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There is growing interest in yoga to enhance positive youth development, but many challenges to overcome before introducing yoga to schools. Weisz et al. [Weisz, J. R., Jensen, A. L., McLeod, B. D. (2004). "Development and dissemination of child and adolescent therapies: milestones, methods, and a new deployment-focussed model." In E. D., Hibbs & P. S. Jensen (Ed.), "Psychosocial treatments for child and adolescent disorders: Empirically-based approaches" (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association] describe the multi-phased deployment focused treatment development model (DFM) as a means of overcoming barriers to implementing evidence-based interventions. Consistent with the first phase of the DFM, which involves manual development with input from stakeholders, we describe teachers' reactions to implementation of school-wide yoga in an urban elementary school. In keeping with the second phase of DFM, we conducted a pilot efficacy study of a yoga curriculum. We got mixed results on academic performance, and no effect on behavior and attendance. This is first study we know of that systematically collected teacher data about yoga and used school grades and standardized test scores as outcome measures. Teacher involvement, retention of students, fidelity and documentation of treatment delivered, and efficacy for grades, attendance, and behavior are paramount considerations for future school-based yoga studies.
This paper reports on a small qualitative study of a small number of American community college students who had unusual experiences of mindfulness meditation. It argues that the potential harmful affects of mindfulness may be overlooked, not well understood and more commonly experienced than is currently realized especially for individuals with a history of trauma, addictions, mental health difficulties or self-harm. School and higher education teachers who incorporate mindfulness meditations in their classes may not recognize signs of trauma or mental health difficulties and may not know how to support their students should any difficulties arise. Given the high rates of mental health difficulties and stress disorders in young people, duty of care responsibilities for teachers and students’ basic right to be safe this study finds there may be a need to ‘safeguard’ mindfulness meditation for student and teacher wellbeing. Safeguarding recommendations include building teacher capacity, understanding student vulnerability and learning about alternative less intense mindfulness activities so as to better tailor mindfulness for individual needs.
This article reports on face-to-face and online qualitative research conducted with 25 teachers from 8 schools in Australia that explored their experience of mindfulness and reflection in relation to a self-identified relational dilemma with a student, colleague, or parent who was causing them concern at work. The aim of this study was to find out whether teachers’ practice of mindfulness led to increased insight into their dilemma through helping them to be more self-aware and conscious both of their behavior and of their own innate inner wisdom. In the majority of cases, by the end of the 6-week project, the dilemma was no longer experienced as a dilemma or the teachers’ relationship with it had changed. There is a need to conduct more research with a longer time frame to explore the potential of mindfulness and reflection to contribute to sustained personal, professional, and institutional renewal and transformation in education.
This article reports on face-to-face and online qualitative research conducted with 25 teachers from 8 schools in Australia that explored their experience of mindfulness and reflection in relation to a self-identified relational dilemma with a student, colleague, or parent who was causing them concern at work. The aim of this study was to find out whether teachers’ practice of mindfulness led to increased insight into their dilemma through helping them to be more self-aware and conscious both of their behavior and of their own innate inner wisdom. In the majority of cases, by the end of the 6-week project, the dilemma was no longer experienced as a dilemma or the teachers’ relationship with it had changed. There is a need to conduct more research with a longer time frame to explore the potential of mindfulness and reflection to contribute to sustained personal, professional, and institutional renewal and transformation in education.
The current study examined efficient modes for providing standardized feedback to improve performance on an assignment for a second year college class involving writing a brief research proposal. Two forms of standardized feedback (detailed rubric and proposal exemplars) were utilized is an experimental design with undergraduate students (N = 100) at three urban college campuses. Students completed a draft of a proposal as part of their course requirements and were then randomly assigned to receive a detailed rubric, proposal exemplars, or a rubric and proposal exemplars for use in revising their work. Analyses of students’ writing from first draft to second draft indicated that all three conditions led to improvements in writing that were significant and strong in terms of effect size, with the stand-alone detailed rubric leading to the greatest improvement. Follow-up focus groups with students indicated that a stand-alone rubric potentially engages greater mindfulness on the part of the student. Practical implications are discussed.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW:Mood regulation problems, such as severe chronic irritability or short episodes of mania-like symptoms, are common, impairing and a topic of intense recent interest to clinicians, researchers and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-5 process. Here, we review the most recent findings about these two presentations and discuss the approaches to their treatment.
RECENT FINDINGS:
Longitudinal and genetic findings suggest that chronic irritability should be regarded as a mood problem that is distinct from bipolar disorder. A proportion of children with short (less than 4 days) episodes of mania-like symptoms seem to progress to classical (Type I or II) bipolar disorder over time in the US clinic samples. In a UK sample, such episodes were independently associated with psychosocial impairment. The evidence base for the treatment of either irritability or short-lived episodes of mania-like symptoms is still small. Clinicians should be cautious with extrapolating treatments from classical bipolar disorder to these mood regulation problems. Cognitive and behavioural therapy (CBT)-based approaches targeting general mood regulation processes may be effective for cases with severe irritability or short episodes of mania-like symptoms.
SUMMARY:
There is increasing research evidence for the importance of mood regulation problems in the form of either irritability or short episodes of mania-like symptoms in youth. The evidence base for their drug treatment has yet to be developed. CBT-based interventions to modify the processes of mood regulation may be a useful and well tolerated intervention for patients with these presentations.
The article offers the author's insights regarding the relational mindfulness inquiry project which provides educators an open and honest conversations with student or colleagues. The author says that participants undergo session involving information sharing on mindfulness, and mindfulness meditation practice. She mentions that the inquiry project shows that relational mindfulness practice can help educators in maintaining open and calm receptivity in the classroom and school environments.
The article offers the author's insights regarding the relational mindfulness inquiry project which provides educators an open and honest conversations with student or colleagues. The author says that participants undergo session involving information sharing on mindfulness, and mindfulness meditation practice. She mentions that the inquiry project shows that relational mindfulness practice can help educators in maintaining open and calm receptivity in the classroom and school environments.
A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness-based therapies may be effective in treating a variety of disorders including stress, chronic pain, depression and anxiety. However, there are few valid and reliable measures of mindfulness. Furthermore, mindfulness is often thought to be related to spirituality, given its roots in Buddhist tradition, but empirical studies on this relationship are difficult to find. The present study: (1) tested the reliability and validity of a new mindfulness measure, the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), (2) explored the relationship between mindfulness and spirituality, and (3) investigated the relationship between mindfulness and/or spirituality and alcohol and tobacco use in an undergraduate college population (N=196). Results support the reliability of the FMI and suggest that spirituality and mindfulness may be separate constructs. In addition, smoking and frequent binge-drinking were negatively correlated with spirituality scores; as spirituality scores increased the use of alcohol and tobacco decreased. Thus, spirituality may be related to decreased substance use. In contrast, a positive relationship between mindfulness and smoking/frequent binge-drinking behavior was uncovered, and warrants further investigation.