Mindfulness and Environmental Education

David Royal | University of South Florida | ESLetc.com

IATEFL-H Summer Course | July 27-31, 2015

Pic of something environmentalWhat does mindfulness have to do with the environment?

Mindfulness and the Environment

“In sum, then, if readers of this book seek to promote happy, sustainable lifestyles, our study findings suggest that, rather than focusing on [voluntary simplicity] per se, a more productive approach may be to cultivate a way of life that encourages mindfulness and intrinsic values.”

(Kasser and Brown, 2009, p. 40)

Mindfulness and Consumption

“…if one is less inclined toward mindless processing, then one is less susceptible to the manipulation of advertisers.” (p. 116)“By learning to savor conscious experience as it happens, people can learn to appreciate the wonder of life and find a deeper sense of fulfillment with their daily lives, one that external pleasures-such as possessions, drugs, or sex-cannot provide.” (p. 117)

(Rosenberg, 2005)

What is Mindfulness?

• Why is mindfulness relevant to our lives? To our teaching? To our students?

• What are things we can do to help cultivate mindfulness?

• What are some things we do that hinder mindfulness?

Mindfulness is “paying attention…on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”

(Burke & Hawkins, 2012)

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment, awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment.

The Greater Good Science Centergreatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition

What is Mindfulness?

UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Centerhttp://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

Let’s Try It – Mindful Breathing

What did you notice? How did you feel?

There are no right or wrong observations.

Reflection

upright but not too tighthands resting wherever they're comfortable

notice your body from the insidebecome curious about your body, the sensationsthe connection with the floor or the chair

tune into your breath in your bodynotice where you feel your breath in your bodydon't need to do anything to your breath

if this happens (mind wandering) it’s not a problemgently redirect your attention right back to the breathing

Look at the Language

Mindfulness and Students

Mindfulness activities have been linked to improved:

• memory

• behavior

• mood

• blood pressure / heart rate

annotated bibliography

Mindfulness and Teachers

Mindfulness activities have been shown to reduce• stress• burnoutand improve• sleep quality• mood• attentionin teachers and administrators.

annotated bibliography

Mindfulness and Language Education

• May increase attention and focus (Semple, 2010)

• May lower the affective filter (Haight, 2010)

• May improve memory and retention (Bonamo et al, 2014)

Let’s Try It – Mindful Eating

Raising Meditation, adapted from GGIA

What did you notice? How did you feel?

There are no right or wrong observations.

Reflection

Environmental Questions for Mindful Eating

• What natural processes were required for them to reach maturity?

• What people were involved in growing / harvesting / processing the food? How are they treated?

• What materials were involved in packaging? How were they gathered / processed?

• Where did this food come from? How was it transported?• What was the life of the plant / animal being consumed

like?

1. Go outside. No talking!

2. Find an animal (including insects).

3. Write a description of the animal (without using its name).

4. Back in the classroom, read descriptions and guess animals.

Mindfulness in Nature: Animal Observation

Mindfulness Activity Sources

Simplicity Exercises

(from The Simplicity Institute)

Greater Good in Action

Favorite Mindfulness Activitieson the Environment

Simplicity Exercises (Burch, 2012)

• Silence and Solitude (p. 35)

• Apple Demonstration (p. 80)

• De-Junking (p. 94)

• Worldly Possessions Inventory (p. 123)

• Media Fast (p. 99)

Sample Questions for Media Fast

• Could you realistically do anything about the subject of this story even if you wanted to?

• What does awareness of this event bring into your life? How do you feel about it? How will awareness of it change your behavior, if at all?

• How does hearing about this event empower you in a positive way, if at all?

Resources

• Greater Good Science Center @ Berkeley – lots of articles, online class

• Greater Good in Action – Science-based practices for improving mindfulness, mood, etc.

• Annotated bibliography of many mindfulness in education studies

• Mindfulness Awareness Research Center @ UCLA – guided meditations and online classes

• The Simplicity Institute – The Simplicity Exercises and lots of articles on mindfulness, education and consumption.