Mindfulness: a self-study for professional learning

This study addressed the problem of special educator burnout and stress by first researching the benefits of mindfulness training and its effects on educators and then, applying that to a self-study research thesis. This study involved the researcher, myself, taking an educator mindfulness course and then researching the effects of the mindfulness strategies upon my teaching practice with the lens of professional growth. By utilizing self-study methodology, I was able to reflexively analyse my teaching practice and determine how mindfulness practices could be applied to better understand what constitutes teachers’ professional knowledge, and; therefore, add to the growing body of mindfulness research in education by making it available to other educators. What resulted was an in-depth analysis of my practice where I found that mindfulness helped with decreasing symptoms of stress and burnout while simultaneously increasing my self-efficacy. Increased well-being, empathy, compassion, social intelligence, and emotional regulation were also noted. By gaining increased self-awareness, I was better able to respond to situations, particularly ones involving students. Greater clarity from mindfulness practices resulted in professional insights regarding self-advocacy and boundary setting. Since the practice of teaching is often implicit, this in-depth case study that utilizes the vehicle of self-study design provides a simple, yet profound, resource of how mindfulness can transform how educators teach, lead, and learn.