Room 2 Breathe: A Mindfulness Space for Self-Regulation to Help Improve Students’ Outcomes in Schools
Format
Workshop
First Presenter's Institution
Atlanta Public Schools
Second Presenter's Institution
Atlanta Public Schools
Third Presenter's Institution
NA
Fourth Presenter's Institution
NA
Fifth Presenter's Institution
NA
Strand #1
Heart: Social & Emotional Skills
Strand #2
Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership
Relevance
This proposal is highly connected to Strand 1: Social Emotional Skills and Strand 2: Academic Achievement and School Leadership. The presenters will provide program participants with a blueprint on how to create a “Room 2 Breathe” space in a non-traditional high school setting using a combination of Mindfulness Tenets, Social Emotional Learning and The System Sensory Room philosophical approaches for students with and without disabilities.
Brief Program Description
The presenters will share how developing a mindfulness/system of sensory room in a non-traditional high school setting as an extension of student supports can be associated with increased attendance in school, greater academic success, self-regulation, advocacy and improved classroom performance and behavior for all students. We all can use some “Room 2 Breathe”!
Summary
Are you looking for a new and fun way to improve attendance while enhancing self-regulation skills, minimizing suspensions, and improving greater academic performance for students? Creating a System of Sensory and Mindfulness Room is a possible solution with minimal disruption in the school day for both students, teachers, and parents.
A room that explores mindfulness outside of the classroom is attention grabbing and critically important for teachers, educators, support staff, and school administrators. Oftentimes overlooked, the implementation of a mindfulness room in a school setting has been shown to support social emotional and cognitive abilities in students, thus, improving outcomes for students (Caballero, Scherer, West, Mrazek, Gabrieli, & Gabrieli, 2019).
An effective System of Sensor and Mindfulness Room builds upon self-comprehension for students in a safe and non-judgmental space. This space provides methods of self-regulation based on: 1) breathing control, 2) managing muscle movements and tonus, and 3) word influence (Kalimullin, Kuvaldina, & Koinova-Zoellner, 2016).
This presentation will share specific concrete approaches and interventions that have been implemented with proven results in a non-traditional public urban high school. These interventions address the social/emotional needs of youth at risk of dropping out; consequently, keeping students on track to academic success and supporting students in understanding choices and consequences in their post-secondary life.
This session provides participants with a combination of practical and thought provoking strategies that will assist in developing a safe space as well as encompasses a System of Sensory, Mindfulness, and Social Emotional Learning approaches to support the overall well-being of students.
Evidence
The possibilities are endless in creating a safe space for students! Implementing a “Room 2 Breathe” is an unlimited avenue for students to develop self-regulation and problem solving skills. A “Room 2 Breathe” which was implemented at Phoenix Academy/Crim Open Campus High School, allowed students a space to self-regulate as opposed to leaving campus without authorization. When comparing the data from the 2018-2019 school year to the implementation school year, 2019-2020, students’ attendance in school increased and discipline concerns decreased because students remained in school and practiced self-regulation.
References:
Caballero, C., Scherer, E., West, M. R., Mrazek, M. D., Gabrieli, C. F., & Gabrieli, J. D. (2019). Greater mindfulness is associated with better academic achievement in middle school. Mind, Brain, and Education, 13(3), 157-166.
Hurd, N., & Deutsch, N. (2017). SEL-focused after-school programs. The Future of Children, 95-115
Kalimullin, A. M., Kuvaldina, E. A., & Koinova-Zoellner, J. (2016). Adolescents' Self-Regulation Development via the Sensory Room System. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 11(5), 663-671.
Resources:
- The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): https://casel.org/
- Minding Your Mind: https://mindingyourmind.org/what-we-do/mindfulness/
- George Lucas Educational Foundation - Edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/article/sensory-room-101-betty-ray#:~:text=A%20sensory%20room%E2%80%94a%20therapeutic,learning%20and%20interacting%20with%20others.
Learning Objectives
3. To share strategies with participants that will assist with developing the curriculum for a "Room to Breathe”.
2. To help participants identify partners who can assist with materials needed to transform school rooms into a safe space that incorporates sensory, mindfulness and SEL tenets.
3. To build participants’ capacity for engaging administrators and school staff in their work to establish buy-in.
Biographical Sketch
Chatelah Brown is a School Social Worker for Atlanta Public Schools’ Phoenix Academy, a non-traditional school for high school students. She has over 20 years of social work experience working with families, children and youth in both micro and macro levels of social work. She received a Master of Science Degree in Social Work with a certification in School Social Work from Wayne State University. She is the author of a parenting book for mothers of children with disabilities and behavioral challenges as well as articles related to parenting. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral Degree in Special Education. She enjoys spending time with community groups that support the well-being of youth and their families. At present, Ms. Brown is engaged in work where she is able to develop community partnerships and natural connections that exposes students to experiences and opportunities which expand their current realm of possibilities and help ensure normal neurological development.
Dr. Jacquelyn Anthony is the Social Work Services Coordinator for Atlanta Public Schools. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of school social work. Dr. Anthony earned an Ed.D. in Curriculum Studies from Georgia Southern University, a Master of Science in Social Work degree from Clark Atlanta University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources from Georgia State University. She has written about Black women parenting and parent involvement, Critical Race Theory, and education in the U.S. South. Her interests include using other mothering as a framework to create space for a communal approach to support students’ thriving in schools and in life. She is currently engaged in work that facilitates connections with community and human service agencies to provide wraparound support services and resources which help remove barriers to student learning.
Keyword Descriptors
Self-Regulation, Sensory, Sensory Room, Mindfulness, Self-Regulation, Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Presentation Year
2021
Start Date
3-9-2021 3:00 PM
End Date
3-9-2021 4:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Brown, Chatelah and Anthony, Jacquelyn, "Room 2 Breathe: A Mindfulness Space for Self-Regulation to Help Improve Students’ Outcomes in Schools" (2021). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 38.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2021/2021/38
Room 2 Breathe: A Mindfulness Space for Self-Regulation to Help Improve Students’ Outcomes in Schools
The presenters will share how developing a mindfulness/system of sensory room in a non-traditional high school setting as an extension of student supports can be associated with increased attendance in school, greater academic success, self-regulation, advocacy and improved classroom performance and behavior for all students. We all can use some “Room 2 Breathe”!
