Mindful Learning Environments

Schools and early childhood educators can influence student wellbeing and learning by understanding, embodying and embedding principles of mindfulness into their learning environments.

Our Schools’ Mindful Moment Room

The Mindful Moment Room is an oasis of calm that is available at all times during the day. This room serves as a ‘cool down’ or ‘calm down’ room for children who are upset, or otherwise displaying challenging behaviour in class. Identified students have the opportunity to self-refer, (with the permission of classroom staff) to the Mindful Moment Room, or staff may send distressed or disruptive students for individual assistance with emotional self-regulation.

Students who need a little extra time and guidance to deal with anxiety, stress, headaches, stomach issues or emotional distress are encouraged to spend a short amount of time in The Mindful Moment Room to re-centre their thoughts allowing them to return to and engage in lessons.

Once brought to the room students are taken through centring practices (e.g. belly breathing, the bell game, body scan) and to deescalate emotionally.

The mindfulness practice is chosen based on the needs of the student at the time or by student request.

Staff are encouraged to engage students in dialogue about the reason that led to them needing to have some time in The Mindful Moment Room, with an emphasis on what emotions the student felt or is feeling.

Finally, staff and students will come up with a plan to help students use mindfulness techniques to address similar situation in the future, or to ‘reset’ emotionally to continue on with their day. These visits tend to last around 15 minutes, although on occasion students are kept longer depending on the severity of their situation.