Mindfulness: Strengthening resilience and wellbeing of school communities

Dr Yoon-Suk Hwang

Speaker

Dr Yoon-Suk Hwang is a Research Fellow at the Learning Sciences Institute Australia. Prior to this role she was a Lecturer in Inclusive and Special Education at Griffith University. As a former special education teacher, Yoon-Suk’s research focuses on listening to the voices of disadvantaged people and investigating ways of enhancing the quality of their school, family and community life. Her recent research examined the applications of mindfulness-based intervention for reducing challenging behaviour of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and enhancing psychological wellbeing of their mothers. She authored the book, A mindfulness intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: New directions in research and practice (2015), which addresses the implications for implementing mindfulness-based interventions in school and community settings. Yoon-Suk is currently an associate editor of the Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Abstract

This interactive seminar is for educational professionals, parents and researchers who are interested in the applications of mindfulness in the school and community context. Recent studies have highlighted the effects of mindfulness-based interventions for students with diverse learning needs, parents and teachers. Systematic reviews undertaken by Dr Yoon-Suk Hwang have shown that mindfulness can promote safety, resilience and wellbeing among school members by reducing challenging behaviours in students and stress and anxiety in teachers and parents. This seminar will address the current research knowledge about the benefits and limits of mindfulness for school members. A number of contemporary approaches to learning mindfulness will be discussed, along with implications for teaching and learning practice. This seminar will provide you with a good grounding to make informed judgments about the value of mindfulness-based interventions within the framework of evidence-based practice in education.