Ohio Department of Education Q and A: Mindfulness and Social/Emotional Intelligence Training for Teachers and Schools

I recently gave a presentation to the Ohio Department of Education on my work with mindfulness and social and emotional intelligence training for educators.  Here is a Q and A from the talk.

Can you provide resources that provide research-based support for mindfulness and SEI (social and emotional intelligence) training for teachers?  

There are three reports that I would point to for research-based support for the work I do in training administrators and teachers.  These are also the reports cited in my presentation:

• Teacher Stress and Health: Effects on Teachers, Students and Schools– This briefing published by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and the Pennsylvania State University outlines the negative impact that teacher stress has on student performance, school budgets, and teachers’ own lives.  In addition, SEL (social and emotional learning) and mindfulness are two recommended tools for combatting this stress.

• The Mindful Leader– This research brief published by Ashridge Executive Education outlines the importance of formal mindfulness practice as a tool to improve leadership capabilities.

• State of the Science: Implicit Bias Review 2016–  This research review provides substantive evidence for the use of mindfulness as a tool to mitigate the effects of implicit bias in educators.  Implicit bias has an impact on quality of education and engagement for students.

Does mindfulness require a structural approach?  

It certainly helps.  However, the benefits of mindfulness on an individual level are also significant.  According to the American Psychological Association, mindfulness practice benefits include:

• Reduced rumination
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Improved working memory
• Increased ability to focus
• More cognitive flexibility
• Higher relationship satisfaction
• Improved overall well being
• Increased empathy
• Reduced psychological distress

In addition, mindfulness changes the structure of the brain.  This article from The Washington Post interviews Harvard neurosceintist Sara Lazar on the exact structural differences in those with a formal practice.

How can we convince administrators to incorporate this?  

Mindfulness and SEI training for teachers both solves problems currently facing the educational system and has multiple benefits currently being sought.  One problem it can help to solve is the high rate of educator turnover and burn out, which costs school districts both time and money.  If teachers can be better supported through improved culture and additional self-care resources, retainment will be less of an issue.

The second is the impact on student outcomes.  Students who have teacher who experience less stress have higher levels of social adjustment and higher academic outcomes (see Teacher Health and Stress Brief for more information).

The third reason is the social and emotional intelligence gains, including increased resilience and improved ability to relate to others, that students will experience as teachers model mindfulness and SEI for students and change the culture of the buildings in which they work. According to Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence and EQ expert, “Teachers are the crucial models for kids in this domain [EQ}…  teachers teach it by their being, by how they handle it when two kids are having a fight, how they notice that one kid is being left out and make sure that he’s included, by how they tune into the social dynamics that between kids looms so large in kids’ lives.”

What data is available on how mindfulness has made a difference in the classroom?  

This article called “When Teachers Take a Breath Students Can Bloom” from NPR describes explicitly some of the research for how mindfulness training for teachers impacts student learning outcomes positively (for example, improving students reading scores).  In addition, according to the Teacher Stress and Health research brief cited above, teacher stress negatively impacts student outcomes.  If teachers are less stressed, kids perform better.

Is this being implemented in Ohio Schools?  

I am implementing SEI and mindfulness training in Central Ohio School districts right now.  My multi-tiered approach begins with the adults working with young people (which is best practice) and will eventually lead to whole-school implementation.  Projects are catered to the needs and budget of the district in which I am working, but in all cases, I use a transformative model of adult education in which I seek to shift the perspective of the educators.

Where does this fit in with all of the other things teachers have to do?  

Mindfulness and SEI training provides tools to help teachers do all of the things they need to do without sacrificing their humanity, their health, and their wholeness.  Educators who have worked with me leave feeling more capable of doing all that is required of them and often take more time for themselves after the experience is over.

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