George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Mindfulness

Discover how students and educators can reduce stress, better regulate emotions, and focus more fully on teaching and learning by tuning into their inner selves.

  • Mindfulness

    Getting Mindful About Breathing

    Taking a moment to be mindful of your breathing can help you manage stress, listen more deeply, and defuse tense classroom situations.
  • Mindfulness

    The Value of Silence in Schools

    Intentional silence in the school day offers opportunities for deep reflection and learning.
  • Mindfulness

    Pros and Cons of Mindfulness in SEL

    Mindfulness interventions should be just one component of social and emotional learning.
  • Social and Emotional Learning

    Creating a Dedicated Space for Reflection

    Providing students with a quiet spot where they can calm themselves in times of stress helps them develop self-regulation.
  • Social and Emotional Learning

    Weekly Circles for Students and Faculty

    See what happens when students and faculty participate in regular meetings to build trust and promote deeper learning.
  • Social and Emotional Learning

    13 Common Sayings to Avoid

    Teachers should avoid the reflexive language of anger or frustration. Here's a list of these sayings, framed as opportunities to constructively address difficult student behavior.
  • Advisory

    Integrating SEL and Literacy

    Get a peek at daily advisory meetings where students build both literacy and social and emotional learning skills in tight-knit groups.
  • Mindfulness

    Rock On! How I Taught Focus to a Class That Wouldn't Sit Still

  • Teacher Wellness

    When Teachers Experience Empathic Distress

    Mindfulness and compassion are effective self-care strategies for teachers who work with students who routinely experience trauma.
  • Social and Emotional Learning

    13 Powerful SEL Activities

    Build social and emotional skills into any class.
  • Brain-Based Learning

    7 Ways to Calm a Young Brain in Trauma

    How can we help elementary students who have been scarred by tragedy become more receptive to learning?
  • Brain-Based Learning

    Strategies for Students With Scattered Minds

    Teachers can help students strengthen their brain's executive function with "workouts" in which they practice pausing, prioritizing, improving their working memory, and mapping their options.
  • School Climate

    How Strong Relationships Improve School Outcomes

    A Nashville high school striving to close achievement gaps is relying on trauma-informed practices and social and emotional learning—and it’s getting results.
  • Social and Emotional Learning

    3 Things Students Desire to Hear From Teachers

    Students deeply desire to hear that their teachers believe in them, recognize and can explain their purpose, and want to know who they really are.
  • Critical Thinking

    Stop, Start, Continue: Conceptual Understanding Meets Applied Problem Solving

    To better understand how educating individuals can make a global difference, consider what we should stop doing, what we should start doing, and what we should continue doing.