Meditation, Mindfulness & Self-Regulated Learning

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This article argues that mindfulness and meditation are effective tools for fostering self-regulated learning, metacognition, and reflective learning in students. By engaging in mindfulness practices, students develop awareness of their cognitive and emotional states, enabling them to monitor and regulate their learning processes. Meditation, traditionally seen as a means of mental discipline, offers students practical methods to enhance focus, self-control, and emotional regulation, all of which are critical to self-regulated learning.

Mindfulness encourages students to observe their thoughts and emotions non-reactively, creating opportunities for reflection and self-awareness. These practices align with metacognitive strategies, where students plan, monitor, and assess their learning. For example, a teacher might use mindfulness techniques to prompt students to reflect on feelings of boredom or frustration during a task, helping them reframe their thinking and improve engagement. Such questioning fosters metacognitive insight by guiding students to focus on their internal processes rather than reacting passively to external stimuli.

Meditation and mindfulness also contribute to emotional regulation, an essential component of self-regulated learning. By helping students recognise and manage stress or anxiety, these practices create an emotional environment more conducive to effective learning. A simple classroom application might involve beginning a lesson with a brief mindfulness exercise, followed by prompts for students to identify their current emotions and reflect on how these might influence their ability to focus and learn. This integration of mindfulness into reflective practice enhances both emotional awareness and cognitive adaptability.

Research supports the impact of mindfulness and meditation on metacognitive and self-regulation skills. Studies indicate improvements in attention, executive function, emotional control, and metacognitive insight. For instance, Flook et al. (2010) demonstrated that mindfulness training enhances executive functions in young students, while Zeidan et al. (2010) found significant gains in metacognitive awareness. Furthermore, Davidson et al. (2012) argue that contemplative practices strengthen self-regulatory capacities, such as empathy and resilience, which are essential for academic success.

Practical benefits extend beyond cognitive improvements to include reductions in off-task behaviour, increased focus, and enhanced social-emotional resilience. Felver et al. (2014) found that mindfulness meditation decreased disruptive behaviours and increased classroom engagement among behaviourally challenging students. Meta-analyses by Zoogman et al. (2014) and Zenner et al. (2014) highlight significant benefits of mindfulness interventions, including improved attention, reduced stress, and enhanced executive functioning.

Meditation and mindfulness practices offer mainstream education systems valuable strategies for developing self-regulated learners. Incorporating these approaches into classrooms can cultivate students' ability to reflect on and regulate their learning, improving both academic outcomes and emotional well-being. Furthermore, neuroscience evidence, as summarised by Weare (2012), suggests that these practices profoundly enhance brain function and structure, offering lasting benefits for cognitive and emotional development.

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Resources for Teaching Meditation, Mindfulness & Self-Regulated Learning

If you need teaching resources that teach secular mindfulness and meditation practices with and emphasis on metacognition and learning-power, check out our Meditation & Deep-Metacognition Resource pack here...

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References

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Weare, K. (2012). Evidence for the impact of mindfulness on children and young people. Mindfulness in Schools Project.

Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Diamond, B. J., David, Z., & Goolkasian, P. (2010). Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training. Consciousness and Cognition, 19(2), 597–605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2010.03.014

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