Calming and Focusing: Students’ Perceptions of Short Classroom Strategies for Fostering Presence

Abstract

These brief strategies were acceptable to most students and were helpful to the students in preparing for class. The response to mindfulness minute was most positive. Further research is needed on the introduction of strategies that help students in the classroom and may also increase presence at the bedside.

Introducing Mindful Pause Practice in Sonography Education: A Strategy to Improve Classroom Presence

“…[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]20 In the educational setting, mindful practices that do not increase students' workload and fit easily into their schedule were viewed with favorable feedback. 14,15 This was taken into account in the MPP study design. For sonography students, the MPP was performed during the first few minutes of class; no additional work was needed outside of the classroom.…”

“…This finding was similar to other study findings where participation was lower when it was self-directed. 10,11,14 All students who used mindfulness outside the classroom reported it was valuable, and the percentage of students adding the MPP outside the classroom did increase over time. For studying, this increase may have occurred as the practice became more of a habitual way to approach the learning process or as students associated academic success or reduced stress related to the practice.…”

“…Time is hypothesized as a reason why individuals either do not engage in or fail to complete mindfulness studies. [12][13][14][15][16][17] Long sessions or sessions over the lunch hour can be difficult to work into already busy student schedules. Students reported dissatisfaction with long sessions and noted scheduling conflicts when asked to attend training and/or practice sessions.…”

“…Students reported dissatisfaction with long sessions and noted scheduling conflicts when asked to attend training and/or practice sessions. [12][13][14][15][16][17] Academic calendars and allied health curricula may not be conducive for long trainings prior to practice, and practice sessions scheduled in addition to or outside regular class time may not be well attended. [13][14][15][16][17] Lack of classroom time may be a deterrent to adopting an in-class mindfulness practice.…”

“…While there are a variety of ways that mindfulness can be implemented, the literature demonstrates that short interventions in the classroom can be successful, which may be ideal for allied health training programs. [13][14][15][16][17] Multiple tools are available to measure mindfulness. The MAAS is one of the most commonly used tools.…”