Launching the Pathways Step 3

The Pathways model is a framework designed to help individuals, schools and educational settings explore the benefits of mindfulness and clearly see the extent of MiSP’s potential support. Please see our at-a-glance Pathways Model infographic.

MiSP has previously launched the Pathways framework and the Step 1 and Step 2 resources, which focused on exploring what mindfulness in education is and training staff in an 8-week course.

We are delighted to now announce that the Step 3 resources are ready and are available in the Hub as part of the Pathways framework!

Step 3 focuses on developing a model for mindfulness taught in-house to students and building a community to share coordination of mindfulness initiatives. Anyone who has already completed a Train to Teach dots, Paws b, .b or The Present course and is a Hub Member can automatically access Step 3 resources via the Hub.

For anyone looking to move from Step 2 to Step 3 of the Pathways, we recommend completing a Train to Teach students course. This could be through joining a Train to Teach:

Why mindfulness for children and young people and how Step 3 resources support?

Alongside other interventions, mindfulness can play a part in both improving the wellbeing of students and, in turn, supporting a whole school approach to flourishing.

Research shows us that students learning mindfulness can have a positive impact on a variety of outcomes for children and young people, including mental health, social and emotional skills, cognition and learning, wellbeing, behaviour and physical health. The field is growing rapidly and overall the evidence suggests that well-designed and well-conducted mindfulness interventions show moderate to small impacts. We have learned from a few large studies that care should be taken to develop a mindfulness approach slowly as part of a whole school approach to wellbeing and that it is essential to have interested, well-trained and well-supported staff delivering the teaching to students. MiSP’s Pathways framework provides CPD-style follow on training to teachers who initially train with us, enabling them to continue to develop their mindfulness teaching skills and connect with a larger supportive community of mindfulness practitioners and teachers.

As well as completing a Train to Teach students course, this initial training can be further sustained with the help of MiSP’s programme of ongoing support and training through the Pathways. With the aim of cultivating and nurturing personal practice alongside exploring how mindfulness might support us in our working life and our approach to working with children and young people, MiSP offers Hub members support across the Pathways, including now at Step 3 e.g:

Please note, Hub membership is open to anyone who has taken a .begin, .b Foundations or other recognised 8-week course, enabling them to access Step 2 resources. Step 3 resources are for people who have completed a Train to Teach course – for details of how to become a Hub member, please see here.

Keys to successful implementation and how Step 3 resources support?

Developing a mindfulness approach in a setting can start with a passionate teacher or other educational member of staff. MiSP looks to use its expertise and experience to support such teachers and educational staff with creating the best conditions for developing a sustainable model for implementing mindfulness in their setting.

Research conducted by Stephanie Wilde et al in 2019, for instance, showed that there are certain key factors in the successful implementation of mindfulness in schools, including:

1. Understanding that the implementation process usually takes time
2. Having a shared supportive ethos/climate ideally to begin with
3. Developing, over time, a shared language about mindfulness
4. Enabling students and staff to be well informed about what mindfulness is (and isn’t)

You will see, therefore, that for Step 3 we have provided resources to support educational staff in further developing a shared language and understanding about mindfulness with students in their community. These include:

  • Crib sheets to support the training offered in the Step 3 Skills Workshops alongside attending the workshops themselves
  • Ideas and resources for continuing practice development for students (and staff)
  • Resources for starting a Mindfulness Club and starting a Mindfulness Leaders group, beginning steps for enabling student voice as part of the approach
  • Reflective tools, including a portfolio sheet, with activities and suggestions for how you can grow and develop the setting’s mindfulness approach

Please note, if you would like to introduce mindfulness to students but don’t yet have any teachers or educational staff ‘in house’ trained to teach MiSP student courses in your setting, please consider finding a trained teacher in your area via our Trained Teacher Maps.

A reminder of resources for Steps (4 & 5) still to come

Launching one step at a time over the next year will also be the following Steps with their primary focus marked in bold:

  • Step 4 – Embed mindfulness learning and approaches throughout the setting
    where appropriate.
  • Step 5 – Sustain and Share, further ensuring your mindfulness approaches
    are as sustainable as possible and can also be shared with and inspire others
    through becoming a MiSP Beacon School/Setting/Trust.

Finally – why approach mindfulness in this way?

Since 2009, MiSP has had the privilege of working with a wide variety of schools, other educational settings, Local Education Authorities and Multi Academy Trusts, helping them to support the wellbeing and mental health of both young people and adults who work within them, as well as the broader community of families, governing bodies, other service providers and volunteers who support those schools.

We have collated examples of successful implementation of mindfulness-based initiatives and key learning from where things have not quite gone to plan. The Pathways approach has evolved out of this rich learning. The benefits of ‘The Pathways’ model include a clear but flexible structure, expert support, tried and tested resources, and a collaborative model that encourages participation from staff and students.

Ultimately, our goal is to empower schools and communities to bring mindfulness to the heart of educational life, supporting individual and community wellbeing. We welcome feedback and the Pathways framework has been designed to evolve in response to our community’s needs.

If you have any questions or further ideas for development, please contact enquiries@mindfulnessinschools.org.

Please join us on this journey by exploring ‘The Pathways’ today!