Can Mindfulness Help?
Submitted by: Anna Thompson
(retired math teacher living in Ely, MN)
mind·ful·ness ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs/noun
– a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
Several years ago a friend mailed me a copy of 10 Mindful Minutes by Goldie Hawn. At the time I had not heard much about mindfulness, but after reading the first chapter of this book, I realized mindfulness was a tool for parents as well as for educators.
Goldie became interested in mindfulness because of her own experiences,* but it attracted me because of my study of neuroscience and my search to find ways to help students focus and learn in the math classroom. Students who struggled with arithmetic came into my algebra class with a very strong dislike for mathematics due to an even stronger belief system that they just could not do math. Mathematics registered in their amygdalas (the guard dog of the brain) as “freeze” or “flight.” Their attitudes of “no can do” needed to be changed to growth mindsets of “no can do yet” to help break down the barriers to being successful in mathematics. I believe through mindfulness, we can help reprogram negative belief systems to be more positive about math.
Mindfulness is a skill that needs to be practiced before it can be used by students to calm their brains in order to become centered and focused. It may involve breathing such as that used in tai chi and yoga practices. Or, it can be as simple as being mindful while brushing our teeth, thinking about the taste of the toothpaste, the way our arm moves up and down,. There is no judging in mindfulness. Being mindfully aware means we are paying attention to what is happening now. We “let thoughts come and go without holding on to them and judging them.” (p. 61).
I am also attracted to mindfulness because I believe it is a useful tool to help students focus through the onslaught of today’s technology. Students are continually showered with millions of byte-size pieces of information. When these showers become “storms,” our ability to focus is truly challenged. Studies show that these “storms” affect our working memory and performance in a negative way and cause our brains to tire more easily. We have “butterfly brains” from trying to focus on too many things at once (p. 23) and are not able to focus as long, learn as easily, and retain information as well when in this mode.
Thomas L. Friedman, in his book Thank you for Being Late, states that we are at a time in history that our ability to adapt to changes in technology will lag behind the speed at which technology changes. Mindfulness is needed now to help our brains deal with and avoid the anxiety that this juxtaposition will produce.
Can mindfulness help? Goldie Hawn’s book will convince you that the answer is yes. It’s a good read for parents and educators. It’s a great reference about the parts of the brain and how they work. This book will convince you to try some of the mindfulness techniques yourself. I have provided a link to three simple Mindful practices.** In my next article in Mathbits, I will provide further brain-on techniques that can be used to prepare the brains of our students to be open to learning.
*Goldie Hawn explains how she became involved in mindfulness.
https://youtu.be/hZsGZZA3LNM
**Three short Mindful practices to help settle the mind.
https://www.mindful.org/how-to-settle-the-mind/?mc_cid=f340606939&mc_eid=63e811b64c