - Mindfulness Education

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Blog - Peace in Schools - Mindfulness Education

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What does mindfulness mean to you? It's a simple question, but when we asked teens in our program, their answers were profound. Some of their responses: "learning to love yourself," "compassion without judgment," and "being true to myself." Scroll down to see more!

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Seven Ways That Yoga Is Good for Schools

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Seven Ways That Yoga Is Good for Schools

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greater good

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At Edmunds Elementary, a diverse inner-city school in Des Moines, Iowa, yoga is on the daily schedule.

Each morning, every classroom begins the day with a "Be Well" discussion about topics such as gratitude, good citizenship, being a peacemaker, and getting enough sleep. Breathing, yoga-based movement, and a mindful meditation follow, helping students bring their attention to the present moment and preparing them for learning time.

© Sue Barr Photography

After lunch, the lights are dimmed and soft music plays as students return from recess for 10 minutes of quiet mindfulness and reflection activities, such as journaling, coloring, or listening to a guided relaxation story. Teachers even integrate yoga at other times of the day as needed, and they unanimously agree it's time well worth taking.

One teacher shared, "Practicing yoga and taking these mindful pauses throughout the day is like hitting the reset button, for all of us. I was going to leave teaching I was so overwhelmed. Not anymore."

Thanks to that reset button, the school is seeing results: Test scores increased more than 18 percent and the number of students being sent to the office decreased by more than two-thirds over two years. The school's principal notes that everyone is feeling a greater sense of community, connectedness, and engagement in school.

Edmunds Elementary, which uses a program we developed called Yoga 4 Classrooms, is not alone. Schools around the country, from San Francisco to D.C., are implementing yoga in classrooms and beyond, with students, teachers, and parents reporting tremendously positive effects. But does research back up their experiences? And what kind of results can we hope to see from yoga programs in schools?

While the science behind school-based yoga is relatively new, the initial evidence from a growing number of studies is promising. Here are seven ways that integrating yoga in schools can support students and teachers, while helping schools address many of the challenges common in education today.

1. Emotion regulation

In order for students to succeed at school and in life, it's crucial for them to develop self-regulation skills: the ability to monitor and adapt their behavior, attention, and emotions in response to internal cues, the environment, and feedback from others. And research suggests that school-based yoga may benefit students' self-regulation.

For example, a randomized controlled trial of 37 high school students found that doing 40 minutes of yoga three times per week for 16 weeks significantly improved their ability to regulate their emotions, compared to participating in a standard physical education (PE) class.

In addition, another study of 142 sixth-graders compared students who performed four minutes of mindful yoga at the beginning of their English Language Arts (ELA) classes over an entire school year to students who received regular ELA classes that included a few short discussions about mindfulness (but no mindful yoga). The results showed that this mindful yoga program also led to increases in self-regulation, according to student questionnaires.

2. Academic performance

Most schools use academic performance as the primary criteria for student success. Unfortunately, many students struggle to achieve or maintain adequate grades, which can lead them to disengage or drop out. But research suggests that yoga might improve attention and memory and alleviate academic stress, three factors that are important for academic success.

School-based yoga might also improve students' grades. For example, one study randomly assigned 112 high school students to participate in either yoga or PE twice per week for 45 minutes across the entire academic year. Among students who had high levels of participation, the yoga group ended up with a significantly higher grade point average (GPA) than the PE group.

Another similar randomized controlled trial assigned 95 high school students to participate in either a yoga program or a standard PE class. The study found that students who participated in the yoga program were able to maintain their GPA, whereas students in the PE group showed a decline in GPA during the 12-week program.

The authors write, "Yoga may improve academic performance by enhancing self-regulation which may, in turn, mitigate stress, thus leading to enhanced attention and learning."

3. Reduced anxiety and tension

Children and adolescents are exposed to a variety of stressors at school and at home. These stressors can range from extreme, chronic stress such as living through poverty or abuse, to relatively minor stressors such as test anxiety. Adolescents with unmanaged stress are at a higher risk for developing mental health issues such as anxiety disorders, which is why some researchers have explored whether school-based yoga might help reduce anxiety, tension, and stress.

One randomized controlled trial of 97 fourth- and fifth-graders assigned some students to participate in a mindful yoga program that met four days per week for 45 minutes. Compared to attending school as usual, 12 weeks of mindful yoga led to significant reductions in students' problematic responses to stress, such as experiencing repetitive negative thoughts and strong, intrusive emotions.

A study of the Yoga 4 Classrooms program found that a group of 18 second-graders who participated for a half hour per week for 10 weeks showed a significant decrease in cortisol concentrations from before to after the program. Cortisol in our saliva tends to increase during stress, and heightened cortisol concentrations as a result of repeated stressors may be detrimental to our mental and physical health. This study provides preliminary evidence that school-based yoga might help mitigate these negative effects.

In addition, one study enrolled 49 inner-city high school students to participate in a semester-long yoga and mindfulness program several days per week, and students reported significant reductions in their anxiety. Another study randomly assigned 51 high school students to participate in either a 10-week yoga program or a PE group that met a few times per week. The study found that tension and anxiety worsened in the PE group but improved in the yoga group.

4. Resilience to stress

School-based yoga may also help students cope with negative life events, like troubles at home or getting a low grade in an important class. For example, a randomized controlled trial of 155 fourth- and fifth-graders assigned some students to participate in an eight-week mindful yoga program that met for one hour per week. The study found that the yoga program helped students cope more often with difficult life events, compared to regular schooling.

Another study found that 30 elementary and middle school students who participated in a 10-week yoga program once or twice per week improved their resilience-the ability to successfully cope with challenging life events.

The authors concluded, "Yoga practice may increase the [students'] sense of control and self-efficacy with respect to stress and emotion, thereby increasing resilience."

5. Fewer problem behaviors

Bullying occurs quite regularly in schools; in 2011, approximately 28 percent of U.S. adolescents reported being bullied during the past school year. Bullying can lead to a variety of negative effects on students, including difficulties with academic performance. In addition, problem behaviors such as bullying often result in suspensions and disciplinary referrals, which means those students end up missing out on important academic material, too.

But research suggests that yoga might help. For example, third- to fifth-grade students who participated in a 10-week yoga program for one hour per week reported bullying others less after the program.

Similarly, another study of 159 sixth- and ninth-grade students assigned some of them to a semester-long, yoga-based social-emotional wellness program several days per week for a half hour. The results revealed that students in the yoga group had fewer unexcused absences and detentions, and became more engaged in school, compared to students who went to school as usual.

These positive effects might be due to yoga-based improvements in students' awareness of their emotions and behaviors. That might help students "control impulsive behaviors and negative reactions in order to meet situational demands and achieve personal goals," the researchers explain.

6. Physical well-being

National surveys estimate that nearly one-third of youth in the United States are overweight or obese, and that a lack of daily physical activity is a key factor at play. As a form of mindful movement, yoga is particularly well-suited to provide non-competitive, gentle ways for youth to engage in physical activity.

This 12-week study of 16 first-grade students who participated in 45 minutes of yoga twice per week found that yoga can improve motor abilities, including balance, strength, and flexibility. In addition, based on surveys from hundreds of parents, students, and PE teachers, another study found that a year-long program of yoga-based activities for 5-15 minutes per day improved students' physical well-being, including their body posture, sleep quality, fatigue, and diet.

"Yoga appears to be simply a stretching activity, but the variety and sequencing of postures coupled with the practice of deep breathing creates an extremely diverse and effective method of enhancing a range of health-related fitness skills," the authors write.

7. Teacher well-being and classroom climate

Advocates for school-based mindfulness programs suggest that the benefits of these programs might reach beyond students to impact classroom climate and teacher effectiveness. Preliminary research on yoga programs for educators suggests that yoga might be good for teachers' well-being, too.

For example, one study randomly assigned 64 educators to either participate in a 20-minute yoga and mindfulness program four days per week, or go about their work as usual. The results revealed that the 16-week program helped educators improve their mindfulness, positive mood, classroom management, and physical symptoms, compared to regular work. These educators also showed improvements in blood pressure and cortisol.

The promise of school yoga

Research on school-based mindful yoga is still in its infancy. Several research reviews support implementing these programs, but it's important to keep in mind that some studies have found limited or no effects from them. And many studies use "self-report" questionnaires where students rate themselves, rather than collecting objective data or reports from parents and teachers. Larger, more rigorous research needs to be done to clarify the benefits of these programs and what causes them, including the optimal amount of practice time and best practices for implementation.

In just the past two years, more than 350 new studies have come out exploring the benefits of yoga and mindfulness for youth-a clear sign that interest in this subject is growing rapidly. We're confident that the evidence for yoga in schools will continue to expand, and that it will help students cultivate social, emotional, and physical health; academic success; and a positive school climate.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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Seven Ways That Yoga Is Good for Schools

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Teaching yoga at school might help students feel better and improve their grades, new research suggests.

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The Pause That Refreshes: 6 ideas for creating mindfulness in the classroom

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The Pause That Refreshes: 6 ideas for creating mindfulness in the classroom

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by Betsy Caruso

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It's summer. Kids are out playing, or at camp or daycare, or on vacation with family. There are a couple of precious weeks of relaxed schedules and potential adventure awaiting the students who will fill our classrooms next month...

Unless you happen to be a teacher, particularly a newly minted one. Welcome to August. While much of the world is still focused on fun, teachers and other caring adults in schools are already busy.

Let's see-paperwork, network access, certification completion, paperwork, shopping for classroom supplies, reading up on incoming students, integrating whole-class schedules with specialist time for kids on IEPs (individual education plans), paperwork, curriculum planning, and meetings, meetings, meetings. The list is long, and the time is suddenly short. If you are an itinerant provider, such as a physical, occupational, or speech therapist who travels from school to school, the challenge can be even greater. Does this scenario feel familiar to you? You're deep in your thinking brain.

If so, take a moment to stop and check in with your body. Without judging or telling yourself the story of "why," what can you notice about the signals it may be sending? Is your breathing fast or slow? Shallow or deep? What's happening with your stomach? Your neck and shoulders? The muscles in your face? Perhaps you noticed that your stomach is growling, your shoulders feel tight, and your jaw is clenched a little as you simultaneously set up your room and try to tease out a solution to a new issue that cropped up in today's planning meeting.

You've just made a quick inventory of sensation that mindfulness practitioners call a " body scan ". Now imagine what it would be like to begin your teaching day with these sensations present. How would your relationships with students and colleagues be affected? How would your classroom environment be shaped? How do we take care of ourselves, so that we can take care of our school family? There is a reason that preflight instructions on planes tell us to put oxygen masks on ourselves before helping others.

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In that response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor Frankl

Mindfulness can play a part in creating and sustaining the kind of atmosphere and community that frees us to teach and offers kids the freedom to learn. By switching to our "feeling brain," we tap into a channel that we often push so far into the background of our consciousness that we learn not to acknowledge it at all. The practice of noticing what is happening in the moment and responding with non-judgmental friendliness is a resource to keep in your "toolbox" of pedagogy and classroom management techniques.

When we practice checking in with our sensations throughout the day, we allow ourselves time to choose a response to whatever is arising in our feeling brains by bringing our attention to what is happening in the moment.

That brief interlude to take inventory of our sensations and emotions is a mindful moment. A little chance to reboot if we find things are heading off in an unskilled or unhelpful direction. When we employ those brief moments of awareness, repeated throughout the day, we bring ourselves back to what is happening in the present.

If we necessarily spend time in our thinking brains and then practice checking in with our feeling brains, how do we keep our school day running? Can we just stop and be still with closed eyes in the middle of presenting a lesson on exponential growth? Of course not, unless we want to run the risk of encountering a live example of disruptive behavior during our own math period! It may seem counterintuitive, but we have to plan. Like a football team, we have to practice making the plays every day so that it can become intuitive. To create a mindful classroom, we must have a mindful grounding of our own.

If you were a part of Mindful Summer, you had a chance to learn about mindfulness itself and about ways to practice. If you already have some familiarity with mindfulness, you may know that establishing a regular practice is key to implementing mindfulness in your life, inside and outside your work environment. Here are some ways to bring mindfulness into your classroom and your teaching life.

1) Establish a regular practice.

To create a mindful classroom, it is important to be anchored in your own mindfulness practice. Find a few moments each day to sit quietly and focus on your breath. First thing in the morning can be wonderful, but the best time is the time that works for you.

Mindful Breathing
If you're brand new to mindful breathing, try this. Find a spot where you won't be disturbed. Sit with feet flat on the floor, and with a relaxed upright back and head. Place your hands in your lap on on your thighs. Close your eyes or lower your gaze to a spot on the floor in front of you. Breathe regularly through your nose, paying attention to each in breath and out breath. Thoughts may arise; plans, worries, ideas, ruminations or stories. When they do, just gently let them go and return to focusing on each breath.

Additional Resources for Guided Practices
There are many fine online sources for guided mindfulness practice:

2) Set intentions (prime the pump).

Most of the time, our curriculum and lesson plans tell us what we're going to teach. Setting an intention widens the focus to consider how we want to teach. An intention is a statement of how you want to be in this next period. Think about your goals for the way you want the experience to feel and how best to facilitate the skills you are helping your students to master.

An intention might be a general one, such as keeping things moving calmly in the days before a high stakes test, or it it might be as specific as responding to a challenging student or group with equanimity instead of going directly to control. It can be simple (but not necessarily easy) like, 'I want to be fully present.'

In his wonderful book The Mindful Brain, Dr. Dan Siegel writes "Intentions create an integrated state of priming, a gearing up of our neural system to be in the mode of that specific intention: we can be readying to receive, to sense, to focus, to behave in a certain manner." Mindful Schools Executive Director Robert Thomas spoke about this in his Back to School talk on August 13th.

3) Check on the environment.

Some of the best teachers I know begin the day with a short sit in the classroom. There is something wonderful about starting off together in silence, and even kindergarteners enjoy it. Students in middle and high school often protest that they're not interested in this quiet few moments, but in my experience students this age are also the most vocal about insisting on the morning sit if it has been forgotten. Some classes find that just after lunch or the end of the day is the best time for a few mindful moments. Experiment to find what works for you and your group(s).

After a brief (two to five minutes) sit, it can be helpful to get a short report from each student about how they're feeling. Popular metaphors for these reports include a one-word "weather report" (sunny, stormy, rainy, etc.), thumbs up, down or sideways, even sports analogies for the oldest students. The littlest ones can make an animal sound or hold up a colored piece to represent their mood (see Zones of Regulation for more on this). Don't forget to include yourself and any other adults in the room!

These environmental check-ins allow the entire group to get a general idea of the overall 'climate' in the room in that moment. This is great information for each person. As the group leader, you may decide to adjust or even completely change the next activity, based on what the reports tell you.

The students also see each others' responses, which informs them about how others may wish to be treated. A sweet surprise can happen in the form of one or more kids expressing heartfulness (or compassion) for a classmate who has given a negative report. This is usually most immediate in younger grades but often happens away from the gaze of adults in middle and high school aged cohorts.

4) Mindfulness objects.

Many classrooms have a signal of some kind used to bring everyone together or to focus busy minds in preparation for a lesson. A bell is ideal for this purpose. When I teach mindfulness in schools, the students eventually take over ringing the bell and watching as the class focuses on the sound and comes into stillness.

Another favorite is a Mind Jar or Brain Jar. This tangible metaphor for how our mood goes from agitation to calm. You can easily make one with a plastic or glass jar, some water, glycerin and glitter or glitter glue. There are lots of how-to articles on the web, but here's a good one.

5) Sound check.

Sometimes it can be challenging to get back into our bodies, especially after vigorous social activity. To help integrate brain and body, you can use a bell, rainstick or other reverberating object.

Invite students to sit quietly and listen to the sound of the object as you activate it.

Ask them to raise a hand when they can no longer hear the sound.

When all hands are up, invite them to notice how they are feeling.

Don't forget to notice your own state of integration. It may be helpful to do another sound check, if the class still seems unfocused.

6) Gratitude practice.

Millions of years ago when humans lived in the wild, our brains evolved to be alert to danger. Despite the fact that most of us no longer face the existential threat of wild animal attack, our brain still maintains that 'early warning system'. We are really expert at remembering the bad stuff but not so hot a recalling the good. Dr. Rick Hanson defines this 'negativity bias' as Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones. Gratitude practice helps us embody the emotions and sensations associated with positive experience. It can guide us toward equanimity by balancing out our overall perception of what has occurred during a certain period, be it math class, the school day, or a particular event at home.

Gratitude practice is a simple way to share and remind ourselves and others about the things that matter. Sitting in a circle and each sharing something we're grateful for can be a lovely way to end the day. This practice can be surprisingly informative, and don't forget to include yourself in the circle.

Incidentally, these ideas shouldn't be limited to your classroom. Employing mindful approaches to your relationships with your colleagues can bring great rewards and may even help change the culture in your school community. At a school where I worked for a number of years, we set an intention to treat one another in specific ways. Visitors frequently commented on how it felt to first enter the building and experience the authentic interactions among students and adults.

These techniques and practices can assist you in beginning (and continuing) the school year with authenticity, equanimity, and dare I say it-even joy. By employing them, we can expand beyond 'thinking' and 'doing', to 'being' as we create and sustain our learning community with intention, focus, heartfulness and gratitude. May you be curious. May you find wonder in each day with your children. May you be peaceful.
Betsy Caruso is a mindfulness teacher an academic tutor in Boston. She is a 2016 graduate of the Mindful Schools teacher certification program. You can learn more and contact her at Growing Responsive Minds.
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The Pause That Refreshes: 6 ideas for creating mindfulness in the classroom

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It's summer. Kids are out playing, or at camp or daycare, or on vacation with family. There are a couple of precious weeks of relaxed schedules and potential adventure awaiting the students who will fill our classrooms next month... Unless you happen to be a teacher, particularly a newly minted one.

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The Creativity Post

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Movement has been shown by educational, cognitive, psychological, medical, and behavioral research to be one of the best ways to get all children - neurotypical and neurodiverse (special needs) children alike - to gain control over their behavior and to engage with and retain what is being taught to them. When you look at the research around movement and productivity/engagement - for children of all ages and a variety of learning styles -- what is truly shocking is that every school does not already schedule movement into the school day and incorporate movement into school lessons.

If you read my last post, on the ever-growing Need for Inclusion Schools you'll already be familiar with my argument for why Special Needs children and typical children all benefit from being in classrooms together, and how regular movement in those classrooms can help facilitate this inclusion. Regularly-scheduled movement breaks throughout the day and movement used within and between lessons, help all children (both neurotypical and neurodiverse) regulate themselves, which leads to better-behaved, more engaged students who can more easily focus on and retain information from their lessons.

Most schools not only ignore the latest research on best teaching practices, but the teacher-centric, "sit still and listen" method of teaching still employed is one of the main reasons so many neurodiverse children are not able to be in regular schools to begin with, why so many children are said to have "behavioral problems" in schools in general, and why so many school children are being diagnosed with ADHD. It seems that the problem is less with the children, and more with the way schools are typically organized and run. Schools need to change with the times, become more flexible, more relevant, and more engaging, so that all students can connect with and learn from the material presented to them more effectively.

Regular movement has been shown to increase focus and retention in children and adults of all ages. Movement also helps all children regulate (ie, adjust their energy), and it therefore has been shown to lower rates of behavioral problems such as fighting and bullying. Many "behavioral problems" in schools today would be eased, and diagnoses would be fewer, if more movement was incorporated into every aspect of school.

There is no better time than the present to advocate for this change in schools. Every day, there is a new article highlighting research which shows how bad sitting for long periods of time is, not only for productivity, but for overall health. A recent article even cites an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic as saying, "If you've been sitting for an hour, you've been sitting for too long." And yet, in all these articles that go on about treadmill desks, standing desks, fitness bands, fitness trackers, and about the physical, emotional and mental problems that arise from sitting, there is no mention of how this issue concerns children and schools." This needs to change.

If children are being forced to sit still in school for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, year after year, for fear of punishment, suspension, expulsion, and psychological diagnoses if they actually do need to move, then how on earth do we expect them to have healthy, active lifestyles when they become adults?! How is this transformation supposed to happen? Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to institute healthy active policies into school so that all children grow up with the habits that not only help them learn best, but also help them become healthy, active adults?

For many years now, Finnish schools have understood the importance of incorporating regular movement into the school day, and approach it in a variety of ways. Most Finnish schools provide 15 minutes of recess for every 45 minutes of instruction. Researchers say this accounts for part of their ongoing academic successes. During the same time period, US and UK schools have, alternatively, reduced the amount of movement and recess time or break time that they offer primary school students, and students' performance has suffered accordingly.

Individual teachers and schools can make a big difference in their students' lives by incorporating movement into the lessons, classrooms, and/or school day. It also helps, of course, if school policies support their efforts. An emphasis on regular breaks for movement should be incorporated into EVERY classroom, into every lesson, and be made an important part of overall school policy. US schools are slowly starting to respect the need for recess and movement. Whether implementing school-wide movement breaks or recess, introducing movement breaks between lessons, or even incorporating movement into the lessons themselves, schools are slowly realizing how beneficial movement is to boosting academic performance and to regulating behavior and attention.

Schools don't need extra space and they don't need special instructors in order to do this. They mostly need to change their mindset and accept that movement is beneficial. Movement breaks can be included between lessons very easily. Teachers can reduce the amount of instruction time per lesson from 40 to 30 minutes, and then use the remaining 10 minutes for movement breaks, so that children are clear and focused before the next lesson begins. There are a number of movement-in-school programs that train teachers with moves for calming or invigorating students (whichever is needed at the time). There are also instructional podcasts, apps, and DVDs that can be purchased by a school in order to give teachers some ideas on what moves to give their students at what times. However, basic jumping jacks, running in place, and some stretches behind the desk are also very effective in helping students get the movement their bodies and brains need in order to perform at their very best.

The movement breaks cause a win-win situation, because the children are getting some exercise and regulation and, in addition, the shorter lessons are more easily remembered. The movement itself also helps children focus and retain more information from the lesson. Therefore, having 30 minute lessons plus 10 minutes of movement in between them, means a happier, more engaged student body, as well as students who will retain more information over the course of the day than would be retained from regular 40 minute lessons. More time teaching is not always better, especially if the lesson is not being absorbed and retained.

Other schools are incorporating movement into the actual lesson plans because they have found that the lessons that students understand deepest and retain longest are those lessons which incorporate movement. Whether it is using your own feet as a source of measurement, role playing a fight between the Aztecs and the Conquistadores, or having students circle and crash into one another to physically demonstrate how atomic particles behave during fission and fusion, students are more engaged and have better retention of subject matter when they are physically active during the lessons. The New Jersey Education Alliance, for example, prepared informational booklets and a website to give examples of movement-based lessons. They emphasize that "Students often learn better by doing."

The benefits of incorporating movement in lessons is supported further by research currently being done in "embodied cognition", in the field of Educational Technology. It shows that children, especially when they are young or if the material is difficult, can better understand concepts when they use movement to physically act out the concepts. Researchers at Columbia University show that embodied cognition makes abstract concepts more tangible. It "allows the learner to develop a "feel" for the concept being described, a physical sense that is more comprehensible and compelling than a concept that remains an abstract mental entity."

Still other schools are recognizing the benefits of giving the entire school 30 minutes or more of movement per day, either in the school gym or playground or even in a local park. The principal of a progressive inclusion school in Upper Manhattan, NYC, guides children through a series of warm ups and supervises Free Play every morning and afternoon in their school gym. She says it helps all the children, special needs and typical children alike, with both behavior and attention. Studies show that Recess, or Free Play (movement activities where children direct their own activities and are not directed by adults) is incredibly important to children's development of executive functioning and coping skills they will need in order to be successful adults, such as negotiating, planning, and coordinating with peers, and making decisions on their. These type of skills build independence and confidence, which greatly help with long-term success in life. Yet, studies show that the amount of Free Play in most American children's lives has declined tremendously over the past few decades, with many teachers restricting free play even further as a "punishment" for children with behavior problems, which of course, only increases their behavior problems. Researchers attribute many problems - including increases in children's behavior problems, anxiety, depression, and other psychopathologies, over that same time period - to the decline in free play.

A school district in Milwaukee, for example, brought back previously-cut phys ed classes 3 days a week this past year, in order to improve attendance records, boost academic achievement, and to increase student and parent engagement in schools. They found that kids came to school more often when they knew they'd have physical education that day, while recitals and sporting events brought parents into the school more often, making them more engaged in their children's learning. The trial was so successful, the school district will be offering physical education every day next year.

Movement benefits students' work and behavior in school, their understanding of difficult concepts, their retention of learned information, and their lifelong health and well-being. Movement is one of the most beneficial ways for ALL children to engage with and retain the information they are being taught in school. It makes lessons more engaging and memorable, it helps students focus, it regulates student behavior, it helps foster inclusive environments for all children, and it makes children want to come to school every day.

Keeping children active, engaged, and healthy, in the environment where they spend the majority of their waking hours, should be a top priority for all schools. Luckily, regular movement does not require a lot of space, a lot of time, nor a lot of money to implement. It mostly requires a change in teacher and school attitudes so that children's need for movement is not perceived as a negative.

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The Creativity Post | The Benefits of Movement in Schools

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Movement has been shown by educational, cognitive, psychological, medical, and behavioral research to be one of the best ways to get all children - neurotypical and neurodiverse (special needs) children alike - to gain control over their behavior and to engage with and retain what is being taught...

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Simple Tips for Yoga in the Classroom

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By Mary Rountree

Today's children are more anxious and stressed at school than ever before due to more rigid testing requirements and higher academic and social expectations. The prevalence of behavior and emotional disorders is on the rise in elementary aged children. As a third grade teacher, I've witnessed the changes just in the last ten years. There are more children in my classroom each year that respond to my beginning-of-the-year survey stating that they think bad thoughts about themselves, they worry about making friends, and they already think that they are "bad" at reading or math.

Three years ago I tried to figure out a way to help these children by giving them the tools to calm themselves during anxious moments, quiet their little minds of the negative thinking, and feel good about themselves in general. I had recently become certified in teaching adult yoga and knew the benefits for adults. So I began introducing some breathing techniques, guided visualizations, and a few postures a few minutes each day. That year, many of my students began to ask for "yoga breaks" and, when interviewed at the end of the year, they said that they use yoga techniques to calm themselves down during anxious moments, as well as to help them go to sleep. That information was all that I needed to dig deeper into the research to find more information about incorporating yoga into my classroom. That's when I discovered YogaKids International, and more specifically the program.

As teachers, we all face the dilemma of not having enough time to teach with depth and it seems like we are always just scratching the surface. We are bombarded by paperwork, testing requirements, classroom management issues, and now core curriculum expectations. Most teachers would say, "How do you expect me to fit yoga into my already jam-packed schedule?" My answer, as a teacher who feels exactly the same way, is to simply make the time to do it. Incorporating yoga can be as simple as 10 minutes a day. Some examples are:

Yoga Breaks: Have students take a 5-10 minute yoga break during a transition time such as after lunch, before a test, or first thing in the morning. The yoga break could consist of a breathing exercise to calm, energize, or ignite both sides of the brain. The kids think it's fun and, even though there will be some silliness at first, they will eventually participate fully without the giggles and funny gestures.

Use yoga lessons as part of your curriculum. Incorporate a story during reading, writing or science time and include some yoga poses or breathing techniques. A great story that I use early in the year is Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes.

Guided Visualization works wonderfully before creative writing time. There are several scripted books available online and through YogaKids, so all you have to do is read as the students have their heads on their desk and eyes closed. All they have to do is listen. his practice will help calm anxious students and get their creative juices flowing.

My personal journey with teaching yoga in the classroom began with these simple and easily integrated techniques. Most of the children love it and will even begin to expect it on a daily basis. The benefits for the children are decreased stress, more creativity, better behavior, and higher academic achievement. The benefits for the teacher are the same. If our students are receiving these benefits then it makes everything from classroom management, achievement, participation, and overall well-being for teachers better too.

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Yoga in the Classroom: Simple Tips for Integration

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Today's children are more anxious and stressed at school than ever before due to more rigid testing requirements and higher academic and social expectations. The prevalence of behavior and emotional disorders is on the rise in elementary aged children. As a third grade teacher, I've witnessed the changes just in the last ten years.

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Mindfulness Student Paced Nearpod Lesson

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Mindfulness Student Paced Nearpod Lesson

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by Kristin McCormick

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Best Practices for Bringing Mindfulness into Schools

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Best Practices for Bringing Mindfulness into Schools

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from mindful.org

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Creating a safe place for our kids to learn might begin with creating some space for them to breathe.

By Caren Osten Gerszberg

On a cold March afternoon, the hallways were abuzz with chatter and giggles at Chatsworth Elementary School in Larchmont, New York. As the kindergarteners from Liz Slade's class ambled into their classroom from lunch and recess and put their jackets and lunch boxes into their cubbies, Slade asked, "Can today's mindful leader please come up front and begin?"

Isabella, a 6-year-old wearing a heart-clad gray shirt and polka-dot leggings, quietly took a cross-legged seat on the classroom rug facing her peers. With her palms facing up and resting on each knee, she began to tap her thumbs on each of her fingers, simultaneously repeating the words "I-am-calm-now" with each tap. Without hesitation, each of Isabella's classmates, along with their teacher, followed their mindful leader, tapping their thumbs and saying "I am calm now," gently lowering their voices after each repetition until the room grew quiet. Slade then asked her students to slowly make their way to their tables and take out their "feelings" journal.

"They are learning the experience of settling their body," said Slade. "What used to be a wild time now becomes a charming, sweet moment when we all take a pause and come back to being present."

Chatsworth is one of thousands of schools across the country that is bringing mindfulness into the classroom. Growing numbers of teachers, parents, and children are reaping the benefits that learning mindfulness-defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn as "the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally"-can bring, including reduced levels of stress and anxiety, increased focus and self-regulation, and improved academic performance and sleep, among others.

Children today are faced with an unprecedented amount of stress and anxiety-25% of 13- to 18-year-olds will experience an anxiety disorder according to the National Institutes of Mental Health.

With heightened academic pressure trickling down to kids as early as kindergarten, resulting in less time for play and the arts, children today are faced with an unprecedented amount of stress and anxiety-25% of 13- to 18-year-olds will experience an anxiety disorder according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. Such early stress levels can negatively impact learning, memory, behavior, and both physical and mental health, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Escalating stress and pressure continue into middle and high school- a survey of 22,000 high school students conducted by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence found that, on average, students reported feeling negative emotions, such as stress, fatigue, and boredom, 75% of the time. An antidote to all this stress has never been needed more. Enter mindfulness.

Case Study: Mindfulness translates into improved academics

The Research on Mindfulness in Schools

While the implementation of school-based mindfulness programs for children in grades K through 12-such as Inner Resilience, Mindful Schools, Learning to Breathe, and MindUp to name just a few-is becoming more popular, empirical research proving the benefits of mindfulness is only beginning to emerge and more rigorous research will be needed over the coming decades. "We know very little about which programs work and what works for whom and under what conditions," said Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, Ph.D., co-author with Robert Roeser of the recently published Handbook of Mindfulness in Education: Integrating Theory and Research into Practice, and a professor and researcher at the University of British Columbia. A 2015 study by Schonert-Reichl looked at the effectiveness of a 12-week social and emotional learning (SEL) program that included mindfulness training. Ninety-nine 4 th and 5 th graders were divided into two groups: one received MindUp's weekly SEL curriculum and the other a social responsibility program already used in Canadian public schools. After analyzing measures, which included behavioral assessments, cortisol levels, feedback from their peers regarding sociability, and academic scores of math grades, the results revealed dramatic differences. Compared to the students who learned the social responsibility program, those trained in mindfulness scored higher in math, had 24% more social behaviors, and were 20% less aggressive. The group trained in mindfulness excelled above the other group in the areas of attention, memory, emotional regulation, optimism, stress levels, mindfulness, and empathy.

Compared to the students who learned the social responsibility program, those trained in mindfulness scored higher in math, had 24% more social behaviors, and were 20% less aggressive.

Although in its early stages, research on the effects of school-based mindfulness programs is being fueled by three decades of studies on adults, which shows promise for its psychological and physiological benefits. Researchers are turning their focus to children and teens to figure out what, when, how much, and from whom the teaching of mindfulness works best. "We don't have conclusive evidence at this point about the benefits or impacts of mindfulness on youth," said Lisa Flook, Ph.D., associate scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "We do see the promise of interventions and trainings on outcomes related to grades, wellbeing, and emotional regulation." In other words, the research looking at the benefits of mindfulness in education is pointing toward the positive.

"Mindfulness is a powerful tool that supports children in calming themselves, focusing their attention, and interacting effectively with others, all critical skills for functioning well in school and in life," said Amy Saltzman, M.D., director of the Association for Mindfulness in Education, and director of Still Quiet Place. "Incorporating mindfulness into education has been linked to improving academic and social and emotional learning. Also, mindfulness strengthens some underlying development processes-such as focus, resilience, and self-soothing-that will help kids in the long run."

This is What a Mindful Classroom Looks Like

No one sees the value of a child's impulse control and focused awareness as clearly as a teacher. Liz Slade, who's been integrating mindfulness into her classroom for the last eight years, once observed a student walk up to a tall structure of blocks being built by a few of her classmates. "I watched this little girl raise her foot to kick the blocks, take a breath and then walk away," she said. "The kids can learn to notice distraction, self-regulate, and ask themselves, 'What do I need?'"

Photo Credit: The Crim Fitness Foundation

Slade came to mindfulness on her own about 10 years ago, and after seeing the benefits in her own life, she started experimenting in the classroom with practices that used breathing and mindful listening. "As I became more knowledgeable, experimenting and seeing what was working, I was really impressed," she said. "The kids verbalized to me that they felt they had tools to use to handle stressful situations, which was very moving to me."

Recognizing the impact of her own practice and the positive effects in her classroom-and with the support of her school's principal, a critical component-Slade went on to apply for a grant for her school to bring in a formal training program called Inner Resilience, created by Linda Lantieri, who is also a founding member of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). From there, the support and enthusiasm spread throughout the Mamaroneck School District among teachers, parents, and the administration, with the Inner Resilience training program now offered to teachers and support staff at all six of its schools, which serve 5,200 students. "The best way to implement mindfulness is in an integrated way with social and emotional learning," said Lantieri. "If we are going to be in schools we need to make sure we are helping kids learn better, and if mindfulness can help with that, great."

"The best way to implement mindfulness is in an integrated way with social and emotional learning," says Linda Lantieri, a founding member of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

Most experts feel that the best implementation of mindfulness involves a teacher having her own mindfulness practice or at least an understanding. "It is how they teach, not just what they teach, and if a teacher is mindful in a classroom, the kids learn to be mindful," said Tish Jennings, M.Ed., Ph.D., associate professor at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, who started a program called CARE (Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education) for Teachers. "Teachers are really under a lot of stress and we know their stress affects our kids, so supporting them is a win-win," said Jennings. Her recent research found that teachers trained in the CARE for Teachers program felt less time urgency and were more positive and more sensitive. In addition, children were more engaged and productive.

For Rosalie Choniuk, a teacher at P.S. 94 in the Bronx, New York, learning mindfulness through the CARE for Teachers program has been life-changing. "I am a completely different person since learning mindfulness-mentally, physically and emotionally," said Choniuk. As an ENL (English as a New Language) teacher, Choniuk wears several hats in her school, often providing coverage for teachers when they need to be out of the classroom. Before developing her mindfulness practice, Choniuk grew anxious every time she was to report to a particular fifth-grade classroom, where kids were unruly and fights often broke out. "Now when I go, instead of having anxiety, I set an intention to be calm and deal with them in a positive manner," said Choniuk. "I see the changes in the kids, who are less reactive, and the changes in myself, and now I look forward to being in their class."

Create a Culture of Mindfulness in Schools

If a classroom teacher is not able to provide mindfulness lessons to their class, schools often bring instructors in from outside the school. But long-term mindfulness programs can be difficult to maintain in the classroom with this model. "With an outside person, programs can work insofar as they can train teachers to keep it up," said Trish Broderick, Ph.D., founder of the Learning to Breathe program and a research associate at the Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State University. "The advantage of bringing in a program to teach mindfulness is that it can be replicated and used effectively when taught by teachers or school staff who already have a relationship with the kids."

The Mindful Schools program prefers to call its approach an adoption-where mindfulness begins at the individual teacher level-versus a rollout, or top-down decision made by leadership to implement a new program. "We don't mandate this for all the teachers; we let it grow organically," said Camille Whitney, former head of research at Mindful Schools. "We encourage any number of people to take the course voluntarily, and encourage it as a group so they can practice and build a program together."

Photo Credit: The Crim Fitness Foundation

Integrating mindfulness into a health and wellness curriculum is another alternative for implementation. "Rather than adding on, a program can be supplemented into an existing program," said Broderick, whose Learning to Breathe program is often used as part of a middle or high school's health curriculum.

Last winter, Annie Ward, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the Mamaroneck Union Free School District, wandered into a high school health class during a school visit. Ward was struck to see the students sitting quietly with their eyes closed and feet on the floor, as they listened to a guided meditation the teacher was playing on a CD. "It was great to see this meditation happen with no fanfare, watching the kids settle right into it and seeing that it was clearly a ritual," said Ward.

Transform School Culture

When teaching mindfulness is accepted and embraced, it can change the tone and tenor of an entire school, or district. In 2008, the South Burlington, Vermont, school district began an effort to train teachers and students, using the Inner Resilience program for younger grades, and the Learning to Breathe program for older ones. For two years, almost 130 teachers volunteered to take the mindfulness training, and the program continued to grow and expand more deliberately to include cafeteria staff and bus drivers, totaling 170 trainees.

On top of the school-wide effort, they also invited parents to participate by offering evening mindfulness classes and lectures by local experts and visiting instructors, and in some cases, regular updates from teachers on mindfulness activities in the classroom. Training the teachers before the children and parental involvement were two components integral to the success of the South Burlington district's efforts, according to Marilyn Neagley, former director of Talk About Wellness, an initiative dedicated to funding and developing programs for youth and family wellness.

Including parents when a program is introduced is a way to expose them to what mindfulness is and is not. And then there's the questionable connection to religion, which can, in some communities, be a hot topic. "One of the most important things we learned from public meetings with parents and the community was to be sure the training is completely secular with no religiosity at all," said Neagley. The teaching is based entirely on emerging neuroscience and keeping all references to Buddhism, and words commonly used during yoga, such as namaste, out of the school vernacular is critical. In some schools, the word yoga has been replaced with "mindful movement" so there is no confusion about the ways in which mindfulness is being taught. "What we are teaching is how to pay attention and be more aware, and how to implement that awareness in our lives," said Lantieri. "What we are teaching we teach in a secular context."

One of the most important things we learned from public meetings with parents and the community was to be sure the training is completely secular with no religiosity at all," says Marilyn Neagley, former director of Talk About Wellness.

For systemic change to take place in a district-as it did in South Burlington -administration and teachers need to figure out where mindfulness can fit, how it will work, and what is needed to bring it in. And there needs to be a point person who can move it forward. "Any district I'm working with has a superintendent or assistant superintendent who is thinking five years out, not just about one classroom," said Lantieri. "That's how SEL started, with one teacher who got excited."

After journaling time was over, Liz Slade's kindergarteners gathered again on the rug to do some imagination breaths. Going around the circle, each child paired a breath with a made-up hand movement and named it-a snowflake breath, a jellyfish breath, a clamshell breath-and the rest of the class mimicked the movement. After a while, when the kids got antsy, Slade asked them to get up and jump around. There were wiggles and tumbles and twists and then she said, "Now make a mindful statue." The children froze in place, and all you could hear was the sound of their breath.

Tips and Practices for Teachers and Parents

By Susan Kaiser Greenland

When children and teens practice appreciation painful thoughts and emotions sometimes show up. As parents we often want to ease our children's pain, but children can easily misinterpret guidance to be thankful as an indication that we're minimizing their challenges, even when that's not the case. So how should we help when painful emotions do come up? We should encourage kids to view how they feel through a wide lens, not to gloss over their feelings or push them aside. When kids acknowledge their hurt feelings and remember the good things in their lives, they embody an open mind. There's a practice I like to do called Three Good Things that gives children a chance to practice this holistic mind-set when they're upset and they need it the most.

Appreciation Practice: Three Good Things

When faced with a disappointment, we acknowledge our feelings, and then we think of three good things in our lives, too.

Leading the game:

1. Ask your child: "Do you ever feel disappointed by something or someone?"
Listen to children's stories.

2. Ask: "How did that make you feel? "
Acknowledge children's feelings and, if appropriate, talk about them.

3. Say something like: "I bet even when you're feeling disappointed there are good things happening in your life too. Let's name three good things together."

Tips for naming three good things:

1. Remind children that the point of this game isn't to pretend they're not upset when they feel upset. It's to remember that they can feel two things at once: they can feel grateful for good things while feeling sad, hurt, or disappointed by challenges.

2. If children or teens have trouble thinking of three good things on their own, brainstorm and help them discover some.

3. When kids understand that this game is not about sweeping their feelings under the rug, the phrase "three good things" can become a playful and humorous response to the minor gripes that show up in family life. For instance, if a young child spills a glass of apple juice and looks like he's going to cry, you can respond with something like, "Ahhh, that can be frustrating. Can you name Three Good Things while we wipe the counter?"

4. Parents can encourage kids to remind them to name Three Good Things when they're stuck on a trivial disappointment or minor annoyance, too.

5. To develop a habit of thankfulness, play Three Good Things around the dinner table, before bedtime, and at other times when the family is together (and no one is upset).

The more families carve out time to practice appreciation when life is good, the easier it is for parents and children to be thankful for the good things in life when times are hard.

At first, appreciation and thankfulness may feel like a mere intellectual exercise. Yet the more families carve out time to practice appreciation when life is good, the easier it is for parents and children to be thankful for the good things in life when times are hard. When that shift happens, appreciation becomes an integral part of a family's worldview and is no longer just an intellectual exercise.
This article was excerpted from Mindful Games © 2016 by Susan Kaiser Greenland. Illustrations © 2016 by Lindsay DuPont. Reprinted in arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO.

A Guide To Bringing Mindfulness into Your School

What can you do to bring mindfulness into your child's school? What are the best strategies, practices, and resources to implement a mindfulness program? Implementing a school-wide mindfulness program can take several years, so create a well-thought-out plan that includes presenting programming to parents and faculty. Be patient-making changes in schools can be a lengthy process. Here are a few things to consider:

Why teach mindfulness?
1) Kids are stressed.

1 in 8 children in the United States suffers from Anxiety Disorders. (National Institutes of Health)

1 in 5 children suffers from a mental health or learning disorder, and 80% of chronic mental disorders begin in childhood. (Child Mind Institute)

2) Teachers are stressed.

According to research, most teachers experience job stress at least two to four times a day, with more than 75% of teachers' health problems attributed to stress. (National Education Association)

The Benefits of mindfulness

Studies show that the benefits of mindfulness may include:

Increased focus, attention, self-control, classroom participation, compassion

Improved academic performance, ability to resolve conflict, overall well-being

Decreased levels of stress, depression, anxiety, disruptive behavior

How to bring mindfulness into schools

Start with teachers. Teachers are the vehicle for integrating change into a school's culture. Is there a teacher who already has a mindfulness practice, and is willing to champion the effort to bring mindfulness into your child's school? If not, are there teachers willing to learn more about the benefits of mindfulness for themselves, as well as their students?

Know the science. The research on teaching mindfulness to children is only in its beginning stages, yet there are studies that show its impact on both the body and the brain. Scientific evidence is an important component for bringing administrators and faculty to embrace your plan.
A few key studies:

A 2016 study in Frontiers in Psychology measured emotional well-being of 7- to 9-year-olds and found that a school-based mindfulness program improves higher-order thinking, and helps students become more engaged, positive learners.

A randomized controlled study in the Journal of School Psychology on more than 100 6th grade students found those who completed classroom-based, teacher-implemented mindfulness meditation were significantly less likely to develop suicidal ideation or thoughts of self-harm than the control groups.

A study of 4th and 5th graders published in Developmental Psychology found that students who received mindfulness training improved their cognitive ability and stress physiology, reported greater empathy, perspective-taking, emotional control, and optimism, showed greater decreases in self-reported symptoms of depression and peer-rated aggression, and were more popular.

Engage faculty, administrators, and parents. Including parents and school staff-and ideally support staff, such as aides, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers-will provide the basis for the most effective implementation of a school-based mindfulness program. If there is hesitation or resistance to mindfulness, take the time to offer the facts, benefits, and science, and emphasize the importance of teaching mindfulness in school in an entirely secular way.

Look for developmentally appropriate practices. Mindfulness in schools comes in different shapes and sizes-just like the kids-so research the programs that fit specifically with the ages in your school. There are some designed for the youngest ages, which differ in style and content from those designed for older grades.

Which mindfulness program is right for your teachers?

There are a variety of programs you can consider recommending to teachers and administrators, or for your own training. Some are online, some use recordings, and some may require in-person training. Here are a few to consider:

4. Cheryl Brause
Mindfulness Instructor
Daniel Warren School * Rye Neck, New York

On a recent visit to the Daniel Warren School, where she's a visiting mindfulness instructor, Cheryl Brause entered a second-grade classroom, sat down, and made eye contact with the children who settled on the floor in front of her. "Instead of feeling the need to tell them what to do, I could simply acknowledge them one by one, silently welcoming them into our time together, and this let them know that I am here to listen and to be present with them as we explore mindfulness together," said Brause. As her own practice and knowledge deepened through a yearlong mindful educator certification that she completed this summer, Brause recognizes the changes in her experience. "I'm much less distracted while teaching, thinking less about what I need to accomplish, and more present and focused on the kids, allowing the lesson to flow from there."

Brause came to mindfulness as a means to slow down and be more present in her own life. It began with a yoga practice, and after trying a variety of types of meditation, it was an MBSR class that exposed her to mindfulness. "I realized how quickly mindfulness resonated with me and made a real difference in my everyday life," said Brause. "It made me realize how distracted I had been and how little time I spent being fully present."

10 Mindful Books for Adults

1. Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom, by Patricia A. Jennings.

2. Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness In and Out of the Classroom, by Meena Srinivasan.

3. The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate, Susan Kaiser Greenland.

4. Learning to Breathe: A Mindfulness Curriculum for Adolescents to Cultivate Emotion Regulation, Attention, and Performance, by Patricia C. Broderick.

5. A Still Quiet Place: A Mindfulness Program for Teaching Children and Adolescents to Ease Stress and Difficult Emotions, by Amy Saltzman, MD

6. Growing Up Mindful: Essential Practices to Help Children, Teens, and Families Find Balance, Calm, and Resilience, by Christopher Willard, Psy D

7. The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness Skills to Help You Deal with Stress by Gina M. Biegel

8. Mindfulness for the Next Generation: Helping Emerging Adults Manage Stress and Lead Healthier Lives by Holly Rogers, MD, and Margaret Maytan, MD

9. Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids and Teens Hardcover by Christopher Willard PsyD and Amy Saltzman MD

10. Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain Hardcover , by Daniel J.Siegel, MD

8 Mindful Books for Children & Teens

1. Visiting Feelings, by Lauren Rubenstein

2. Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee Maclean

3. Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents), by Eline Snel.

4. Take the Time: Mindfulness for Kids, by Maud Roegiers

5. Have You Filled a Bucket Today? By Carol McCloud

6. Lemonade Hurricane, by Licia Morelli and Jennifer Morris

7. What does it mean to be Present? By Rana DiOrio and Eliza Wheeler

8. Anh's Anger, by Gail Silver

Read More

So much of communication is actually not about what we say. It's about how we come across, the tone of our voice, our body language, and all of that is an expression of our internal state. So this is one of the reasons why mindfulness is such an essential and... Read More

If you're trying to bring this into a school, or into an organization, you find the person most likely who's going to be open to it, and you start there. Maybe, you just start in that one classroom. Find a Mindfulness Ally I have a friend, she's a nutritionist and... Read More

Join the Mindful Educators Community: A free resource for teachers, students and communities

A free resource offering the best practices for bringing mindfulness into the classroom from 25 of today's leading mindfulness experts and educators. Read More

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Best Practices for Bringing Mindfulness into Schools Creating a safe place for our kids to learn might begin with creating some space for them to breathe.

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Tech Tools to Support a Mindful Classroom

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Tech Tools to Support a Mindful Classroom

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from Common Sense Education

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Help students learn to deal with stress and their emotions with these mindfulness-promoting tools.

As you probably know all too well, technology use is increasing for both teachers and students, and so are the types of tools that are being introduced in schools. Young students are wearing Google Glass to document their work, teachers are rushing to their computers to check email, and classrooms are bustling with activity as small groups gather around iPads to create projects. With this growing number of tools, there comes an influx of information and a host of choices that didn't exist before. Given this reality, it's important that we help our students (and ourselves) find ways to manage technology with purpose and avoid information overload. Interestingly, even ironically, some of the best solutions involve technology. From my experience, these mindfulness-promoting tools can truly make a difference in the lives of students.

Practicing mindfulness is a great way to help avoid feeling overloaded. It can also help students learn to deal with stress and their emotions. Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as "maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment." Mindfulness has been shown to improve the ability to focus, especially for those with ADHD ( New York Times, 2014) and to lessen stress and increase well-being ( The Huffington Post, 2013).

Teachers can find lots of great free tools to integrate mindfulness in their classrooms. Below are two websites and an app I tried this year that worked very well for different groups of students. GoNoodle was the most successful tool for whole-class mindfulness, and Stop, Breathe & Think was useful for one-on-one work and for older students. Calm.com is a great tool to have open in the background as students are working or as a quick option to help students transition and take a few moments to be more aware, either individually on their own devices or with the whole class.

GoNoodle is a free website that provides a selection of brain breaks you can use with elementary and middle school students. They can help kids transition between activities, get moving, or, conversely, slow down and simply breathe.

GoNoodle now has two fabulous brain breaks that focus on mindfulness:"Air Time" and "Flow." Each activity is only about three minutes long, so it's easy to fit into your day. "Air Time" is a simple breathing activity that guides students to breathe in and out with a floating bubble. "Flow" is an excellent first step toward making mindfulness a regular part of your classroom's culture. It provides guided meditations for students in grades K-7 paired with visuals and movement. There's even a teaching guide to help you get started.

Designed specifically to help students learn how to meditate and integrate mindfulness into their day, this iOS app encourages students to stop and check in with their thoughts and feelings, raising their self-awareness. In response to the feelings they choose in their check-in, students see a selection of guided meditations tailored to their current state. This app is more suited for older students and individual practice. This would be a wonderful tool to use in 1-to-1 environments so students could access the app whenever they feel overwhelmed or stressed. You could introduce it early in the year with a quick overview of the app and a class exercise using the in-app activity, "Learn to Meditate.

If you need a quick and easy tool to help your students feel more mindful, check this one out. It loads instantly to a relaxing visualization and also provides a selection of sounds and even guided meditations to help you and your students feel calm. It's great for any age and can be used individually or as a whole class. Ask students to visit the site on their own while taking a break in a "peace corner/chair," or display the site for the whole class, encouraging students to become more aware of their thoughts and feelings and increase mindfulness before a lesson or activity.

All of these resources help guide students' attention to a single focus -- their breath -- and help them learn how to be more aware of their thoughts and feelings. These skills are invaluable in a world where we're often so busy multitasking that we're unaware of how distracted and overwhelmed we become during the day. Using these tools in your classroom can help model for students how they can use technology purposefully and in ways that support their well-being. Plus, it should bring an increased sense of calm, focus, and awareness to your classroom.

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Tech Tools to Support a Mindful Classroom | Common Sense Education

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As you probably know all too well, technology use is increasing for both teachers and students, and so are the types of tools that are being introduced in schools. Young students are wearing Google Glass to document their work, teachers are rushing to their computers to check email, and classrooms are bustling with activity as small groups gather around iPads to create projects.

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by minds in bloom

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Brain Breaks Can Be Quick!
Click here to read more posts like this!
Do you use Brain Breaks with your students? You should! This amazing guest post about from pediatric occupational therapist Loren Shlaes was so popular that I decided to follow it up with a list of Brain Breaks for kids! These are great to use anytime your students are feeling restless and are struggling to pay attention, and easy to slip into your lesson plan. Most of these will only take a few minutes, and then you can get back to the lesson with your students ready to focus on the lesson at hand. Check out all our Games!

20 Brain Breaks You Can Use Today!

5-4-3-2-1 In this simple game, students stand up and the teacher (or leader) has them do five different movements in descending order.

For example the teacher would say: "Do five jumping jacks, spin around four times, hop on one foot three times, walk all the way around the classroom two times, give your neighbor one high-five (pausing in between each task for students to do it).

1. Trading Places Have students stand behind their pushed-in chairs. Call out a trait, and everyone who has that trait must change places with someone else (students who do not have the trait stay where they are). Examples: "Everyone with curly hair." "Everyone who ate cereal for breakfast." "Everyone who is wearing stripes."

2. Six Spots Number six spots around your room from 1-6. Have students each go to a spot of their choice. Choose a student to roll a die (if you can make a big one out of foam, it adds to the fun). All the students at the number rolled must go back to their seats. Students that are left go to a new spot, and the die is rolled again. Continue until only a few students are left. You can click here for a digital dice you can project! Here's another way to roll a brain break!

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1. Mingle, Mingle, Group! In this game students mill about the classroom saying, "mingle, mingle, mingle" in soft voices until the teacher says, "Groups of 5," at which point the students must quickly group themselves into groups with the correct number of people. Students who are left over must do three jumping jacks before the next round starts. The teacher can call out any number for the group size. You can also add rules such as: as soon as a group is complete, all members must sit down in a line.

2. Dance Party! Put on some rockin' music and dance! If you can make the room semi-dark and have a black light or other special effect, your kids will love it!

3. Freeze Dance! Similar to Dance Party, except that every so often the music stops, and students must freeze and hold the position they are in until the music begins again.

4. Name Moves Students stand behind their chairs. In turn, each student says his or her name accompanied by a special movement. For example a student might say, "Kayla!" while dramatically dropping to one knee and doing Jazz Hands. After the student does his or her move, the rest of the class says the student's name in unison and imitates the move. Then it is the next student's turn.

5. Keep It Up Students must keep a beach ball from hitting the ground. Add two or three balls to make it even more fun.

6. Simon Says An oldie but a goody!

7. Movement Songs Sing a song with whole-body movements, such as, "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," "Father Abraham," "Toe-Knee Chest-Nut," "Shake Your Sillies Out (Raffie)," "Grand Old Duke of York," "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean," etc.

8. Recorded Movement Songs Older students might enjoy a simple Zumba routine, YMCA, or the Macarena. Littler ones will love Sesame Street's A Very Simple Dance to Do.

9. Animal Pretend Younger children will enjoy pretending to be various animals (or even objects such as lawn mowers or airplanes). Call out a few in sequence.

10. Would You Rather Ask a "would you rather" question and have students show their choice by moving to one end of the room or the other. Have a few kids share why. Here are 20 free "Would You Rather" Questions to get you started.

11. Find It Fast Call out a color or other trait (e.g. something round, something made of wood), and students must find an object in the room that fits the trait and get to it quickly.

12. Physical Challenges Challenge students to do something physically difficult, such as standing on one foot with arms extended, or this one: Grab your nose with left hand, and grab your left earlobe with your right hand, and then quickly switch so that your right hand is on your nose and your left hand is grabbing your right earlobe. Yoga poses could also be a good variation.

13. Plates Give each student a paper plate. Students must walk around the room balancing the plates on their heads. If a student drops his or her plate, the student must freeze until another student picks it up and places it back on the student's head (while keeping his or her own plate in place, of course).

14. Line Up! Have students line up using a specific criteria, such as age (use day and month, not just year), height, alphabetically by middle name, hair length, etc.

15. Limbo All you need is a long stick and a pair of kids to hold it. Music is nice, too.

16. Human Knot Divide students into groups of about eight students. Have students each grab right hands with someone who is not directly next to them. Then do the same with left hands. The challenge is to untangle and become a circle without releasing hands.

17. Jump Skip Counting Have students count by twos, fives, tens etc. while jumping with each count. You could also practice spelling words this way.

RANDOM Brain Break Chooser!

Brain Breaks to the Rescue!

Whether you're teaching 5th grade or kindergarten, brain breaks belong in your daily routine and can significantly boost students' mental health, focus, and overall classroom experience.

These short, engaging activities are perfect for providing a much-needed mental break, especially during long periods of instruction. With a wide range of ideas (I mostly used 4th grade brain breaks!) available, it's easy to find activities that cater to different interests and energy levels.

As educators, it's essential to keep our classroom ideas fresh and engaging, and incorporating these brain breaks can be a game-changer for indoor recess or as a quick pick-me-up during the school day.

By making time for these rejuvenating exercises, you'll create a positive classroom environment that helps your students develop healthy habits for managing stress and maintaining focus.

So go ahead, give these brain breaks a try, and watch your students flourish both academically and socially!

What's your favorite Brain Break? Leave it in the comments!

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Brain Breaks - 20 awesome ways to energize your students FAST!

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Brain Breaks Can Be Quick! Click here to read more posts like this! Do you use Brain Breaks with your students? You should! This amazing guest post about why kids need to move from pediatric occupational therapist Loren Shlaes was so popular that I decided to follow it up with a list of Brain Breaks for kids!

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Yoga for the Classroom - A 10 minute standing practice you could use in class

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Yoga for the Classroom - A 10 minute standing practice you could use in class

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by Yoga with Adrienne

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Yoga For The Classroom - Yoga With Adriene