Class room teaching is a highly skilled, incredibly important profession but many teachers experience exhaustion and burn out and all teachers at some point experience the stress of this demanding profession.

The aim of this two part course is to equip teachers with simple practices and to support their own well being and to take it into the classroom to improve class dynamics, student wellness and learning outcomes.

The course is run in Athlone in conjunction with Future Learning and may be eligible for Eramus funding.

It is broken into two parts over two weeks which can be taken together or separately.

The mindfulness and meditation in the classroom week will help teachers identify simple well being practices and meditations they can integrate easily into their routine to support themselves feeling good and teaching with joy. By the end of the week they will have chosen or developed their own meditation or mindfulness practice to easily integrate into their own teaching for their students.

On the yoga in the classroom week teachers will learn and identify simple yoga sequences they can integrate into their week for their own well being and will be confident in teaching short simple yoga sequences and relaxations for their students.

This module aims to promote teacher and student well being through yoga. By using the tools of yoga in the classroom we can be more present with our students, have a happier class atmosphere and better learning outcomes.

Teachers may take one or both weeks of this course and will finish the week feeling recentered, refreshed and confident to use these techniques with their learners.

Length of course (hours) This course may be taken as a two week 40 hour Yoga Alliance Accredited course covering mindfulness and meditation in the class over one week and yoga and meditation in the classroom over another week or teachers may complete just one week of the course and receive 20 CPD hours and a Future Learning certificate.

Course content/modules:

MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS IN THE CLASSROOM

Day 1: The breath

• Build awareness of own beliefs around meditation and mindfulness and develop an understanding of what meditation is.
• Practice body scan meditation and mountain meditation.
• Understand the science of the breath
• Understand the benefits for learners’ especially those with suffering with anxiety or learners finding it difficult to concentrate. Acquire communication skills for explaining these benefits to your classes
• Use meditation at the start of a class to improve the quality of learning
• Chose assignment based on the needs of a class and syllabus

Day 2: The body

• Develop awareness of the effects of meditation for stress, discuss the types of stress both teachers and learners face and identify effective methods of dealing with them.
• Practice counting the breath meditation
• Discuss self care for teachers, define teachers role in relation to using meditation in the classroom (Creating space and time, outlining the benefits, leading the experience)
• Develop an understanding of how physical posture affects concentration and breathing
• Discuss challenges teachers face
• Discuss challenges students face
• Practice listening skills and the listening meditation
• Assignment work: Planning

Day 3: The mind and biochemistry

• Develop observational skills
• Practice alternate nostril breathing
• Discuss issues of hormonal changes and body consciousness and eating disorders for 12-15 year olds and the meditations most effective with this age group
• Discuss how cognitive behavioural therapy can be used
• Assignment work: Practice relaxation

Day 4: Power

• Practice meditation and visualisation as a subject specific teaching tool
• Develop a greater understanding of the stresses and psychological issues for your learner’s age group and the meditation techniques that are best suited to their needs
• Sample: Discussion on issues for teens, body image, depression, self harm and suicide in teens and the benefits of a regular meditation practice.

Day 5: Potential

• Practice sectional breathing
• Use closing meditations at the end of a class to improve learning mental and emotional well being and aid retention of material covered.
• Review material covered
• Present assignments
• Practice the sunflower meditation

 The overall aim of that teachers will have simple yoga sequences they can use for their own practice and will be confident in teaching short simple yoga sequences for their students.

This course aims to promote teacher and student well being through yoga. By using the tools of yoga in the classroom we can be more present with our students, have a happier class atmosphere and better learning outcomes.

YOGA & MINDFULNESS IN THE CLASSROOM

Day 1: Centring and connecting

• Centring techniques for teachers and learners
• The power of self practice- simple guided Asana sequence
• Centring pranayama (just breath + the diaphragmatic breath)
• What is yoga?
• Classroom yoga, chair yoga and prananyama
• Creating a safe space

Day2 : Getting them moving 

• Your yoga – simple guided Asana session
• Releasing energy and waking up sleepy students
• Yoga and creativity: Yoga stories
• The full yogic breath
• Introduction to yogic philosophy: The chakras

Day 3: Cultivating focus and concentration 

• Balancing breath (alternate nostril breathing)
• Asana session: Balancing poses
• Yoga for concentration
• Working from the core

Day 4: Improving retention with reflection and relaxation

• Reflection and letting go for teachers
• Yoga Nidra (relaxation and visualisation)
• Pranayama: The boxed breath
• KLW  – reflection and feedback

Day 5: Over to you- present assignments and restorative session

• Short self practice sequence
• Review material covered
• Present assignments
• Restorative yoga session

Assessment

The course is taught using practical work and project based learning and is continuously assessed with formative feedback given along the way and a final practical assessment on the final day.

Entry requirements

A teaching qualification and at least one year teaching experience is recommended to get the most out of the course.

B1 level of English.

Price: €350 per week or €700 for the full course.

Minimum participants: 4

Maximum participants: 12

Tutor: Clare Bassett