Mindful Learning: Mindfulness-Based Techniques for Educators and Parents to Help Students

by Craig Hassed, Dr. Richard Chambers

The most complete and readable mindfulness primer for educators and anyone who works with high school kids and young adults.

     Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), as pioneered by Jon Kabat-Zinn and others, is now being successfully applied in myriad areas of human activity—most recently, education. It's no surprise that psychologists and educators have found that mindfulness-based practices improve attention and performance and reduce stress in the classroom and in other school-based activities. This book is a thorough yet readable introduction to mindfulness and its applications and a primer for educators on how it can be used with students, with numerous practical exercises.
     The authors cover such topics as
   • cultivating resilience and managing stress
   • emotional development
   • communication and relationships
   • mindful use of technology
   • mindfulness for enhancing creativity
   • mindfulness and sports
   • teaching with attention
   • working with resistance
   • managing personal stress in the classroom
   • and much more

Genres: Psychology, Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Parenting

251 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2014

About the author

Professor Craig Hassed OAM has been working within the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University since 1989. He now also teaches into a number of other faculties and is coordinator of mindfulness programs across Monash. His teaching, research and clinical interests include mindfulness, mind-body medicine, lifestyle medicine, integrative medicine and medical ethics. Craig developed and integrated into the Monash medical curriculum the world-first mindfulness-based healthy lifestyle course called the Health Enhancement Program. He has authored over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is regularly invited to speak and run courses in Australia and overseas in health, educational, government and corporate contexts. Craig has collaborated with a number of Australian and international universities helping them to integrate similar content. Craig was the founding president of Meditation Australia, is a regular media commentator, and has published 13 books and 14 book chapters. Craig featured in the documentaries, The Connection, and My Year of Living Mindfully. He co-authored with Richard Chambers the two free online Mindfulness courses in collaboration with Monash University and FutureLearn, both of which are rated by Class Central among the leading online courses in the world. In 2019 Craig was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to Medicine.

Reviews

[Elisabetta Faenza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mindful Learning should be compulsory reading for every parent, teacher and senior secondary student. Combining cutting edge science with practical exercises and tips, Mindful Learning will revolutionise the way you approach learning. I loved the writing style, which is direct and loaded with practical applications, no fluffy stuff here. One of my favourite books in this genre.

[Faith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only a few practical tips but mainly ideas that are widely known already

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Doctor's are always telling me about the importance of mindfulness in , healing so when I saw this book I decided it might be worth checking out.

The authors go into a lot of detail about what mindfulness is, how it will help you as a student to be more mindful and improve your grades while lowering stress, but it also tells you step by step how to do just that. Later chapters look at how mindfulness can be used for and by teachers, in classrooms from Nursery to College. Parents can find this useful too.

As a student I was particularly interested in improving my grades, and I found this book showed me how to just stop and think. How to acknowledge what's going on around me but still prevent them from distracting me.

I enjoyed this book, it's clear, the practice meditations at the back work well (for me at least) and written in a style anyone can read and understand.

If your a student, teacher, parent or lecturer I highly recommend checking this one out.

[Shmuli · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is directed at educators, not students.

[Parkelj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Návody/rady k implementaci vědomého učení (mindfulness) v prostředí škol/vzdělávání. Kniha je především určena pro někoho, kdo by se implementaci minfulness věnoval na nějaké vzdělávací instituci, tj. především asi nějaký koordinátor/proděkan. Vzhledem k tomu, že používat na nějaké škole mindfulness přístup k učení vyžaduje spolupráci napříč předměty, nedovedu si moc představit jeho singulární využití v jednom předmětu, leda by šlo přímo o předmět mindfulness, tj. asi nepříliš užitečné pro učitele. Zajímavé některé postřehy, ale vzhledem k celkovému zaměření pro mě užitečné spíše méně.

[Laurel Kristick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several years ago, I completed the Futurelearn course taught by the two authors of this book. I found the course, and the affiliated Smiling Mind app, covered most of what is covered in this book. It did provide specific applications of mindfulness for teachers and students. Those interested in mindfulness as it applies to learning would find it useful.

[Aida Saldana Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very good book about Mindful learning. I will recommend it to my students. I feel there is lots they can learn from it.

[Elaine Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

its a grate read. one of those books that when you pick it up its hard to put down. its helps you will new ways of thinking and learning

[Mandy Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mindful learning was one of the best education aimed nonfiction books I have read in years! The authors were authoritative, direct, and gave many applications of how you can use the information every day in your school. I would especially recommend this book for 1-3 year teachers, pre-Masters eductators, and possibly a PLC/Staff study. I wish I would have read this earlier in my teaching career!

[Richard Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introspective study on the nature of one's own thoughts and emotions. Like the clouds in the sky, our emotions come, and they inevitably will stroll by. They're unavoidable and we must greet them as they arrive. We are the body of the habit, not the habit itself. A practitioner on the art of mediation whether seasoned or elementary will find this book as a helpful guide on developing and exercising the senses, and their daily involvement in objectionable observation.

[Andrew Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compulsory reading for all involved in education.