My grant proposal involves teaching yoga and mindfulness to k-3 elementary schoolers as a way of building resilience and reducing negative behavioral incidence. The project addresses multiple level of the Social Ecological model including the individual level of students looking to impact student coping capacities and behavioral outcomes. At students interpersonal level the collaborative mini yoga and mindfulness classes will facilitate integration with other students. And at the organizational level for the school the program will implement a new behavioral strategy to affect behavioral and discipline outcomes and procedures.
Abstract: Myra Terwilliger Elementary school is a predominantly low income minority school which has been under stress from the state due to poor testing scores. As a Title 1 special attention and accountability is being paid in an effort to bridge achievement gaps seen between low socioeconomic status students. Within this school ESE students often struggle due to a lack of social integration and coping skills. This grant proposes teaching yoga and mindfulness to students we aim decrease behavioral issues and increase coping skills, to create a more positive educational environment and provide teachers with resources to work with special needs students on a new level. Special needs students often have lower emotional coping or communication skills posing unique behavioral challenges. A measurable goal will be a reduction in suspensions and sending home of ESE students due to behavioral issues, and to integrate yoga /mindfulness into daily education.
Trauma informed principles include most notably, peer support and mutual self-help, safety, collaboration and mutuality, and cultural issues. The program is aiming to empower teachers to take the lead on the daily yoga and mindfulness instructions in an effort to create a sustainable effect on the school and each classroom. Safety plans will be made to ensure that there is adequate space for the yoga classes and making them available if they are not already. In addition, as the program aims to offer alternative disciplinary options through yoga to help calm children, several safety plans to address negative behavior will be created with collaboration of school disciplinarians. We are encouraging the use of preventative measures by building students coping mechanisms, and having these negative behavior safety plans as a backup for school staff when necessary.
My project will address multiple levels of the CDC’s Social Ecological Model, however I feel that it will most strongly affect the individual and interpersonal of the students, and organizational level of the school environment (CDC, 2018). For the individual level students will achieve a better understanding and control of their emotions through the teaching of coping mechanisms. The coping mechanisms will be the yoga and mindfulness that will be reinforced by teachers on a daily basis. Through daily reinforcements the program will create a habit for the students to be active in their development of coping skills. For the interpersonal level, children will have the opportunity to do physical activities through the yoga class with one another. This will be an organized and controlled way of teaching them special awareness and allow them to cohesively interact with others which they may not would have previously. The program will also affect the organizational level of the school environment as a whole. Redefining disciple, and taking preventative measures on a daily basis to avoid negative behaviors.
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