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A Mindfulness-Based Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum for School-Aged Children: The MindUP Program

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Book cover Handbook of Mindfulness in Education

Part of the book series: Mindfulness in Behavioral Health ((MIBH))

Abstract

In this chapter, we describe the MindUP program: A universal, mindfulness-based social and emotional learning (SEL) program designed to be implemented in schools by regular classroom teachers. We discuss how mindfulness practices and SEL activities may be synergistic, potentially bolstering the efficacy of each, and describe the iterative process of developing, implementing, and evaluating a program that includes both elements. We suggest that the transitional years of pre- and early adolescence (i.e., 9–12 year olds) may be a particularly effective time to introduce mindfulness practices to young people. We emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary research in evaluating mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for students and teachers alike, research that utilizes mixed-method designs and that examines multiple outcomes from multiple observers (e.g., self-reports, teacher reports, peer reports). To illustrate our perspective on implementation science and mindfulness programs in education, we provide an overview of several studies conducted on MindUP. Furthermore, we report findings from research examining students’ and teachers’ descriptions of their experiences with MindUP as a way in which to further understand the program’s effectiveness from the perspectives of the consumers. Finally, we discuss potential directions for future research on mindfulness-based SEL programs.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See http://thehawnfoundation.org/mindup/mindup-international/

  2. 2.

    A note on quotations: This study included many children new to Canada; therefore, English language skills varied among participants. No participants’ comments were excluded from the study based on language ability unless we could not understand them. The quotations here appear exactly as written on student surveys unless we felt that spelling might hinder understanding. In those cases, words are placed in brackets.

  3. 3.

    Note that percentages are calculated based on the number of students who answered the question, not the entire sample of 189 students.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Jacqueline E. Maloney, Molly Stewart Lawlor, Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl & Jenna Whitehead

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  1. Jacqueline E. Maloney
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  2. Molly Stewart Lawlor
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  3. Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl
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Correspondence to Jacqueline E. Maloney .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept Educational & Counselling Psyc, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl

  2. Portland, Oregon, USA

    Robert W. Roeser

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Maloney, J.E., Lawlor, M.S., Schonert-Reichl, K.A., Whitehead, J. (2016). A Mindfulness-Based Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum for School-Aged Children: The MindUP Program. In: Schonert-Reichl, K., Roeser, R. (eds) Handbook of Mindfulness in Education. Mindfulness in Behavioral Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3506-2_20

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