Mindfulness‐Based Design Practice (MBDP): A Novel Learning Framework in Support of Designers within Twenty‐First‐Century Higher Education

While the interconnected and technological nature of the twenty‐first century can bring about many positive global connections, the importance of prioritising the development of the ‘inner world’ of designers is receiving less attention; similarly, time for contemplation, reflection and stillness is becoming scarcer. This article discusses mindfulness training from the Buddhist perspective, and how it can act as a pathway to personal introspection and as a supportive method for mental illnesses. With a special focus on design education, it discusses a novel framework, Mindfulness‐Based Design Practice (MBDP), and how it can potentially offer opportunities for design students to foster positive mind qualities such as mindfulness, compassion, resilience, and recognising the true nature of phenomena for becoming more ethical designers. Therefore, this article looks to bridge the gap between the significant lack of contemplative mindfulness‐based methods within the higher design education sector and the increasing mental health crisis within that sector. Thus, the primary concern of the MBDP is to advance both the individual and the collective development of the contemporary designer’s mind. Referring to the mind of the designer as the ‘inner designer’, this article forms an unfolding dialogue of the novel framework MBDP in support of mindful learning within twenty‐first‐century design education.     

心理咨询与治疗中的正念训练

正念训练源于佛教。在西方,从上个世纪七十年代末开始,正念训练被应用于心理咨询与治疗和身心健康的多个领域。目前,已经有很多关于疗效的实证研究。本文对正念训练的历史与现状、心理机制、临床应用,以及主要技术作了简要的介绍。     

Responsibility for nurturing a child’s wellbeing: teachers teaching mindfulness with children

ABSTRACT

A thriving and evolving pool of research and commentary is emerging in relation to the integration of mindfulness techniques in school and out-of-school settings. In the current study the author explored how experienced mindbody wellness instructors make sense of teaching children mindfulness. The methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to interview eight teachers teaching mindfulness with children from the United States and Australia. Four thematic categories emerged from the analysis and in this article the author discusses findings related to the theme of, Responsibility for Nurturing a Child’s Wellbeing. It was discovered that having a holistic-wellness-orientated vision was an important aspect of how teachers made sense of mindfulness instruction. The findings showed that teaching children mindfulness has the capacity to raise academic performance while synergistically enhancing a child’s spiritual, environmental, emotional, social, creative and physical wellbeing. It is recommended that mindfulness teacher training programs be established in universities to better prepare students to meet the demands of 21^st Century education.     

Mindfulness meditation for future early childhood teachers in Japan

To prevent future burnout and turnover among early childhood education students, mindfulness training may hold promise as a measure. A lab-based pilot and classroom-based feasibility study was designed to investigate an effective way to introduce mindfulness meditation. Results suggested that two types of audio-guided mindfulness meditation, a sitting meditation and a compassion meditation reduced stress level, and that the compassion meditation was perceived as more comfortable than the sitting meditation. As a tentative conclusion, the compassion meditation may be introduced first before the sitting meditation. Additional studies should examine the effects of longer-term meditation practice on teaching career development.     

How does Mindfulness training change the narratives of young people identified as having behavioural difficulties? An exploratory study

Previous research investigating the use of Mindfulness as an intervention has generally taken a quantitative approach, focusing on outcomes rather than processes. The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of how and why Mindfulness training might influence young people. The study explored the changes in narratives that occur in young people following a Mindfulness intervention, in order to provide an understanding of how such an intervention might facilitate change. Five participants experiencing behavioural difficulties in school (n = 5, aged 11 to 14) took part in the “Mindfulness for Schools” intervention. Two of these participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule prior to and after the intervention. Interviews were analysed using a multi-faceted, staged approach to narrative analysis. Findings are discussed in terms of participants’ changes in sense of self, self-compassion, use of Mindfulness language and non-judgemental awareness. Potential implications for the practice of educational psychologists (EPs) and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Mindfulness for education students: addressing welfare as part of the professional training

Students in special education teaching and counselling are exposed to relatively high levels of stress during their studies and their professional career, which are commonly manifested in high occupational burnout. Professional development programmes normally do not address this issue. A practicum course was developed to provide theoretical framework for research on mindfulness, training of self-application techniques, and guidelines for fieldwork teaching of these techniques to children, with the aim of improving quality of life by reducing anxiety and stress levels. Participants of mindfulness and control practicum filled questionnaires at the beginning and end of the year. Significant reduction in stress, rumination and sleep disturbances as well as elevated level of mindfulness were observed in the mindfulness practicum only. The results suggest that mindfulness training can be successfully introduced in traditional academic settings to enhance the personal mental health of future teachers, and subsequently lower their chances to suffer from burnout.     

Teaching for well-being? Introducing mindfulness in an undergraduate course

Student mental health and well-being are increasing concerns in higher education. This exploratory study examined students’ learning in a mindfulness programme incorporated into an undergraduate class. Six brief mindfulness-based practices were introduced: mindfulness meditation, walking meditation, body scan, mindful eating, loving-kindness and Tonglen meditation. Fourteen students were interviewed after completion of the course to explore their conceptions and use of mindfulness and other self-care practices. Results of thematic analyses suggest that there were variations in students’ adoption of mindfulness-based practices and students’ preferred mindfulness techniques. Most participants reported that mindfulness instruction and practice were beneficial but this was not universal; some students reported that mindfulness was ‘not for them’. Findings suggest that mindfulness fostered self-reflection, self-awareness and relaxation for many students and incorporating mindfulness at the beginning of class improved the overall quality of discussion and facilitated students’ learning. Findings further suggest that students incorporated mindfulness into existing self-care practices that included a variety of other preferred techniques to enhance self-reflection, self-awareness and relaxation. Overall, our findings suggest that students should be helped, through explicit instruction, to develop a ‘toolbox’ of self-care approaches that may include, but are not necessarily limited to, mindfulness techniques.     

Integrating Mindfulness Meditation Within a University Counseling Center Setting

Abstract

This paper documents the development of a mindfulness meditation component within a University Counseling Center setting. The specific focus is upon the inclusion of meditation as it pertains to both organizational structure and psychotherapy training. The integration of a meditation practice into any organization is a slow process that poses complex questions. We argue that the benefits provide a counterpoint to the complexities inherent when incorporating such training into an organization's structure and a psychology internship program.     

Mindfulness-based meditation to decrease stress and anxiety in college students: A narrative synthesis of the research

ObjectiveThe primary purpose of this paper was to narratively review the research testing the effects of mindfulness meditation on stress and anxiety in the college students; reviewing the inclusion of mindfulness was a secondary purpose.MethodsA literature search resulted in 57 studies on the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation in reducing stress and anxiety in college students.ConclusionsResearchers examined anxiety in 40 studies, self-reported stress in 34, physiological stress in 11, and mindfulness in 24. Thirty-three of 40 and 25 of 34 studies showed significant decreases in anxiety and stress respectively; 22 of 24 showed an increase in mindfulness. Physiological stress had inconsistent results indicating a need for further research. Overall, mindfulness meditation shows promise in reducing stress and anxiety in college students. Additionally, there are a number of differences in mindfulness interventions including frequency, duration, instructional method, and inclusion of yoga, that need quantitative examination (meta-analysis) to determine which is most effective.