Mindfulness for Teachers

Course description

Being a teacher can be extremely stressful. Even before the pandemic, teachers noted that teaching had become more demanding and more stressful. Teacher stress and symptoms of depression have been shown to lower student achievement.  One method of strengthening mental health is practicing mindfulness.  Mindfulness allows us to cope with stress, improves our mental focus and increases our capacity to enjoy day-to-day activities.

During this course, participants will practice various mindfulness techniques.  They will explore how mindfulness can help them to better deal with uncertainty, anxiety and stressful situations. At the end of the course, participants will be more aware of their thoughts and feelings.  Moreover, they will know how to better control them.  They will notice early warning signs of stress and anxiety before they can cause any damage.  They will establish good habits of mindfulness practice that they will continue even after the course.

Course methodology

The course consists of a total of four 1.5 hours live instructor-led online lessons over 4 weeks. In addition to the 6 hours of online teaching, participants will receive instructions for individual mindfulness practice in their own time. Participants have access to a virtual platform where they can participate in a forum and engage in reflective learning logs.  Additional readings and resources are provided that can be downloaded by participants for further research and future reference.

Session details

Session 1: Learning to be present

During this session, participants will be introduced to the concept of mindfulness. They will question their ideas about it, learn about different types of mindfulness practices such as breathing meditation, body scan, noting, visualisation, loving-kindness and focused attention. The weekly challenge will be to practice an introductory meditation focused on breathing and being present.

Session 2: Mind and body connection

In the second session, participants will learn about the mindfulness of the body, which refers to exploring the connection between mind and body.  The body is a natural anchor to the present as is registers what is happening inside and around us in the here and now.  Participants will learn what interoceptive awareness is and why it is beneficial for their health.  To apply interoceptive awareness, participants will perform a body scan meditation as their weekly challenge.

Session 3: Explore your inner self

In this session, participants will explore the 7 attitudinal foundations: acceptance, non-judging, beginners mind, trust, non-striving, letting go and patience.  There will be two challenges for this week.  During the first challenge, participants will reflect about a real situation that has happened to them.  They will evaluate how they would have approached it in a better way using the 7 attitudinal foundations.  During the second challenge, participants will practice a guided meditation focusing on their breath.

Session 4: Making mindfulness a habit

in the final session, participants will identify where, when, and how they can practice mindfulness.  Participants will compare different commitment devices to help them remember to do their daily practice, to identify possible obstacles and ways to overcome them.  As the final activity, participants will create a personalised mindfulness plan for themselves, that will serve as a guide for them to achieve their personal and career goals.

Book now

Book this course for a group of up to 14 participants. Please select the starting date of your course. For courses with several weekly sessions, follow up dates will be booked automatically. Please note: no sessions will be scheduled for the time between Christmas and New Year.