The document summarizes a presentation about a study on the effects of mindfulness on math problem-solving. The study taught 8th grade students mindfulness techniques over 8 weeks using the MindUp curriculum. It found that students showed reduced math anxiety and off-task behavior, and below-grade-level students improved their scores on math assessments after learning mindfulness skills. The presentation concluded that mindfulness helps students reduce stress and anxiety, allowing them to focus better and extend their problem-solving abilities.

1. WHAT EFFECT DOES MINDFULNESS
HAVE ON MATH PROBLEM -SOLVING?
CROSSROADS TO LEARNING:
WHERE BEST PRACTICES MEET
APRIL 19, 2016
DE JEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
PRESENTED BY: JULIET JAMSHEED
Mindful of Math

2. Agenda
 Welcome
 What is Mindfulness?
 The Evolution of Mindfulness
 Mindfulness in Education
 Action Research Project
 Findings and Conclusions
 Next Steps
 Questions

3. About Me
 I have been a teacher for 11 years in SFUSD, OUSD, and
WCCUSD.
 I went to school in the Middle East where I was educated
bilingually.
 When teachers are engaged in new learning, students benefit.
 I wanted to explore mindfulness practices with students in my
own classroom.

4. About You
Please discuss at your table:
 Who are you and what brought you here;
 What interested you in this topic;
 What is your definition of “mindfulness?”

6. “THE AWARENESS THAT EMERGES THROUGH
PAYING ATTENTION ON PURPOSE, IN THE
PRESENT MOMENT, AND NON-JUDGMENTALLY
TO THE UNFOLDING OF EXPERIENCE.”
- JON KABAT-ZINN
Definition of Mindfulness

7. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
(MBSR)
 University of Massachusetts Medical
Hospital in 1979
 Treatment of chronic pain patients
 8-week program focused on
mindfulness meditation and self-
awareness
 Successful in treatment in more than
50% of patients
 Now adapted for use in schools,
hospitals, prisons, and the military.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD

8. Research
Anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes of daily mindfulness
meditation has been linked to:
 Decreased depression, anxiety, and stress
 Improved sleep (reduced insomnia)
 Increases in physical and mental ease and well-being
 Increased connection with others

9. Evolution of
Mindfulness

10. Secularity Boosted by Science
 Mindfulness dates back thousands of years to the Buddhist and
Hindu traditions.
 It is useful in certain settings to separate mindfulness training
from the associations with meditation.
 MBSR and Jon Kabat Zinn’s work helped to move mindfulness
into the realm of science and medicine.
 Mindfulness is now used to address illness, pain, anxiety and
stress
 Neuroscience research is discovering benefits of mindfulness

11. Mindfulness in Popular Culture Today
 Corporations are using mindfulness to boost
productivity and reduce stress in the workplace.
 Professional sports team are using it to enhance
athletes’ focus and performance.
 Many books have been published in recent years
on the topic:
 Mindful Work
 The Mindful Child
 The Mindful Way Through Depression
 Mindful Eating

12. A Social Movement

13. Mindfulness in Education

14. Mindfulness and Neuroscience
Effects of stress :
 Degrades executive
functions (Efs) of the
prefrontal cortex (PFC)
 Impairs hippocampus
activity
 Amygdala grows when
exposed to ongoing stress

15. How Students Experience Stress
 pressure to achieve
 economic hardship
 poor nutrition
 inadequate health care
 emotional deprivation
 limited educational resources

16. Research
Students who employ mindfulness techniques benefit
from:
 Improved focus and concentration
 Increased self awareness
 Improved impulse control
 Reduced stress
 Increased empathy
 Better conflict resolution skills

17. The Problem
 Students (and teachers) are under stress at school and at
home
 Teachers are under pressure to deliver rigorous material to
an increasingly disengaged audience due to increase in
outside stimuli
 Many students are struggling academically
 Some students experience math anxiety
 Students exhibit off-task behavior as avoidance strategy

18. Why Math and Mindfulness?

19. What is Math Anxiety?
 “Feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with
the manipulation of numbers and the solving of
mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary
life and academic situations.” (Richardson & Suinn,
1972, p.551)

20. Action
Research
Question
 What impact would teaching
students mindfulness-based
practices have on their
emotional self-regulation and
academic achievement?
 Would learning mindfulness
skills help them with anxiety and
thus help them to better solve
challenging math word
problems?

21. The Components of My Study
 MindUp curriculum
 8-week study
 Weekly 45-minute lessons
 Daily core practice of focused breathing, twice a day

22. Lesson Outline
 Week 1: How Our Brains Work
 Week 2: Mindful Awareness
 Week 3: Focused Awareness: The Core Practice
 Week 4: Mindful Listening
 Week 5: Mindful Seeing
 Week 6: Mindful Tasting
 Week 7: Mindful Movement
 Week 8: Expressing Gratitude

23. Mindful Listening

24. Instruments used to measure progress
 Surveys
 Mindfulness Questionnaire & Math Attitudes Questionnaire
 Protocol established around taking and submitting surveys
 Math Assessments
 Pre and Post Assessment
 5 Multi-step word problems
 Designed to be just outside of their comfort zone
 Grouped by grade level ability: Below, At, Above grade level
(differentiated without students’ knowledge)
 Daily Observation Log
 Off-task observations made during math instruction time

25. Mindfulness Survey
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Q2 Q5 Q6 Q12 Q13
Points
Questions
Positive Emotions
Pre Mindful Intervention
Post Mindful Intervention
Always
Never

26. Math Anxiety Survey
108
84
50
38
45
113
67
42
27
33
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Not at all Nervous A little Nervous Somewhat Nervous Very Nervous Very Very Nervous
Class
Total
of
Tallie's
Counted
Math Anxiety Survey
Pre
Post

27. Math Assessments
Above Grade Level At Grade Level Below Grade Level
Pretest-Mean 3 2.2 2
Posttest-Mean 2.75 2.3 2.6
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Average
Math
Score
Pre and Post Test Math Assesments

28. Mindfulness
Increases
Awareness

29. Observation Log
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Average
Off
Task
Behaviors
Off Task Observed Behaviors
Girls
Boys

30. Findings
 Huge reduction of off-task behaviors during math
instruction
 Below grade level students showed substantial gain on
math assessment post-study.
 Math anxiety survey reported students exhibiting less
nervousness with math

31. Conclusions
 There was a noticeable reduction in student off-task behavior which I
attribute to students possessing more self-regulation skills and
enhanced self-awareness.
 An unintended benefit was that students voluntarily applied
mindfulness skills to helping them calm down after stressful
interactions.
 Even though the Above and At grade level students did not experience
much change in their ability to solve word problems on tests, the Below
grade level students did, indicating that that mindfulness could help
them by reducing anxiety and extending their ability to stay focused.

32. Words of Wisdom
“If every 8 year old in the world is taught meditation,
we will eliminate violence from the world in one
generation.” - The Dalai Lama

33. Next Steps
 Starting at the beginning of the school year and
incorporating practice into daily routine
 Normalizing the experience and being consistent
 Allowing students to take more ownership
 Working on my own daily practice
 Sharing these findings with other teachers and
administrators

34. Written Reflection and Partner Share
 What is something that you learned today?
 What might you implement as a result of this
presentation?
 What questions do you have?

35. Questions?

36. References
 Davidson, R.J., Dunne, J., Eccles, J. S., Engle, A., Greenberg, M., Jennings, P., & ... Vago,
D. (2012). Contemplative Practices and Mental Training: Prospects for American
Education. Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), 146-153. doi:10.1111/j.1750-
8606.2012.00240.x
 Davidson, R.J. et al., (2003) Alterations in brain and immune function produced by
mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 4, 564-570.
 Flook, L. L., Smalley, S. L., Kitil, M. J., Galla, B. M., Kaiser-Greenland, S. S., Locke, J.
J., & ... Kasari, C. C. (2009). Effects of mindful awareness practices on executive
functions in elementary school children. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 26(1), 70-
95.
 Harari, R. R., Vukovic, R. K., & Bailey, S. P. (2013). Mathematics Anxiety in Young
Children: An Exploratory Study. Journal Of Experimental Education, 81(4), 538-555.
 Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain
patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation. General Hospital Psychiatry,
4, 33.47.
 Lupien, S. J., McEwen, B. S., Gunnar, M. R., & Heim, C. (2009). Effects of stress
throughout the lifespan on the brain, behaviour and cognition. Nature Reviews
Neuroscience, 10(6), 434-445. doi:10.1038/nrn2639

37. References
 Napoli, M., Krech, P., & Holley, L. C. (2005). Mindfulness Training for Elementary
School Students: The Attention Academy. Journal Of Applied School Psychology, 21(1),
99-125.
 Oberle, E., & Schonert-Reichl, K. (2013). Relations among peer acceptance, inhibitory
control, and math achievement in early adolescence. Journal of Applied Developmental
Psychology, 34(1), 45-51.
 Richardson, F., & Suinn, R. (1972). The mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale: Psychometric
data. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19, 551-554.