Emotions and cognition are connected (CASEL, 2012), with social and emotional learning integral to students’ academic and personal growth. Mindfulness--being aware of the now in our thoughts and actions-- allows students and their educators to have their hearts, bodies, and minds focused on the present moment. People who practice mindfulness are better able to recognize and attend to their surroundings, feelings, and thoughts with increased awareness, non-judgment, and empowerment. In the classroom, mindfulness decreases anxiety, which interferes with learning, and makes students better able to participate, collaborate, and learn. Mindfulness allows school staff to acknowledge, validate, and increase students’ competencies and capacities to learn. This reference guide, for teachers of grades K-12, presents strategies and tools to help students and the staff who instruct them in inclusive classrooms develop and advance mindful practices. It includes activities which can be used with the whole class that will benefit all learners, as well as recommendations for exercises to address challenges specific to certain learners, including those with specific learning disabilities (SDL), intellectual differences, executive function difficulties, emotional differences, autism, and physical disabilities.

Although mindfulness can be located in a number of different traditions and disciplines, it was originally an esoteric and powerful practice based on developing a capacity attainable only by certain people. After previously publishing on the positive outcomes, in this book the author identifies a range of adverse effects of mindfulness meditation for some individuals that, from the point of view of mindfulness in schools and higher education, represents uncharted territory. The author demonstrates through research, personal experience and case studies how mindfulness activities can be safe for all students in education settings including the most vulnerable. This book assists teachers in school and higher education settings to make informed decisions about whether to include mindfulness in their teaching, depending on their own capacity, student cohorts and activities to make sure it is safe for more vulnerable students. This guidance is based on a combination of existing pedagogical and clinical knowledge about meeting the needs of vulnerable students, clients and patients and the specialized expertise of trained mindfulness clinicians and teachers. This book puts school and university teachers in the driver’s seat as regards mindfulness teaching in education settings. It argues that the only way forward for mindfulness in education is to adopt an individualized approach which builds on what effective teachers already do in their work with vulnerable students through extending their knowledge about mindfulness and its possible effects. In this way teachers’ existing skills are celebrated and extended, and mindfulness pedagogy develops organically with teachers, becoming a genuine and felt experience both for themselves and their students rather than an ‘add-on’ intervention.

The push for inclusivity has revolutionized educational practices, policies, and frameworks. Schools are no longer merely institutions that impart knowledge; they are shaping societal values, promoting social justice, and preparing students to progress. This evolution is driven by the understanding that inclusive education benefits all students, not just those with disabilities or special needs. It promotes empathy, reduces prejudice, and equips students with the skills to contribute to a complex, interconnected world. Revolutionizing Inclusive Education: Mindfulness, Neurodiversity, and Executive Functioning Skills explores the life-changing potential of inclusive education. With a strong emphasis on the word “revolutionizing,” the book challenges traditional practices and conventional thinking in the field of inclusive education. By integrating mindfulness practices, understanding neurodiversity, and developing executive functioning skills, the book offers a fresh and innovative approach to inclusive classrooms. Covering topics such as assistive technology, neurodivergent learners, and student well-being, this book is an essential resource for academicians, researchers, school administrators, educators, preservice teachers, and more.

Preschool is a time of wonder when curiosity, development, and learning intersect. While the new sights, routines, and experiences can make preschool exhilarating, what about children who struggle? Perhaps they exhibit odd behaviors: chewing on clothing, covering their ears, avoiding certain textures, refusing to sit with peers, screaming when frustrated, hitting, kicking, or biting. Wired Differently will help you to decode what may seem like everyday challenging behaviors. It's possible that these children are struggling with sensory processing disorder (SPD). - Differentiate between everyday challenging behaviors, and those that could signify something much more - Understand what sensory processing disorder (SPD) is and how it can interfere with a child's learning - Learn how to include sensory processing strategies as part of a typical classroom routine, and why they're important for all children - Effectively communicate with families about SPD behaviors and helpful learning techniques Keriann Wilmot, OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist with 18 years of experience in helping teachers and parents to connect and improve the lives of children. She is a blogger on her site ToyQueen.com, covering toy recommendations and play tips.

Everybody Present illustrates the transformative effects of mindfulness on educators, students, and their classrooms. Using concrete examples, Didde and Nikolaj Flor Rotne present a mode of classroom engagement that reduces stress to make room for thoughtful learning. A working manual addressed to everyone in the educational universe, Everybody Present presents real-world applications grounded in solid research. Stories, exercises, and case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of mindful practices across all areas of education. By exploring the challenges of teaching, Everybody Present will help all educators transform feelings of inadequacy into experiences of abundance. Everybody Present seeks to create a new kind of culture in our schools: one that counters stress and facilitates learning. It reframes the student-teacher relationship, showing teachers how to supplant antagonism and foster strong relationships by planting seeds of mindfulness in their students and encouraging them to embark on a mindfulness practice of their own. Everybody Present is intended to contribute to the creation of a culture throughout the educational system writ large, working against stress and victim mentality to set in motion a revolution of silence, allowing each individual the experience of inter-being, inner calm, and joy.

Teacher and student interaction occur in a complex and dynamic environment. Managing with Mindfulness: Connecting with Students in the 21st Century draws on educational psychology, duty-of-care principles and mindfulness practices to introduce the Control/Connect continuum as a model designed to foster inclusive classroom practices for the contemporary classroom. Addressing topics such as communication, positive relationships, emotional literacy, motivation and classroom behaviours, the work is written to support Initial Teacher Education students in their transition to practice. Framed by the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, Graduate level, this new textbook integrates the theoretical contexts of classroom management with the needs of contemporary teachers, as situated within the historical context of 21st century teaching and learning. The text is supported throughout with engaging and thought-provoking case studies and activities, thinking points and end-of-chapter review questions that encourage reflection on key concepts and practices.

In today's schools, students and teachers feel unprecedented—even alarming—levels of stress. How can we create calmer classrooms in which students concentrate better and feel more positive about themselves and others? Author Thomas Armstrong offers a compelling answer in the form of mindfulness, a secular practice he defines as the intentional focus of one's attention on the present moment in a nonjudgmental way. In Mindfulness in the Classroom, Armstrong - Explains how mindfulness affects the structure and function of the brain. - Provides an overview of mindfulness as both a personal practice and a classroom methodology that aligns with such educational models as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). - Shares and explains the extensive research that shows the positive effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom. - Describes how to adapt mindfulness for different grade levels, integrate it into regular school subjects, and implement it schoolwide. - Offers guidelines for teaching mindfulness responsibly, without religious overtones. Dozens of observations from teachers, students, researchers, and practitioners provide striking evidence of the power of mindfulness and offer hope to anyone who wants to make classrooms more productive places of learning.