Hi Everyone,
I wanted to explore how mobile technology can help support students’ mental well-being in preparation for September 2020. Working with students online, I have had the opportunity to connect more on an individual level and have notices heightened fears, anxiety and stress from external factors. These factors are compounding the stressors that come with the end of the school year. I considered different mindfulness apps to see if mobile technology is appropriate to support mindfulness in high school students. Looking to the future, I believe there will be an even greater need for mobile technologies to support remote learning.
I have created a videocast that you can listen to or view. I am looking forward to your thoughts on the topic; please ask any questions and comments below.
Thank you, Kristin, for introducing this research and application of mindfulness.
I didn’t realize how dangerous the situation is for many students because when I was in high school, I didn’t know there was any among my peers. Since I started working as an educator, I often have to deal with cutting, self-harming accidents. And when we talked to the students, they often don’t know how to express that to the teachers or their own parents. Especially when most parents refuse to believe that their kids need help on their mental wellbeing.
I personally haven’t tried applications like the ones you mentioned in your video, but surely I will later. My fingers are crossed for your attempt on the Moodle add-in because my school is planning to keep using moodle as a storage place for the teacher and students assignment. It would be great if the students can have access to some mindfulness apps whenever they are trying to access their assignments.
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for sharing your presentation!
I like how you suggested students completing tasks in the app prior to completing an online test, I wonder what the results are for completing mindfulness tasks before tests in-class, did you read anything about that?
I also agree that teaching kids mobile skills can help to reduce the stress and anxiety that may be caused from doing school online. I think about how I can prepare students in person with the skills necessary for them to alleviate stress prior to learning online.
I love your suggesting of installing a plug-in to allow mindfulness reminders right into the course delivery method! It may not get all students but it would get more than apps in my opinion.
Great work, Kristin! I make use of two mindfulness apps myself (one in the mornings to start my day called Insight Timer and a second one to help calm my mind when it’s time to go to bed called Sleepiest) so I know what a great impact these apps can have on a person’s daily state of mind. However, I had actually never considered the potential of them to help my students not only through this incredibly stressful time in itself but also with their transition back to classes one day (maybe I’ve been too focused on simply trying to move forward with the syllabus or I’ve disregarded the issue since I teach more senior students). Either way, I think this is an issue that deserves serious consideration and emotional support should be implemented in some way not only for junior students but also senior ones. This was a really informative analysis and you left me with a lot of food for thought when it comes to how I can follow a similar approach with my own students when they return at some point.
Hi Kristin,
Wonderful presentation on mindfulness! These are definitely great resources for teachers. More and more people care about mindfulness nowadays and mindfulness has become such a buzzword. Is it that older generations never experienced anxiety, depression and irritability? No. Technology has changed our lives for the better. Mobile mindedness apps can not only help improve physical and mental health but also raise awareness. In my school, each year we have our wellness week when our school counsellor brings in guest speakers and organizes student-led workshops and other activities to promote the well-being of students and staff. I’ll definitely share with her your research 🙂
Thank you for your response, Ceci. A mindfulness week sounds exactly what is required for students when they are returning to school in September. I believe DL schools should take a page from face-to-face classrooms and also encourage the same awareness week. I believe more discussion around the topic is always beneficial. I agree, it is not that previous generations didn’t experience depression and anxiety, I think they suffered in silence because they were not recognized as serious ailments and people were told to “buck-up,” at least that’s what my aunt used to say.
Hi,
When I embedded my references to YouTube, they were a bit cut-off. Please see them below
Bauer, M., Glenn, T., Geddes, J., Gitlin, M., Grof, P., Kessing, L. V., . . . Whybrow, P. C. (2020). Smartphones in mental health: A critical review of background issues, current status and future concerns. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, 8(1), 2-19. doi:10.1186/s40345-019-0164-x
Gonzalez, R. (2020). Mindfulness high-school-based strategies and interventions for students with social anxiety. Retrieved from https://search-proquest com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/2406975654?accountid=14656
Larsen, M. E., Nicholas, J., & Christensen, H. (2016). Quantifying app store dynamics: Longitudinal tracking of mental health apps.JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 4(3), e96. doi:10.2196/mhealth.6020
Province of British Columbia. (2018). BC’s New Curriculum. Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/physical-health-education/10/
Rodde, T. (2019). 25% of users abandon an app after one use. Retrieved from http://info.localytics.com/blog/25-of-users-abandon-apps-after-one-use
Statistica. (2016). Worldwide mobile app retention rate during the first 90 days of ownership as of March 2016, by mobile platform.
Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/243728/worldwide-mobile-app-user-retention-by-mobile-plaform/
Also, here is a copy of the video with the references fixed and the watermark removed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVrWs6Os7uk
Hi Kristin,
Outstanding video cast on Mindfulness. I find that this is a topic that is extremely necessary in our society especially among youth who are undergoing daily stresses. I enjoyed your analysis on the effectiveness of the apps that are most commonly used. I was thinking that (without force) teachers should try to implement a time when the whole class can do a mindful session. I am not sure how the dynamics are in high school as I am an elementary school teacher, but with the advantage of most students having mobile device on hand, it could be a positive way of incorporating technology versus banning the use of mobile devices in class. I know in my class, we have time for mindful breathing after periods where our energy can be very high or anxiety might be present.
These apps and guided usage can be such a great way to help students practice mindfulness and self- regulation. These issues of anxiety and heightened emotion are so prominent in our students and I believe that they need ways to learn and remember how to regulate themselves. If students in my class had mobile devices of their own, then I would set a time for them to use these mindful apps in the classroom.
Thank you for your thorough research and wonderful insights into this very important topic!
I appreciate that you took the time to go through the presentation, Kat. I think this topic is so vital for students of all ages. My experience is with high school, but I’m excited to hear that you use the practice in your grade 4/5 classroom. Have you noticed a change in behaviours of the students who returned on June 1st? Do you anticipate new challenging reactions with your upcoming students?
I think this topic is successful with teacher guidance and support. Still, if the students can use their own apps to complete a breathing exercise, they can discover ways to calm their behaviours inside of a high energy classroom. I think these exercises can be excellent transition exercises. At what point of the day do you usually complete mindful breathing?
Thanks again for your comments.
It is so important. As with anything new or unknown, it certainly brings a feeling of anxiety. I noticed with my students who returned to in class learning that they were very anxious with how different everything looked in the school. I was so concerned with what I was going to teach them that I didn’t think they would be so fearful and uncomfortable with the “new way” of things at school. So instead, I took a turn in our day and helped them feel more calm by teaching them what they DO KNOW and what they felt comfortable with-and that was yoga. In our regular routine at school, we practice yoga twice a week in the mornings to help start our day. Yoga and mindfulness go hand in hand, so whether you move your body (which can be more beneficial to children that really need to move their bodies first thing in the morning) or sit and do mindful breathing, it is important to be able to have this tool as a “go to” for self- regulation.
We continue with just mindful breathing throughout the day after Recess and Lunch breaks when energy is high and often peer conflicts occur. It has really helped the students gain a clear mind, calm their emotions before they explain to me a conflict that may have happened during their break.
When do you incorporate this with your students?
Hi Kat,
I have an initial meeting with my students before we schedule their first online test. I have a conversation about where they will take the test, how they will prepare for it, and then we discuss daily mindfulness practices. I ask some questions and then provide links to the Breathr website, where I encourage them to try out one of the podcasts before they log into their tests. I always want to do more, try more and perhaps build a comfortability with them so they will be open to connecting when they are under stress. I need to develop the connection to allow for the students to be receptive to my help. This is quite a challenge with online students who I don’t see face to face.
I love your idea of integrating functionalities to encourage mindfulness directly into courses instead of relying on external apps for them. It’s so easy to download an app on your phone and then completely forget about it, but if you see the function every time you log into your online course, you’d be way more likely to actually stick with any practices it’s encouraging, particularly if the software prompts you regularly to pay attention to it (and perhaps especially if it also offers some level of online community where people can support each other in their mindfulness practices.) Thanks for the videocast!
Hi Anne,
I was thinking along the same lines. Perhaps the integration could have analytics built in to provide a weekly report to the teacher as a prompt to check-in with individual students. Students might be more willing to interact with the program instead of asking for help from an online teacher they don’t know. This might create a great connection online and allow teachers to provide additional support in the overall mental-wellness. I think there is an exciting opportunity to explore this further. I wonder if I can create this Moodle plug-in for the A3. Perhaps, if anyone in this course is a programmer, they can give me some tips.
Kristin, I love your passion for the well-being of your students, and I share the same concerns as you do not just for their return in September, but even through the summer. I will be recommending Breathr and strategies you have suggested to my students! I think some of them will try them out and may even do them in groups to keep each other motivated 🙂
Hi Binal,
Thanks for considering these apps for your students. I really believe starting the conversation with students to be mindful and present can alleviate the anxieties that may occur. Some students may be thriving at home and might be anxious about returning in the fall, and others might be struggling at home without anyone to talk to. The teacher’s support to try different online strategies will be beneficial, and completing the exercises with a group might keep the momentum. It could be like a Fitbit challenge amongst them, except with mindfulness exercises!