Engaging the Buzzword: Three Portable, Easy Mindfulness Practices That Made Teaching Rewarding Again

Posted: November 7, 2023 by Victoria Hightower

Editor's Note: This is the eighth in a series of blog posts in which teaching award winners will share their experiences, philosophies, and techniques.

Victoria Hightower is a Professor of History, Assistant Director of the Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships, and the winner of the 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award.

Mindfulness is a buzzword in academia. Publications address its theories, practices, and purposes, and psychology/cognitive science courses have investigated it for years, revealing that mindfulness gives practitioners a framework to expand focus, harness anxious energy, and work with intent. By employing small changes, a la James Lang's Small Teaching method, it is possible to give our students the mindfulness tools to be successful in our classes. What is more, this approach helps me to feel a greater sense of connection with my students, which allows me to teach with empathy. I also use these practices in my professional life to move through feelings of being overwhelmed and to maintain productivity. This post will examine a few of the techniques I use and how I grew into incorporating them over the past few years. It does not happen overnight, but with some intentionality, mindfulness practices can help make us more satisfied instructors and UNG employees.

A bit about me: I am a first generation college student who worked three jobs in undergraduate and at least two during my graduate work. I was raised with a solid "work it out" attitude. This attitude failed me periodically, but I nonetheless "got through it." In 2020 and 2021, however, the situation changed. With cohorted classes, policies that shifted in response to new health data, and the elevated stress level of my students who suddenly lost parents and siblings, I found myself at a loss. Not only was I burned out, but so were my students. Then, discussions of mental health became more open on campus, with a number of seminars being offered. My students, however, refused to attend. I realized I could use my classroom as a platform to help students improve their skills, which would dovetail with UNG retention and graduation goals. Here are a few practices and techniques I used.

First, my "PSAs" (public service announcements): I generally take the first five minutes of class to chat with students, but in 2021, I became more intentional, introducing what I felt they needed to hear as I listened to the pre-class chatter. Sometimes, I talk about the upcoming weather (three seasons in a day!) or the importance of washing hands (in times of in-class sniffling). Other times, we discuss the importance of using Office365, knowing where the computer labs are, and utilizing cloud-based computing (because computers crash and printers run out of ink before deadlines). I use my own MA thesis as an example: my disc became corrupted and I lost 30 pages of work. They do not always know what a disc is, but they understand the idea. I also use this time to talk about ongoing UNG events or processes—registration, schedule building, study abroad, and the importance of academic advising. By doing this, I built rapport, demystify administrative systems, and empower students.

I also use this time to present mindfulness techniques. I started by introducing intention-setting, basic breathing techniques and timed working. In 2022, I intentionally introduced the idea of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based) goals in the first or second meeting. I bring in my own to-do list, which inevitably contains something on which I am procrastinating. This opens discussions on prioritization, procrastination, and intentionality. I then ask students to set an intention for class and have them reflect on it at the end—did they achieve it? How can they use their intention to maintain focus during reading or in class? This lays the groundwork for later conversations about list-making and how having specific goals can help you complete a project.

Though these practices had an effect, I again felt I could do more to help my students feel supported. I introduced weekly reflections after a hallway talk with my colleague Erin Bush in Spring 2023. Modifying her idea, I ask five basic questions:

1. What went well this week in/out of the classroom?
2. Where did you get lost in this class this week? Any ideas why you got lost?
3. Did you look into anything in more detail? What did you find?
4. What questions do you have about this course, or anything?
5. What are you looking forward to in the next week?

This has revolutionized my relationships with my students, allowing me to keep tabs on those who were struggling and maximize my mentorship while also encouraging and rewarding curiosity. For those who did not feel comfortable telling me face-to-face about their struggles, the reflection gave them a sense of security, even though it is not anonymous and is graded on a full/half/no points model. This has worked in upper- and lower-level, online, and in-person courses, creating a sense of connection that has spilled into the classroom, enriched discussions, and enabled me to be proactive in cases of low performance. In an online course, it created the connections that are crucial to student success by helping students feel seen and heard. What is more, it helped students track their own feelings and think more proactively about their challenges.

Having now used these practices over several semesters, I see their value for me as a professor and a person. The goal of instituting these small changes is to fill a gap in students' learning that most of us can recognize: a lack of focus, a lack of basic skills, and a lack of attention to detail. The students are still burdened with the onus of doing the intellectual work, but I transparently explain to them its potential value within and beyond the walls of my classroom, giving them tools to move through their feelings of being overwhelmed and toward a deeper engagement with themselves and their work.