The relationship between attention and education is well established. In 1890 the psychologist William James wrote

“The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character and will… An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence.”

(cited by Hassed and Chambers, 2014, p.5).

In their 2015 Report ‘Mindful Nation UK’, the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group (MAPPG) highlight three key policy challenges in education on which they recognise the research evidence for mindfulness has a bearing.

These challenges are academic attainment/improved results; concerns for the mental health of young people and the interest in helping students develop skills to cultivate resilience and enhance wellbeing.

Early research indicates that learning mindfulness skills may have a positive impact on these areas. The report states that "Mindfulness has much to contribute to this newly emerging agenda"(MAPPG, 2015,p.30)

The Mindfulness In Schools Project (MiSP) was founded in 2007 by schoolteachers who had themselves experienced the benefits of mindfulness and wanted to bring it to the classroom. They devised the .b course, and describe it as “…a fun, engaging and useful ten-session mindfulness course for young people… It has been evaluated positively by the University of Cambridge and Oxford Brookes, and can be used in a wide range of contexts and age ranges.” (MiSP, 2014)

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​NOW MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness and Education

References:

Hassed, C. and Chambers, R. 2014. Mindful Learning. Auckland: Exisle Publishing Pty Ltd

Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group (MAPPG). 2015. Mindful Nation UK. [Accessed 17 May 2016] [Online] Available from: http://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org.uk/

Mindfulness in Schools Project. 2014. What is.b? From 2-sided flyer prepared by Mindfulness in Schools Project