Mindfulness in Secondary Schools
Why teach mindfulness to young people?
Mindfulness is all about becoming more aware of our experience so that we can choose how we respond rather than being pulled into unhelpful automatic stress reactions.
The .b mindfulness course teaches young people how mindfulness can help them when they feel angry, scared, sad or worried so that that difficult thoughts and feelings do not have to take over their day or shape their behaviour.
Young people learn to find a quiet place inside themselves which they can use to steady themselves when they get distracted or when life feels challenging.
The course also explores the importance of ‘growing happiness’ and how the young people can learn to savour good moments so that they build resilience and a sense of well being which can support them in their difficult moments (click here to read fuller details of the content of each of the 8-10 lessons).
What exactly is the .b mindfulness course?
The .b mindfulness course was created by the Mindfulness in Schools Project and consists of between 8-10 one hour lessons which can be taught to 11-18 year olds as a full class, in smaller groups or one-to-one.
Since training with the Mindfulness in Schools Project in 2014, I have been teaching .b in the classroom and after school clubs in both state and independent schools in Buckinghamshire.
Each of the mindfulness lessons is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation using striking visuals, film clips and activities to enable the children to understand how mindfulness can help them to train their minds to concentrate better, make good choices and do their best.
The mindfulness exercises that the young people learn give them simple, practical resources to use in the classroom, playground and at home.
What are the benefits of the .b mindfulness course?
The Mindfulness in Schools Project has collected impact data from 2486 pupils and 113 teachers who have experienced the .b course with the following outcomes:
- 95% of teachers reported .b course supported pupils with emotional ‘wobbles’
- 96% of teachers reported that pupils found the.b course extremely, very or fairly useful
- 100% of teachers would recommend .b mindfulness to colleagues
What next?
Please do get in touch to find out more about how mindfulness could benefit your pupils. I’m very happy to chat in more detail about the course and mindfulness for children in general.