This brief was developed under the auspices

of the Center to Improve Social and Emotional

Learning and School Safety at WestEd, authored
by Andrea Browning of WestEd.

Mindfulness
in Education
An Approach to Cultivating Self-Awareness
That Can Bolster Kids’ Learning

Emerging research has illustrated the many benefits of integrating mindfulness approaches
and skills for both teachers and students.1,2 It’s no wonder that more educators are incorpo-
rating mindfulness practices into a variety of educational settings, with children of all ages.
This brief introductory document on mindfulness in education is designed to help practi-
tioners at every level of the school system as they work with pre-K-12 students in school
districts, classrooms, and other learning environments.

This brief introduces mindfulness as a strategy for facilitating social and emotional learning in
school, explains the potential benefits for both students and educators, provides examples of
mindfulness strategies, and lists resources for learning more about mindfulness.

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

Mindfulness has been defined as “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our

thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment with openness and
curiosity.”3 Mindfulness is essentially the practice of cultivating attention to foster greater
self-awareness and self-knowledge about thoughts, feelings, and sensations, and how they
can affect one’s actions.

Mindfulness strategies employed in school settings are largely drawn from mindfulness-based
stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), both of which are
validated psychological and behavioral strategies for anxiety and stress management.4

1 Jennings, P. A., Frank, J. L., Snowberg, K. E., Coccia, M. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2013). Improving classroom
learning environments by cultivating awareness and resilience in education (CARE): Results of a randomized
controlled trial. School Psychology Quarterly, 28(4), 374–390.
2 Napoli, M., Krech, P. R., & Holley, L. C. (2005). Mindfulness training for elementary school students. Journal of
Applied School Psychology, 21(1), 99–125.
3 Mindful Schools. (n.d.). What is mindfulness? https://www.mindfulschools.org/what-is-mindfulness/
4 Marchand, M. (2012, July). Mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and
Zen meditation for depression, anxiety, pain, and psychological distress. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 18(4),
233–252. https://insights.ovid.com/pubmed?pmid=22805898.

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Mindfulness in Education
An Approach to Cultivating Self-Awareness That Can Bolster Kids’ Learning

Mindfulness is complementary to other Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) approaches

related to positive learning outcomes. Both mindfulness and SEL are focused on helping
young people understand and regulate their internal life. Indeed, part of healthy social and
emotional development includes learning about one’s emotions and how to take care of and
express oneself in different surroundings and in relation to other people, including peers,
families, and communities. By helping young people learn how to handle difficult emotions
and to better self-regulate, mindfulness also connects to SEL skills and programs that focus
on how individuals interact with others externally in social situations and relationships.

BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

Mindfulness can be a valuable approach for creating learning con-

ditions that are responsive to all students, including those who have Techniques involved
experienced adversity, such as exposure to trauma. Mindfulness can
also support a positive school climate in which students feel safe, in mindfulness
welcome, and a sense of control over their experiences by helping
them to develop decision-making and communication skills that will practice can actually
serve them in school and beyond.
change the brain
One way that mindfulness creates these conditions in schools is
by helping teachers and other staff. Developing self-regulation in ways that are
and stress management strategies through mindfulness can help
teachers cope with the complexities and demands of their own lives supportive to kids’
so that they stay in their jobs longer and help create more positive
learning environments for students. Unfortunately, educator turn-
learning…
over and burnout is a common challenge, particularly in schools and
districts serving under-resourced communities. There is evidence
that mindfulness and other stress management skills may produce
positive effects on educators’ sleep and skills such as self-regulation and self-compassion, as
well as on their overall job satisfaction.5,6

There are also many benefits to students, including in relationships and learning, which are
closely linked. Techniques involved in mindfulness practice can actually change the brain in
ways that are supportive to kids’ learning, such as reducing individuals’ emotional reactivity.7
Studies involving neuroimaging have linked changes in brain structure to mindfulness
practice; effects have been observed in the areas of the brain responsible for attention

5 Frank, J. L., Reibel, D., Broderick, P., Cantrell, T., & Metz, S. (2015, April). The effectiveness of mindful-
ness-based stress reduction on educator stress and well-being: Results from a pilot study. Mindfulness, 6(22),
208–216. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-013-0246-2
6 Mindful Schools. Benefits of Mindful Schools Courses. https://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/
research/#reference-21
7 Uusberg, H., Uusberg, A., Talpsep, T., & Paaver, M. (2016, July). Mechanisms of mindfulness: The dynamics of
affective adaptation during open monitoring. Biological Psychology, 118, 94–106. https://www.sciencedirect.
com/science/article/pii/S0301051116301831

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Mindfulness in Education
An Approach to Cultivating Self-Awareness That Can Bolster Kids’ Learning

enhancement, emotion regulation, and stress reduction.8 One study

Any educational
of mindfulness in schools found that students who learned mind-
fulness-based conflict resolution strategies were able to use them model or learning
outside of school with siblings and friends.9

In fact, by improving self-awareness and self-regulation skills that

environment
are associated with positive learning outcomes and success in
can incorporate
school and through adulthood,10 mindfulness can have benefits for
students that resonate throughout their lives. These skills can be mindfulness into
taught to all learners at all ages, helping students better understand
their own experiences and learn healthy ways to navigate through education, and it
challenges. In early childhood education settings, mindfulness helps
young learners develop self-awareness and self-regulation as they doesn’t require a full
begin to navigate the social, emotional, and physical landscape of
schooling. In elementary and secondary schools, students increase
class period.
responsibility for their own self-regulation and are expected to master
more pro-social behaviors; here, mindfulness can contribute to those students’ own develop-
ment as well as create safe, positive learning environments for all.

STRATEGIES FOR INCORPORATING MINDFULNESS INTO SCHOOLS

Any educational model or learning environment can incorporate mindfulness into education,
and it doesn’t require a full class period. In fact, much like other strategies to support chil-
dren’s social and emotional learning, mindfulness is best taught and learned as an integral
component of wider school structures, routines, and curricula. It can be implemented slowly
or quickly, one element at a time or as a comprehensive approach, introduced into the day by
individual teachers or rolled out over the course of the year as part of a school-wide initiative.
There’s no one right way to do it.

8 Tang, Y., Holzel, B., & Posner, M. (2015, March 18). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature
Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213–225. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3916
9 Ager, K., Albrecht, N., and Cohen, M. (2015). Mindfulness in schools research project: Exploring students’
perspectives of mindfulness—What are students’ perspectives of learning mindfulness practices at school?
Psychology, 6(7), 896–914.
10 Flook, L., Smalley, S. L., Kitil, M. J., Galla, B. M., Kaiser-Greenland, S., Locke, J., Ishijima, E., & Kasari, C.
(2010). Effects of mindful awareness practices on executive functions in elementary school children. Journal
of Applied School Psychology, 26(1), 70–95.

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Mindfulness in Education
An Approach to Cultivating Self-Awareness That Can Bolster Kids’ Learning

Figure 1 provides examples of how mindfulness can be integrated into education, with target
settings and audiences, ideal learning objectives, specific examples of what the practice might
look like, and potential benefits. Depending on local school policies, students may have the
opportunity to opt in to some of these practices.

Figure 1: Examples of Mindfulness Strategies and Practices for Educational Settings

Setting/ Learning Objective Mindfulness Example of Benefits

Audience Strategies Practice

Educators Understand how to Cultivate self- Through practicing Educators become

treat students with awareness moment-by- more reflective,
respect, fairness, to identify moment awareness thoughtful, and
and non-judgment preconceived of one’s thoughts culturally responsive
notions or and feelings (e.g., by in their language
judgments that may focusing on taking and actions toward
stand in the way of deep breaths or on students
treating students bodily sensations),
equitably educators learn to
notice their own
judgments, biases,
and assumptions
that may limit
their ability to be
compassionate or
may affect their
language and
actions toward
students

Educators Proactively manage Educators recognize Practice pausing and Educators can
the stresses of triggers of their taking several deep manage stress,
teaching and leading own stress and breaths whenever personal hardship,
emotional reactions, a strong emotional and trauma
and primary or or physiological
secondary traumatic reaction is triggered,
stressors as a means to
cultivate self-
awareness and self-
regulation instead of
reactivity

Pre-K Create safe, Model and teach If a student gets angry Students experience
responsive compassion and shouts or gets that the classroom
Elementary
classroom through sending frustrated and cries, environment is safe
environments positive wishes to a teacher can pause and loving
a classmate who the classroom activity
is having a hard and model how to
time or with whom focus on friendly, kind
another student has wishes for the child
had a conflict who is struggling

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Mindfulness in Education
An Approach to Cultivating Self-Awareness That Can Bolster Kids’ Learning

Setting/ Learning Objective Mindfulness Example of Benefits

Audience Strategies Practice

Pre-K Develop emotion Help students Lead a group activity Students are able to
recognition and distinguish between in which each child identify their own
Elementary
physical awareness sensations in is asked to respond bodies’ needs, which
their body and to the prompt: lays the foundation
the thoughts and “Right now in my for identifying
feelings that are body I feel…” their thoughts and
connected to them emotions

Pre-K Cultivate focus and Integrate a Begin class with a Students learn to
attention deliberate pause “mindful moment” slow down, quiet
Elementary
to help students where students are down their nervous
Secondary settle their minds guided through systems, and check
and bodies in either (1) sitting and in with themselves
preparation for noticing their bodily and any feelings or
learning sensations (e.g., their thoughts that might
feet on the floor and need attention as
their bottom on the they get ready to
chair) or (2) slow and learn
deliberate movement
(e.g., students are
guided through
standing movement
in which they pair
deep breaths with
movements such
as raising their arms
over their heads and
down to their sides
in repetition)

Elementary Increase academic Use mindful Teach students Students are better
confidence, reduce breathing to help to recognize the able to manage
Secondary
stress, and manage students self- symptoms of anxiety stress and anxiety by
anxiety regulate when under in the body (e.g., practicing a healthy
stress elevated heart behavior
rate, fast-moving
thoughts) and to
practice taking
several slow, deep,
and full breaths to
signal ease to the
body when they feel
these symptoms

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Mindfulness in Education
An Approach to Cultivating Self-Awareness That Can Bolster Kids’ Learning

Setting/ Learning Objective Mindfulness Example of Benefits

Audience Strategies Practice

Elementary Reduce peer conflict Teach students Students can Students learn to
and disciplinary to pause before learn to count to self-regulate by
Secondary
incidents reacting to five or take three calming their minds
something that deep breaths and bodies and
they perceive as before responding becoming aware of
provocative or to something their own thoughts
charged that stirred up and feelings before
challenging reacting to them
emotions

Elementary Encourage Integrate mindful Students learn to Students become

communication listening into the take turns as the better listeners
Secondary
and relationships curriculum speaker and as the and learn how to
between students listener; the listener provide constructive
does not interrupt feedback that is
the speaker while responsive to their
they are talking and classmates
instead practices
focusing their
attention entirely
on what the other
person is sharing.
After the speaker
shares, the listener(s)
may offer feedback
or ideas based on
what they heard

Elementary Resolve Use mindfulness Use strategies noted Students practice

interpersonal practices to facilitate above — such as self-awareness,
Secondary
conflicts and restore perspective-taking pausing, body- tolerance, and
mutual respect in conflict resolution centered awareness, perspective-
and value for one and mindful listening taking following
another — as tools in interpersonal
alternative discipline conflict
approaches, such
as restorative justice
practices

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Mindfulness in Education
An Approach to Cultivating Self-Awareness That Can Bolster Kids’ Learning

RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MINDFULNESS

The resources linked below provide just a few ways to learn more about mindfulness in education.

• The Association for Mindfulness in Education is an association of organizations and

individuals that collectively provide support for mindfulness training as part of K-12
education. The organization maintains a listserv and a map of existing mindfulness
programs, as well as other resources for practitioners of mindfulness in education.

• The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, studies the
psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being and focuses on equipping
individuals with the skills associated with resilience and compassion for others. The
center offers online trainings and access to diverse resources for individuals in all
roles, based on the science and research of cultivating well-being.

• For a helpful summary of the research on mindfulness in education, visit the Mindful
Schools webpage.

© 2020 WestEd. WestEd is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research, development, and service agency that
partners with education and other communities throughout the United States and abroad to promote
excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults.

Suggested Citation: Browning, A. (2020). Mindfulness in education: An approach to cultivating self-aware-

ness that can bolster kids’ learning [Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety
at WestEd]. San Francisco, CA: WestEd.

This brief was prepared by the Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety
at WestEd through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education under grant
S424B180004. Its content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the funder, nor does men-
tion of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
or policies of the funder, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply
endorsement by the U.S. Government.