TEACHERS in REMOTE AREAS  in the United Kingdom and Australia    ONLINE-LIVE

17th & 24th June  1st & 8th July 2020     6.15pm-9.15pm (Sydney time)  9.15am-12.15pm (London time)

NSW Education Standards Authority CODE:  STMPC1-4-A7B7

NESA STANDARDS: Part A: 6.2.2, 6.3.2, 4.1.2, 4.2.2, 4.4.2        Part B: 6.3.2, 4.1.2, 4.2.2, 4.4.2

This course is a mindfulness and compassion syllabus training course for teachers learn how to teach the age-related 8-week mindfulness and compassion program for 4-9 years old children. It is training for  a four year teaching program for children in Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3.

This course is suitable for teachers, pre-school teachers and youth workers who would like to:

• teach infant students (4-9 years old) basic mindfulness and compassion techniques,
• to help the students to develop their own mindfulness daily practice
• to help the students to recognise how these techniques may be used in a classroom setting or at home.
• to provide an early start to mindfulness training leading to other courses such as Paws b and Teach .b.

THE PRE-REQUISITES for participants registering for this course are the development of a personal mindfulness practice and full attendance on the Mindfulness:finding peace in a frantic world:  Introduction and Intermediate Courses – NESA codes: TTMCWIntro and TTMCWInter or MBCT or MBSR training.

A 12 hour course: MPC1-4 Part A and MPC1-4 Part B with time to teach the program in a school setting in between. You can teach the program immediately after Part A training, if that works best for you.

The MPC1-4 syllabus training course is based on psychology, education and neuroscience along with the fundamental principles of mindfulness- based cognitive therapy (MBCT) including research with school students and teachers. It is a progressive 8-week mindfulness and compassion program with each lesson building upon the previous lessons.

It forms part of the spiralling mindfulness and compassion school curriculum, based on MBCT.

A TEACHING GUIDEBOOK IS PROVIDED which outlines each lesson in detail and which gives a summary of the coherent structure and progressive nature of the 8 mindfulness and compassion lessons. This allows the teacher to go straight into the classroom to teach the program which has been closely linked to the focus and linked outcomes of the NSW School Curriculum and can be adapted to the UK educational standards.

It is useful to bring a mat and a cushion, for the activities we will do on the floor.

Part A will cover:

• Review of the basic mindfulness skills and techniques that teachers can use for themselves in the classroom
• Discussion of the mindfulness skills and techniques that infant students can use in school and home environments
• Review and discussion of the facilities, equipment and conditions needed to teach the infant mindfulness program in the classroom.
• Understanding and practising some lessons in the 8-week teaching program of mindfulness and compassion lessons. This is done in real time, from the student’s perspective; learning the sequence and content of the techniques and trying out the lessons.
• A personal development mindfulness program for the children so that they can practice mindfulness and compassion each day in the classroom and at home.

It is expected that the teacher teaches the 8–week program to their students between MPC1-4 Part A and MPC1-4 Part B. They will need to bring the following to Part B:

1. Recordings of lesson 2 and lesson 6. These will be under the care of the teacher at al times and kept secure on their laptops. This will enable supervision, sharing and refinement of teaching skills.
2. The teachers record their progress and bring two written records. The first is a reflection record of their personal daily practice as they develop this alongside their teaching of the MPC1-4 program to the children. The second is a record of their progress with each lesson.
3. They will evaluate the progress of their students in the usual manner and bring the evaluations –including those done by teachers, parents and/or colleagues.

Part B will cover:

• Review and expansion of the basic mindfulness and compassion skills and techniques that teachers can use in school or home environments to encourage wellbeing and to use in difficult and stressful situations.
• Review and discussion of the recordings of lesson 2 and lesson 6.
• Review and discussion of the written records of personal mindfulness and compassion practice and the classroom teaching program.
• Review and discussion of student evaluations.
• Consideration of the practicalities of teaching the program including: classroom management skills, developing the skill of teaching the inquiry approach at this level and the delivery of mindfulness and compassion practices in a classroom setting.
• The role of peer supervision in maintaining the integrity and sustainability of a mindfulness and compassion program for children within a school setting.

THIS COURSE DOES NOT QUALIFY PARTICIPANTS TO TEACH OTHER TEACHERS AND YOUTH WORKERS THE MPC1-4 PROGRAM. THE TRAINING IS ONLY FOR TEACHERS TO TEACH MPC1-4 TO CHILDREN IN AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING.

• Understanding of how the 8-week MPC1-4 program relates to the NSW or UK school curriculum and the NESA accreditation of teachers at a proficient level.
• Clear understanding of the aims and objectives of each lesson and how the mindfulness practices with the children relate to the teacher’s personal mindfulness practice.
• Readiness to use the course material, in the form of a guidebook, straightaway in the classroom
• Appreciation of the role of a daily mindfulness and compassion practice for both teachers and children.
• Understanding the practicalities of teaching the program: classroom management skills, the need for a high level of skill when leading the inquiry approach at this level.
• Confidence in the delivery of mindfulness and compassion practices in a classroom setting.
• Understanding the role of peer supervision in maintaining the integrity and sustainability of a mindfulness and compassion program for children.
• The confidence to apply their own personal mindfulness and compassion practice in their classroom teaching to support their own wellbeing.
• Understanding of the skills and techniques that can be used to engage with colleagues in activities, discussions and feedback to develop an understanding of the training pathway, beginning with the personal mindfulness and compassion practice of the teacher or youth worker, that can be developed professionally within a school setting, to support the learning of the students.