Ten Easy Ways to Create a Mindful Environment in your Classroom: Strategies that Work For Me Every Day (37)

Mindfulness is SEL, with some Personalization

Mindfulness encompasses self-awareness, kindness and positivity. How we can self-regulate, think inwardly and direct our behavior, even in the toughest of times. It's about feeding our positive wolf and not feeding our angry wolf. It is about responding not reacting. Making sure we believe in ourselves and that we look for ways to elevate and support those around us.

SEL, Social Emotional Learning, is an educational strategy where we help our students to manage their emotions, take perspective and empathize with other people. It is a tool where we can help students build respectful relationships and make better personal choices. Mindfulness strategies can be used to aid SEL strategies. The two merge quite beautifully in fact. For me they are one and the same.

I use mindfulness strategies to help my students meet their SEL goals. Every day, consistently, reflectively, we integrate mindfulness into our lessons, we use openers and closers, brain breaks, writing prompts and positive, purposeful speak. It is something we have done since the beginning of the year, but it can be easily introduced mid-year.

Anytime you feel your class needs a positivity boost, these strategies might help your class be more respectful and responsive to one another. My first year I introduced my S.T.O.M.P. strategies after Spring Break and every year since it has been the first day of school. (see my S.T.O.M.P. post from earlier in the year for more about my specific lessons on mindfulness:

https://practicalrebellion.blogspot.com/2019/10/hocus-pocus-its-time-to-focus-stomp-out.html 

10 Easy Ways to Create a Mindful Environment

1- Mindfulness Warm-up and Exit Ticket (Purposeful Talk)
A warm up example- Why are people rude? How can we make sure we are not rude in return? Then a quick 2-3 minute discussion about taking the time to listen and understand perspective.

An exit ticket example- At the dinner table tonight, ask your family, "What does mindfulness mean to you? Is our family mindful?"

2-Mindfulness Journal and Visual Art
Every day students write or draw in their mindfulness journals. I usually ask them, "How are you feeling today? or How are you thinking today?" We often reflect back on the video we watched earlier in the year by reflecting on how our angry wolf and happy wolf are doing. They draw cartoons or comics, using wolves.

Here is a link to the video http://www.viewpure.com/vzKryaN44ss?start=0&end=0

3-Positive Spirit Board
On my graffiti wall students write positive and optimistic quotes. We discuss them throughout the week. Students explain why the quote 'spoke to them' and how it fits into our mindfulness routine.

4-Teacher Proximity- Consistent Positive Speech
I walk around a lot. Stay in the teacher zone and just listen. I listen for positive speak, which I give positive feedback for, by saying "thank you for using your positive word," or I redirect with mindfulness, "I am sure you are frustrated, however, could we maybe use more positive words to express our emotions?"

5-Choose Our Words Reminders (Brain Breaks)
During our brain break time- I generally do one of the steps of S.T.O.M.P. (explained in the link above) We might stand and quietly reflect, think about our actions, optimize our mindfulness by making eye contact and pair up with someone in the room to discuss something about mindfulness, we speak a mindful comment to our neighbors, or we write a quick write in our journals to remind ourselves to be present and focused in class.

6-Collaborative Work with Roles and Objectives/Peer Relationships
When we are actively learning, collaborating in pairs, teams, or larger groups, I make sure that each person gets a role card and that every member has a specific task to complete. This keeps them more focused and purposeful. The more specific instructions, as far as purpose, the better, it keeps them mindful, of their part in the lesson.

7-Competitive Activities to Reinforce Sportsmanship
Competition is good. I use timers to do card sorts, complete mini-labs and even kahoot! creates a sense of competitiveness. Some students will rise and shine others might slink to the shadows at first- but if we create safe places to fail they will get in there and give it their all. Allowing teams to play, lessens the anxiety and strengthens camaraderie.

8-Student-Teacher Relationships
Any educator will tell you this obvious fact- build relationships with students. Your demeanor, facial expressions, body language, tone, words and eye contact mean everything. It is not enough to be nice or kind. It is not enough to be firm and structured. Students like both actually. They prefer a structured classroom but at the helm they need a mindful, positive, interactive, respectful, PRESENT, teacher to steer the ship.

9-Negativity Check Shoe-Box
I have a shoe box in my room- with a hole on top. Students put slips of paper in it about anything negative they hear, or saw someone do. Sometimes they are anonymous- while, other students want me to know a person is unkind to them. I walk around a lot, but of course I miss things. They let me know if I have a trouble spot or need to reinforce any aspect of mindfulness in our next lesson.

10-Mindfulness Jar
Along side the negativity box, is a mindfulness jar. This one is clear and shiny. Inviting colorful notes. The purpose of this is for students to share mindful moments: they experienced a moment of kindness, they heard or saw someone else being mindful, they noticed me being mindful and kind. Anything optimistic and happy. This jar fills up pretty fast and I choose the best ones and add them to our positive spirit board.

These are a few synonyms for mindfulness: I ask students to add these to their vocabulary to expand our understanding and expression of what mindfulness means.

diligence
interest
enthusiasm
consideration
prudence
vigilance
concentration
caution
thought
circumspection
direction

Each of these words to me are visceral. They make me feel a totally different thing, yet they are all part of mindfulness. I explain to my students every day that mindfulness is learned. We are not born mindful. We have to practice it. We have to nurture it. We have to cultivate it daily. We are great at it some days and others not so much. We have to forgive ourselves, for the moments when we forget to be mindful and look for moments where we can be, so we can make up for them.

Mindfulness is an on going process with ups and downs and we have to keep both wolves in check. They both are our companions and if we have a classroom full of wolves, its inevitable we will have some clashes. We just need to stay vigilant, diligent and considerate- this will keep our angry wolf at bay more often and our happy wolf full and enthusiastic.