Mindfulness in German schools (mischo)

a specifically tailored training program

Vera Kaltwasser

Sebastian Sauer

Niko Kohls

pp. 381-404

in: Stefan Schmidt, Harald Walach (eds), Meditation, Berlin, Springer, 2014

Abstract

Research on mindfulness and its relationship with health, distress and well-being has blossomed over the last decades. Although there are many studies highlighting the importance of mindfulness for health-related parameters, empirical research has also started to look into the not primarily health related aspects of mindfulness such as cognitive attention, self-regulation, empathy, social and ethical competence and creative thinking. As many of these aspects are not only related to health but also to social, moral and professional behavior, mindfulness has also become a focus of interest in the educational sciences and pedagogy. In this chapter, we provide some background relevant for understanding the discourses about mindfulness in the context of education and discuss how mindfulness programs may be implemented in school settings and additionally describe the prerequisites for school teachers who want to teach mindfulness. Finally, the development and pilot-evaluation of the Mindfulness in Schools Program (MISCHO, the German program name is AISCHU® – Achtsamkeit in der Schule) is described.