Mindful practices are rapidly finding their way into today’s K-12 classrooms globally, but research is still in its infancy. This course offers educators a mechanism for creating a “mindful classroom action research project” that will expand practice while adding to the current scholarship on the topic.

EDU908: “The Mindful Classroom”, is an entry level course which exposes practicing K-12 educators to the history of mindful practices through personal experiences. Its capstone activity, a full-blown lesson/action plan for the classroom, asks educators to take the practices they feel best fit their students into the classroom, while additionally contemplating a more mindful use of technology in the classroom.

Teachers who complete “The Mindful Classroom” begin to utilize mindful strategies in the classroom right away - but they often struggle with feelings of isolation. Many participants have expressed a need for additional training and support in expanding both their personal and classroom practices. As part of the Wilson/Eduspire MET program, this new course on the topic of mindfulness helps educators to expand practice through the creation of an action research project. It aims to support educators in increasing the depth of  their mindful classroom experience, while sharing evidence about the effectiveness of mindful practices in their classrooms with a broader audience. It also supports MET candidates in preparing to  write their thesis. “Mindful Research in Action”, will help educators to develop the research skills which will help them to complete their degree while connecting the use of technology to the ISTE standards for students as well as the utilizing the TPaCK model to support best practice.

Prerequisite: EDU 908: The Mindful Classroom