Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques in Education

• In Event: 21.062 - MTCC Roundtable Session Six
  In Roundtable Session: 21.062-9 - Self-Care, Coping, and Teacher Retention

Abstract

smartEducation (Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques) is a mindfulness-based professional
learning initiative positioned in a Faculty of Education of a Western Canadian university. Following similar evidence-based initiatives of mindfulness in education, the smartEducation curriculum comprises nine sessions offered in a variety of face-to-face, intensive, and blended formats. This renewal program supports the development of self-care techniques to cultivate personal and professional resilience
through a greater understanding and control of breath, movement, and the physiology of emotions. The 20-hour program consists of eight two-hour sessions and a four-hour silent retreat. This paper provides
an overview of the research supporting mindfulness in education and presents the results of a pilot study conducted with preservice teachers enrolled in the smartEducation course.

Authors

• Leslie Shayer, Okanagan College

• Karen Ragoonaden, The University of British Columbia

• Sabre Lynn Cherkowski, University of British Columbia