Navigating “thorny” issues

Developing mindful citizens: a commentary on social emotional learning, mindfulness and citizenship education

“…Based on our experiences, we suggest teachers utilize mindfulness meditation (MM) and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) tools to help students understand and process controversial topics and possible discomfort in the classroom when exploring such material. We suggest teachers construct a safe space and embrace controversial instruction by implementing “non-judgmental awareness, a sense of contentment and emotional balance, coupled with a sense of kindness and compassion” into the classroom (Hutchinson et al , 2016). The following commentary explores the use of SEL and MM as possible self-regulation strategies to utilize when exploring lessons in citizenship.…”