Meditation as a Way to Learn Focus and Improve Attention
What? No column on the common core? Well...no. There is nothing in the neuroscience research that supports something like the Common Core, but there is a body of research that supports meditation.
Focus and attention is “all important” when it comes to learning because without it, the brain simply cannot create the necessary neural connections that we call “learning.” While meditation has been lauded by some for thousands of years, current technology has allowed new research that has begun to demonstrate that meditation does indeed increase focus and attention.
Critics will argue that the research is too new and that we still have not connected meditation to increased classroom performance (at least conclusively). These criticisms are both largely correct, but also both largely irrelevant in the bigger picture. If the name of the game is focus and attention, and if meditation, well taught, continues to improve those areas, then the performance gains will follow.
An Oakland organization, Mindful Schools, is involved in one of the largest ever randomized studies on the impact of meditation on student behavior…and early results are very positive. Other studies have also focused on what happens in the brain during meditation sessions - and the focus abilities of those who have had formal meditation training versus those who have not. These and other studies have generally shown that meditation does have a positive impact on focus as demonstrated by brain activity in the learning regions.
So what does this mean for you in the classroom?
First, take the need for teaching focus, attention, and self-monitoring seriously. It can make a huge difference in student learning over time.
Second, look for resources to support you. Mindful Schools has a new curriculum and online training which can put strong practices at your fingertips. There may be other organizations in your area that also provide training or curricular materials.
Third, reflect on what this might mean in general. The standards and accountability movement has taken over nearly every moment of instruction in the classroom.
What can you do to create space for things like mindfulness training? What else might you add in this space that could lead to improved attention and self-monitoring?
Focus and attention is “all important” when it comes to learning because without it, the brain simply cannot create the necessary neural connections that we call “learning.” While meditation has been lauded by some for thousands of years, current technology has allowed new research that has begun to demonstrate that meditation does indeed increase focus and attention.
Critics will argue that the research is too new and that we still have not connected meditation to increased classroom performance (at least conclusively). These criticisms are both largely correct, but also both largely irrelevant in the bigger picture. If the name of the game is focus and attention, and if meditation, well taught, continues to improve those areas, then the performance gains will follow.
An Oakland organization, Mindful Schools, is involved in one of the largest ever randomized studies on the impact of meditation on student behavior…and early results are very positive. Other studies have also focused on what happens in the brain during meditation sessions - and the focus abilities of those who have had formal meditation training versus those who have not. These and other studies have generally shown that meditation does have a positive impact on focus as demonstrated by brain activity in the learning regions.
So what does this mean for you in the classroom?
First, take the need for teaching focus, attention, and self-monitoring seriously. It can make a huge difference in student learning over time.
Second, look for resources to support you. Mindful Schools has a new curriculum and online training which can put strong practices at your fingertips. There may be other organizations in your area that also provide training or curricular materials.
Third, reflect on what this might mean in general. The standards and accountability movement has taken over nearly every moment of instruction in the classroom.
What can you do to create space for things like mindfulness training? What else might you add in this space that could lead to improved attention and self-monitoring?
