In today's schools, students and teachers feel unprecedented-even alarming-levels of stress. How can we create calmer classrooms in which students concentrate better and feel more positive about themselves and others? Author Thomas Armstrong offers a compelling answer in the form of mindfulness, a secular practice he defines as the intentional focus of one's attention on the present moment in a nonjudgmental way.

In Mindfulness in the Classroom, Armstrong:

• Explains how mindfulness affects the structure and function of the brain.
• Provides an overview of mindfulness as both a personal practice and a classroom methodology that aligns with such educational models as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
• Shares and explains the extensive research that shows the positive effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom.
• Describes how to adapt mindfulness for different grade levels, integrate it into regular school subjects, and implement it schoolwide.
• Offers guidelines for teaching mindfulness responsibly, without religious overtones.