The team developed a curriculum to help children between the ages of 4 and 6 years learn how to be more aware of themselves and others through practices that encourage them to bring mindful attention to present moment experience....It's important to develop the science of providing children with these important life skills. Otherwise, teaching "mindfulness" and meditation is the sloppy importation of religion into the classroom, and that doesn't belong in public school.
Throughout the study period, trained... instructors taught the curriculum in diverse classrooms throughout the Madison area.... Each lesson provided students and teachers the opportunity to participate in mindfulness practices, including activities focused on compassion and gratitude, and to take note of their experience.
For example, kids were encouraged to think about people who are helpful to them – sometimes those they may not know well, like the bus driver — and to reflect on the role these people play in their lives....
Teachers reported one of the kids’ favorite activities was a practice called “Belly Buddies,” in which they listened to music while lying on their backs, a small stone resting on their stomachs. They were asked to notice the sensation of the stone, and to feel it rising and falling as they breathed in and out.
February 6, 2015
"While mindfulness-based approaches for children have become popular in recent years, few are backed by rigorous scientific evidence."
"The [University of Wisconsin-Madison] research team... set out to change that."
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53 comments:
Down with mindfulnesslessness.
Its always a great idea to investigate things like this, however typically the science is used to prove the thesis rather than to find out the validity of the thesis.
Boy, I'll bet the government can help with this.
I'm sure that greater attention paid, and skills building exercises can help children. But our public school systems are churning out thousands upon thousands of kids that CAN NOT READ.
My priorities may put mindfulness somewhat out of the running.
It's important to develop the science of providing children with these important life skills. Otherwise, teaching "mindfulness" and meditation is the sloppy importation of religion into the classroom, and that doesn't belong in public school.
I agree with the importance of developing the science before bringing it into the classroom, but mindfulness and mediation is not religion.
Thank god for The Wisconsin Idea!
Spreading psycho bullshit from Superior to Kenosha, Baileys Harbor to Cuba City!
Faculty and staff in search of work to do.
What your parents might have told you is in The Past; what your parents might say to you is in The Future. Focus now on The Present, and the sensation of my tongue on your tummy. Belly Buddies like to lick each other's belly-buttons.
Before people criticize, I am describing a hypothetical situation between a teacher and student in high school, after school hours. If this involved first-graders it would be wrong-ish.
I am Laslo.
I agree with Moose about science being used to prove the thesis.
The "scientists" listed appear to be mostly psychologists and only one MD out of 18. Lots of meditation references.
This is a grant writer's paradise.
I don't see the terms "blind study" or "statistically significant" anywhere; no actual link to their published article.
IOW, fluff.
It is not the 'Belly Buddies' I am worried about; rather, the 'Ass Buddies.'
I am Laslo.
Teachers reported one of the kids’ favorite activities was a practice called “Belly Buddies,” in which they listened to music while lying on their backs, a small stone resting on their stomachs. They were asked to notice the sensation of the stone, and to feel it rising and falling as they breathed in and out.
Maybe we can use these trained instructors to scientifically determine the proper size of the stone to use. We keep increasing the weight of the stone on the instructor's stomach until they stop rising and falling, and the instructor is no longer mindful.
I guess this is all part of the "Wisconsin Idea"? I'm glad I live in Virginia.
I agree with Fernandiande. This study is what the late Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman dubbed "cargo cult science" in his famous 1974 commencement address.
For example, kids were encouraged to think about people who are helpful to them – sometimes those they may not know well, like the bus driver — and to reflect on the role these people play in their lives....
When I learned this, it was called "manners". I've done my best to make sure my kids have learned it, too.
Training human minds to attempt to take control over their spirits is an ancient practice in all religions. You can no more divorce that practice from a religion than you can levitate outside your body and call it exercise.
The teacher puts stones on the children's bellies; after ten minutes he tells them it is time for them to get their rocks off.
I am Laslo.
I'm not so concerned with where they place the stone as where they insert the pebbles...
I am not Laslo. ( I wish my wife would remember that fact when we're making love... )
I wonder how many "mindfulness" instructors' kids are vaccinated ? Now there would be a study.
The team developed a curriculum to help children between the ages of 4 and 6 years learn how to be more aware of themselves and others through practices that encourage them to bring mindful attention to present moment experience...
Louis CK takes a different approach. NSFW
Seems to me that the chief benefit of childhood is the lack of mindfulness.
Give it up.
Just another front on the feminization of little boys...
Can we have a Edu-Speak to English translator please?
"through practices that encourage them to bring mindful attention to present moment experience"
..and they wonder why little kids have trouble sitting still in class. Phrases like that make ME squirm.
Who is responsible if this "mindfulness" training results in the kids becoming psychopaths?
I agree that they seem to be teaching these young kids manners.
My son would have lasted about 3 minutes lying down and focusing on his breathing.
>>they seem to be teaching these young kids manners.
No, they are teaching them how to be quiet, obsess over themselves, and be excessively polite.
The teachers find it easier to manage little boys who act like little girls....
Now, if we can find a phrase in Sanskrit or Pali that translates into "Mortification of the Flesh" or "Examination of Conscience", we can bring them back into the public schools, too.
"but mindfulness and mediation is not religion"
You are assuming a definition of religion. I have taught Religion and the Constitution for 14 years. Have you read the "What is religion?" cases ? Welsh is the most important one.
In my view, government-designed, denatured religion is worse than the specific religion of Bible-reading and the Lord's prayer because it occupies the place in child's mind where religion would live if the child had religion, but does not identify itself as religion. It seek to slide into that very young, undefended mind.
From the linked case: "The test might be stated in these words: a sincere and meaningful belief which occupies in the life of its possessor a place parallel to that filled by the God of those admittedly qualifying for [a religious exemption]."
It's mindless. IT'S THE WISCONSIN WAY!
Now, I'm not hostile to the efforts of my colleagues here at the university because I think children need to learn self-control and self-calming to be able to fit into the classroom, and the main alternatives seem to be drugs and kicking the child out of school. But I do object to junk-science and religion-based efforts at mind control. At some point, science-based mind control of the young is objectionable too, of course.
Given the haziness of the Supreme Court's analysis of what constitutes religion in the public space, I can't tell whether Ann's last remark is intended ironically or not. I would not like to think that mindfulness or meditation is considered an exclusively religious practice. Creating a space for our compulsively over- scheduled media saturated children to just feel their life in a simple even boring way for 30 minutes may be a far rarer opportunity than we imagine. But as with any ethical training expecting to demonstrate scientific results seems to be missing the point.
Superintendent: Yes, we feel this mindfulness program has paid off. Once a day, 30 minute mindful sessions, over the course of the year, have resulted in a 5% reduction in classroom disruptions.
Reporter: {garbled question}
Superintendent: Um, no, reading scores are down another 15% over last year. We are asking for a 10% budget increase which we will use to expand our early child intervention program and to hire additional administrative staff.
The state trying to take the place of the mother. We've seen how well the state taking the place of the father has turned out.
The liberal Clockwork Orange
It's important to develop the science of providing children with these important life skills
But how much science does that entail?
Once you find a best practice for helping kids (age 4-6? Young!) acquire these important life skills, anything else is just like a bureaucrat attempting to enlarge the scope of his/her job so they can keep working on the public dime.
Teachers reported one of the kids’ favorite activities was a practice called “Belly Buddies,” in which they listened to music while lying on their backs, a small stone resting on their stomachs.
Formerly known as nap time!
If you want kids to be nice to the bus driver, maybe go back to teaching them manners? They'll start to be 'mindful' with age.
"In my view, government-designed, denatured religion is worse than the specific religion of Bible-reading and the Lord's prayer because it occupies the place in child's mind where religion would live if the child had religion, but does not identify itself as religion. It seek to slide into that very young, undefended mind."
Yes! PBS does this sort of stuff a lot, having gurus but claiming it's not religious programming. I like the term "orienting philosophy" because it really serves as a better measure of a belief system. A lot of people have equivalents to religion but without a deity. Everyone is imposing their beliefs, why should people who add a deity to them get special notice?
What if we took orienting philosophies out of the classroom? We'd have to talk about the core subjects again!
EDH quotes: "encourage them to bring mindful attention to present moment experience..."
My dad use to do this. He'd say "Pay attention." Or more often, "What are you doing? Pay attention, or you're going to lose some fingers" while I was using the table saw.
Done his way, it was not particularly religious. And I still have all ten fingers, though it was a near thing once or twice.
I'm very mindful of the fact that I've reached the age of 68 without ever attending a class on mindfulness...and I'm glad of it.
If only people went to church and why aren't the parents teaching this?
Forget religion, this is tromping all over Barney's claws.
I think that neither Welsh nor Althouse shows proper appreciation of the fact that "religion" is much broader than "belief."
Religion also has a lot to do with ritual, tradition and practice. When I say "I floss my teeth religiously" I am not making a statement about my faith or beliefs.
The modern Amerikan schoolroom is rife with religion in the forms of flag-waving and pledging, anthem singing, and moments of silence. Placing a hand on the Bible is a clear religious practice. As a Catholic, you can be excommunicated as readily for errant practice as for errant belief.
Some religions, like modern Judaism and Islam, are so defined by ritual that belief has nothing to do with it--as can be seen in Tevye's struggle.
'...teaching "mindfulness" and meditation is the sloppy importation of religion into the classroom, and that doesn't belong in public school.'
Anything other than Christianity and Judaism can be taught in public school. These are "experience". Who can argue against broadening a child's experience?
Elementary students "experienced" Islam in California schools until intolerant xenophobic parents protested.
"sincere and meaningful belief occupying in the life of its possessor a place parallel to that filled by the God of those admittedly qualified for the exemption."
But what belief system is being taught here? It certainly isn't one which can be readily identified as being distinct from any other "religious" belief. Rather, it appears to be no more than some rudimentary behavioral modification. Which in some ways can be more dangerous than any religion.
Strange that you think the importation of religious concepts to be dangerous. Religion can give actual reasons for behavior, rather than rote drills designed to certain behaviors favored by the teachers. Behaviors based on a belief system can last beyond the instruction. Drill-based behavior quickly fades once the drills stop.
Is the cited research:
1. "Reliable and valid";
2. Possessed by "a high level of Confidence";
3. Been independently validated by such qualified persons who have no financial or "ego" investments in it?
What does it mean in "plain English" as might be understood by today's ill-educated, but well conditioned, teachers?
A "sincere and meaningful belief occupying in the life of its possessor a place parallel to that filled by the God of those admittedly qualified for the exemption," if applied rigorously would drive most of what passes for Global Warming and anti-GMO "science" out of the curriculum of primary and secondary schools. (And I may be naive to assume that serious skepticism about such matters is allowed in college classrooms.) But we all know that federal courts would dismiss that case out of hand. Religion has replaced porn as something judges just know when they see it.
Sounds like a really convoluted way of teaching kids to think of others.
Thirty minutes a day better used by just letting the 4-6 year olds go out side and play.
I have some personal (adult) experience with mindfulness training, on the receiving end. The gist: I didn't find it very useful. My problem was rapidly-racing thoughts (literally one every second or so) and no way to slow down, usually in the wee small hours. The solution is supposedly to concentrate on just one thing -- generally the physical sensations around you -- and shut everything else out. Useful, yes, but only up to a point.
I agree with those above that much that is taught as "mindfulness" used to be called "simple manners," and understood simply. Agree likewise that mindfulness isn't meditation, and that meditation similarly isn't religion. And if simple manners is religion, we'll have to throw out a whole lot.
For example, kids were encouraged to think about people who waste their time – sometimes those they may not know well, like UW researchers — and to reflect on the role these people play in their lives....
"Now, I'm not hostile to the efforts of my colleagues here at the university because I like collecting a paycheck and wish to continue to do so, and calling them out on their bullshit is inimical to that pursuit."
FIFY
Hmm, I'm feeling a little hostility toward the idea. it really shouldn't be that bad.
Historically, most psychological research has been aimed at developing clinically useful protocols to get “broken people” back close enough to “normal” so that they can be “functional” enough to at least not be a burden on the rest of us. The relatively recent growth in positive psychology, were they try to divine how successful and happy people think and function, has identified what more often is called mindfulness, but what Eckart Tolle prefers to call “presence,” as a common thread in the mental habits of those people that have their act together.
To KISS the subject, mindfulness (presence) is being aware that you are not the thoughts that are running around in your head; rather, there is (credit to Descartes ) a more fundamental consciousness that compulsively and incessantly thinks about who I am. The challenge is as Milton wrote in Paradise Lost, to be aware that “The Mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”
Is the glass half empty or half full? Ultimately, presence is about the consciousness admonishing the self to not sweat the small stuff, and that it’s all small stuff. It is about the very practical skill of taking control and responsibility for ones thoughts. It’s about not whining!
That said, I’m not sure about this particular Wisconsin study with kids that young. From my observations, young kids naturally focus and live in the moment. We seem to lose the natural inclination as we equate thinking with being grown up; you know, the whiny Offspring trope of “The more you suffer, the more you show you really care.” We’re afraid to stop thinking because we will somehow lose ourselves or otherwise prove to be irresponsible or unreliable.
I would think that it would be more useful to show middle or high school age kids how much of what passes for their thinking is just mind numbing repetition and fragments of other peoples’ thoughts that manage to get through self-imposed filters or fit into preexisting, culturally supplied templates. In that regard, for those concerned that this is all new-age, liberal, naval-gazing garbage, be consoled that they may be just sowing the seeds of their own destruction. True mindfulness recognizes the filters, templates and scripts for the irrelevant clutter that they are.
School children are very mindful of the clock. Perhaps they could do a meditation exercise where they picture all people as clocks.
Our Boy Scout Troop leader was a chiropractor. He taught us to lie still on our backs and "watch our breath " we slowly breathed in and out. That was supposed to focus our minds and help us relax.
It worked OK. But then Chiropractors are using their own religion and not science.
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