12. Classroom Environment: Mindfulness and a Focus on Character Development

12. Developing a mindful classroom, character traits, and advisory

This We Believe (NMSA, 2010).

* Every student’s academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate. Adult Advocate

I attended sessions that reminded me that in middle school, many of us made decisions about college, about careers, about life. We began considering that our dreams could become a reality; we developed character traits that we wanted to pursue. The push to promote goal setting and giving our students knowledge of skills to succeed in school and life can and should begin in middle school. Three strategies follow.

The first strategy is advisory. Exemplary middle schools include: advisory, teaming, interdisciplinary strategies, exploration, and a focus on developing the whole child including emotional, social, intellectual, and physical development. An advisory program is an element of middle schools where an adult works with young adolescents to address social and emotional development. But it is more than that. An adult advocates for the student in all aspects of their school life. Time is set aside in the school day to participate in group discussions, exploration, and opportunities to identify their own strengths and dreams. You can view a research brief on advisory at http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/AdvisoryAdvocacy/tabid/90/Default.aspx

A second strategy is called “mindful teaching.” The focus of a mindful classroom is that we, as teachers, provide opportunities for our students to engage in experiences that are based on what we know about brain research, and how to create a peaceful, engaged classroom. To read more about mindfulness in the classroom, consider viewing the following website: www.mindfulteacher.com.

The third strategy is to integrate executive functioning skills, character lab tools for success, and communication tools in your classroom. A www.Characterlab.com  provides a listing of nine traits that support successful people including: curiosity, gratitude, grit, growth mindset, optimism, purpose, self-control, social/emotional intelligence, and zest. Giving students opportunities to discuss what these traits are and giving them opportunities to practice these traits can improve the environment in the classroom.

Advice

1)   Consider implementing an advisory program in your school. According to my colleague, implementation with fidelity takes about a year to develop and implement.

2)   In your own classroom, consider ways to create a mindful classroom.

3)   As a middle school teacher, think of your own practices, your own character traits, be mindful of your own practice in meeting the needs of young adolescents.

4)   Choose one of the above topics to research with a colleague and consider how, as a team, you can implement common classroom practices.

5)   Our students need caring, compassionate teachers. The more we understand what makes classrooms more positive, the more likely our students will be successful.

6)   Join the www.characterlab.org newsletter, as well as www.mindfulteacher.com  to gather more resources and research that support the integration of character traits and mindfulness in your teaching.