by Beth Petitjean, Ph.D., Digital Learning Specialist, Reinert Center
It’s March. Besides the word itself, what other words starting with “M” spring to mind? “March Madness,” perhaps, as we cheer on our Billikens and other favorite college basketball teams. Perhaps “melancholy,” as we hope for mild weather during the last vestiges of winter. This week dreaded “midterms” are undoubtedly on everyone’s mind. I’d like to suggest, dear reader, that we add another “M” word to our March vocabulary. Mindfulness.
You’ve probably heard of mindfulness before but may not have given it much thought for an academic setting. Unless your course content directly investigates mindfulness and related spiritual traditions, you might even think it would be a difficult practice to include or question why include it at all. According to Caitlin Krause, author of Mindful by Design, “mindfulness sets a stable ground for learning and expanding, allowing teachers and students to connect with themselves and with others” [11]. In other words, being aware of what is happening in the present, “being” present, is a key ingredient in the classroom and mindfulness practice can help improve awareness. Since I know this is a busy week, I’m keeping this post short; however, I want to suggest two exercises from Krause’s book that you could easily incorporate this week with very little preparation needed.
First, breathing is often at the core of mindfulness, and in one exercise, Krause suggests that instructors take a moment during the day to “…focus your attention on three successive in-and-out waves of breath” [54-55]. This can help center one for the task at hand. Try it as you sit down to grade a stack of blue books or before you open SpeedGrader. It won’t take more than a minute and it will give you the time to pause before turning your focus to student exams and essays. You might even try it with your class: once everyone is settled in their seats, anxiously waiting for you to hand out the exam, lead the class in taking three, slow breaths to anchor themselves in the space and calm their nerves before beginning the exam.
Another approach to mindfulness as a tool during midterm week stress is evident in an exercise Krause calls “Levity Moments.” The gist of the exercise is to pass around a blank piece of paper and have students anonymously write down something they found humorous or amusing, or something that made them smile, in the last twenty-four hours. For example, something that always makes me smile and chuckle to myself is seeing a dog carrying its favorite stuffed toy in its mouth while out for a leisurely walk at the park. Collect the sheet and leave a few minutes at the end of class to read aloud a few of the levity moments to evoke some much-needed giggles. This exercise could also work as an ungraded, or low stakes graded, discussion board for distance courses as well. Krause notes that “in mindfulness, this appreciation for the finer, smaller points is part of building awareness,” and that this exercise helps, “students understand the need to slow down and notice positive experiences, even (and especially) during stressful periods” [109, 111]. And what’s more stressful than midterms in March? Oh, yeah, finals in May…another M word!
Resources:
Gopal, N. (2021). Applying Vedic Techniques to Online Learning. Faculty Focus.
Krause, C. (2019). Mindful by Design: A Practical Guide for Cultivating Aware, Advancing, and Authentic Learning Experience. Corwin. E-book available through Pius Library at https://libcat.slu.edu/record=b5381634~S5.
Reinert Center: Resources on Student and Instructor Wellbeing. Saucier, D., Renken, N., and Schiffer, A. (2022). Five Things to Do during the Grumpy Time of the Semester. Faculty Focus.
The Notebook 