Secondary school students are under enormous pressure these days so it’s important that they learn how to implement mindful practices into their daily routines as much as possible.
While mindfulness is definitely becoming more mainstream, it does not receive enough attention in the curriculum which is dominated by academic subjects and exam preparation. As such, very few students understand how they can effectively implement mindfulness into their lives.Â
As many of us know, this can be detrimental to young people’s health and wellbeing and while larger shifts in educational policy and practice, i.e reforming the Leaving Cert, is required to achieve meaningful change in our education system, helping students to develop mindful practices is a step in the right direction.Â
The reality is that students will reap massive rewards if they are taught how to implement mindfulness into their daily lives, not only in relation to their academic studies but also in relation to their confidence, self-image, and personal and inter-personal relationships.
This is why mindfulness is a core element of our Online Study Skills course.Â
The Benefits of Meditation
Meditation is a mindfulness practice that I encourage the students in our Online Study Skills course to engage in.
Not only does meditation help to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, but it also increases grey matter in the brain and improves memory, decision-making and attention.
Meditation can literally change the brain!
These were the findings of Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, who conducted a study on the benefits of meditation .
You can read her interview in the Washington Times here and watch her TedX Talk here.
"Meditation can literally change the brain"
Online Study Skills Course
On March 15th, we are launching a brand new 4-week Online Study Skills Course for secondary school students that will teach them how to achieve exam success.
This includes teaching them:
Active studying techniques that suits their particular learning style How to develop focus and motivation Time-management skills Organisational skills Techniques to develop a positive mindset
I have developed two online study skills courses:
1. For students in 1st & 2nd year
2. For students in 3rd-6th year
The reason for this is not to overwhelm younger students with techniques on exam preparation which are specific to the Junior and Leaving Cert.Â
Instead, these students will learn tools and strategies that will help them to develop a firm foundation in studying so that they hit the ground running when they start 3rd year.
Students in 3rd-6th year will learn all of the same strategies but more content will be directed towards exam preparation.