Integrating Mindfulness Training into K-12 Education: Fostering the Resilience of Teachers and Students

Abstract

Over the past decade, training in mindfulness—the intentional cultivation of moment-by-moment non-judgmental focused attention and awareness—has spread from its initial western applications in medicine to other fields, including education.Thispaperreviewsresearchandcurriculapertaining to the integration of mindfulness training into K-12 education, both indirectly bytraining teachers andthrough direct teaching of students. Research on the neurobiology of mindfulness in adults suggests that sustained mindfulness practice can enhance attentional and emotional self-regulation and promote flexibility, pointing toward significant potential benefits for both teachers and students. Early research results on three illustrative mindfulness-based teacher training initiatives sug- gest that personal training in mindfulness skills can increase teachers' sense of well-being and teaching self-efficacy, as well as their ability to manage classroom behavior and establish and maintain supportive relationships with stu- dents. Since 2005, 14 studies of programs that directly train