MINDFULNESS: Awareness Practice

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will engagingly blend philosophy, science, and mindfulness as a path to wellness and happiness for the teacher, along with providing a foundation for whole-person learning in the classroom.

In each assignment, through the research presented, and personal experience, you will explore the nature of mindfulness and its effect on your body, feelings, and thoughts. In turn, these insights, tools and inner development of equanimity will assist you in creating an inspired classroom environment of trust and safety. 

Throughout the course, you will be shown simple and highly effective mindfulness meditations for your home practice. The focus will be on releasing anxiety and troubled feelings, increasing body energy, forming deep heart connections, and joy for teachers and students.

This course is applicable to all content areas and all school personnel, K-12. The text: Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness , Jon Kabat-Zinn and Thich Nhat Hanh, Bantam (Revised edition) 2013  (Paperback - about $13. through Amazon)

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, participants will have:

1. An understanding of evidence-based research for reducing anxiety and distress
2. Capability to transform your relationship to psychological and physical stressors leading to enhanced physical and emotional well-being
3. Capacity for greater kindness, mental clarity, creativity, and happiness
4. Competency to share mindfulness methods with your students
5. Awareness for being whole-heartedly present for your students
6. Enhanced relationship and sense of connection with your students

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The Heritage Institute does not award partial credit.

The use of artificial intelligence is not permitted. Assignment responses found to be generated by AI will not be accepted.
 

HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns participants their choice of CEUs (Continuing Education Units), Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, or Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours. The Heritage Institute offers CEUs and is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours.

UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION

REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires 75% or better for credit at the 400 level and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level. These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.

1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments 30%
2. Completion of Learning Application assignments 40%
3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment 30%

CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to a "C" or better, 500 level credit is equal to a "B" or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.

AUS Continuing Education quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering, determine with your district personnel, department head, or state education office the acceptability of these credits for your purpose.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION

REQUIRED TEXT

None. All reading is online.

MATERIALS FEE

Paperback - about $13 through Amazon

ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR HOURS OR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT

A. INFORMATION ACQUISITION

Assignments done in a course forum will show responses from all educators who have or are taking the course independently. Feel free to read and respond to others' comments. 
Group participants can only view and respond to their group members in the Forum. 

Assignment #1:

Introduction

In “Full Catastrophe Living” - Read “Introduction to the Second Edition,” from pg xxv - xlvi

Write 1 page on why you were drawn to this course and include:

a. Your understanding of the fundamentals of mindfulness

b. How can mindfulness affect your life personally and as a teacher?

Assignment #2:

Full Catastrophe Living

Read “Introduction” pg xlvii – lv and pg 1-6, 8-12

Listen to the audio recording “Setting Your Day”

Write 1-2 pages about the following:

As a teacher, and in other ways of living in this world, how would you describe ‘full catastrophe living?’ How does this relate to mindfulness?

Assignment #3:

Pillars of Mindfulness

Read Chapter 2, pgs 19-31

Listen to the audio recording “Intention”

Write 2-3 pages on the following:

On pg 21, the seven attitudinal factors that constitute the major pillars of mindfulness practice, as taught by MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress-Reduction}, are listed. Summarize the seven and add how they relate to your classroom teaching.

Assignment #4:

Awareness of Body & Thoughts

Read Chapter 5, pg 75 -97

Listen to the audio recording “Awareness of Body & Thoughts”

Write a 2 page report on the following:

What is a mindfulness body scan i.e. what is your attention focusing on?

What are the benefits of a body scan?

How could you do this in a playful, engaging way in your classroom?

Try the exercises on pg 95 -97

Assignment #5:

Stress Relief

Read Mind & Body pg 251-268 and Chapter 17 pg 287 -296

Listen to the audio recording “Stress Relief Meditation”

Write a 2 – 3 page report on the following:

What is psychological stress?

What emotions, normally held by people, can amplify a stressful situation?

Take a look at the stressors in your life. How do they affect your relationship to loved ones, friends and your students? How do they affect your health?

What do you do, or could do, to release much of the stress in your life, including with your students? Describe mindfulness methods you could use to enhance trusting communications with your students and, in turn, the students could use.

Assignment #6:

Stuck in Stress Reactivity and Releasing it

Read pg 305

Ch 19 pg 306-316, 331-334

Ch 20 Responding to Stress Rather than Reacting  pg 335 -349

Listen to the audio recording “Gentleness of the Heart” (#8)

Write 2-3 pages on the following:

How would you describe the internal process of “Stuck in Stress Reactivity”?

What are “acute stressors” and “chronic stressors”?

What does it mean “responding” to stress instead of “reacting?”

With your renewed self, Identify a student or group of students who appear to be struggling with anxiety or fear, and create a series of simple assignments they could use to establish inner emotional balance and equipoise through the creative arts or breathing methods.

Assignment #7:

Write 1-2 pages in responding to the following:  

a. Consider how mindfulness relates to your life and, in turn, to effective teaching and learning

b. Reflect on when, where and how to teach mindfulness, and the methods and approaches you might use in a classroom

ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT

B. LEARNING APPLICATION

In this section, you will apply your learning to your professional situation. This course assumes that most participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you do not have a classroom available to you, please contact the instructor for course modifications. Assignments done in a course forum will show responses from all educators who have or are taking the course independently. ​Feel free to read and respond to others' comments. Group participants can only view and respond to their group members in the Forum. 

Assignment #8:

Choose either Option A or B 

Option A

Adapt a unit of lessons to reflect what you’ve learned in this course.
Implement your lessons with students in your classroom.
Write a 4 – 5 page commentary on what worked well, the challenges you faced, what didn’t work, and how you could modify the next time.
Include any student feedback on your lessons. To maintain privacy, please do not refer to students in your paper by their actual name, but rather use an alias or designation such as “Student A.”
Share what you've learned with other teachers taking our courses by checking the lesson library box when you submit your lessons. 

Option B  Use this option if you do not have a classroom available

Adapt a unit of lessons to reflect what you’ve learned in this course (Do not implement it).
Write a 4- 5 page article concerning any noteworthy success in mindfulness methods and teaching you’ve had as a teacher with one or more students. To maintain privacy, please do not refer to students in your paper by their actual name, but rather use an alias or designation such as “Student A.”
The following is encouraged but not required:
Please refer to the guidelines on our blog https://www.hol.edu/blog prior to writing your article.
Please email a copy to Renee Leon (renee@hol.edu) THI blog curator and media specialist.
Indicate whether or not you are OK with having your article considered for publication on our website.
Subject Line to read: (Course name, Blog)

Assignment #9: (500 Level ONLY)

In addition to the 400 level assignments complete two (2) of the following options.

Option A)  Research the effects of mindfulness and meditation in schools, and its relationship to academic results and classroom behavior. In short descriptions, bullet points, visuals, and or videos, document your significant findings. Be sure to use at least three resources and document them in your findings.  Develop a plan for the implementation of these ideas. (1-2 pages) 

OR

Option B)  Create a presentation (PowerPoint, Google Slides – minimum of 15 slides) to share with your staff summarizing each section from this course's six (6) learning outcomes. Be sure to focus on practical strategies/resources for educators. When you submit your presentation, please include the date, audience, and comments or feedback received. 

OR

Option C:  Another assignment of your own design, with instructor prior approval.

C. INTEGRATION PAPER

Assignment #10: (Required for 400 and 500 level)

SELF REFLECTION & INTEGRATION PAPER
(Please do not write this paper until you've completed all of your other assignments)

Write a 400-500 word Integration Paper answering these 5 questions:

1. What did you learn vs. what you expected to learn from this course?
2. What aspects of the course were most helpful and why?
3. What further knowledge and skills in this general area do you feel you need?
4. How, when and where will you use what you have learned?
5. How and with what other school or community members might you share what you learned?

INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:

Instructors will comment on each assignment. If you do not hear from the instructor within a few days of posting your assignment, please get in touch with them immediately.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:

Joseph Britton, B.S., at Princeton University, was formerly a Mechanical Engineer, designing energy systems and, in a different department, an Instructor teaching Yoga, Movement, and Meditation.

Upon moving to and living in Japan for 28 years, Joseph co-founded Japan’s first executive speech training company based in Tokyo, Media and Communications. Several years later, at Osaka Metropolitan University, he was honored to become a Professor of Communications & Mindfulness for 22 years. During this culturally rich experience, he spent many years personally studying with renowned Zen Buddhist master Uchiyama Kosho Roshi in Kyoto, Japan. He has taught seminars in communications and mindfulness through-out Asia, Europe and North America.

To understand the dynamics of how we generate and project energy, he also became a Hellerwork body & movement practitioner.

Presently, Joseph is a Adjunct Instructor at Portland Community College in the Community Education Department teaching 3 courses: Mindfulness – Awareness Practice, Mysteries of Dying, and Public Speaking with Mindfulness.

He is also a Hospice Volunteer accompanying people who die alone.

Mike Seymour, M.S., has been associated with K-12 education since 1990, most recently in his role as President and Director of The Heritage Institute, a program of continuing education for K-12 teachers. 

Mike has a B.S. in Comparative Literature from Columbia University and a M.S. in Marriage & Family Therapy from Seattle Pacific University.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MINDFULNESS: Awareness Practice

Kabat-Zinn, Jon, Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness,  with Thich Nhat Hanh, Bantam (Revised edition), 2013, Paperback ‏ : ‎ 720 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780345536938

Kabat-Zinn, Jon, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, Hachette Go, 2023, Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages, ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0306832011

Nhat Hanh, Thich  Happy Teachers Change the World, co-author Catherine Weare, Parallax Press, 2017, Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages, ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1941529631

Nhat Hanh, Thich  Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life, Random House Publishing, Dalai Lama (Foreword), 1992, Paperback ‏ : ‎ 134 pages  ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0553351397

Davidson, Richard and Goldman, Daniel. Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body, Avery publisher, 2018, Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages  ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399184392
                                                                                                                                                                                  Jinpa, Thumpta – (Founder and Chairman of the Compassion Institute developed while at Stanford University), A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives,  Avery publisher, 2016Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages  ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1101982926

Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World,  Random House, 2016, Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780399185045; along with the companion video Mission: JOY Finding Happiness in Troubled Times

Uchiyama, Kosho Roshi - Opening the Hand of Thought, Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice, Wisdom Publications,  2004, Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages, ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0861713575