Self-regulation—the ability to be aware of our attention and emotions, and to direct them consciously—is a master key that unlocks broader educational goals, enabling the mind to focus in ways that support academic learning as well as social and emotional skills. Self-regulation enables us to make conscious choices in response both to our outer experiences and to the feelings and thoughts they engender within us. The skills and habits of mind involved in regulating attention and emotion are the foundation of ‘self-knowledge’ that expresses the classical ideal of education, and are essential for cooperation and responsible moral conduct as a community member, as well as for personal resilience in the face of adversity.
As neuroscience probes the brain’s executive functions that control attention and emotion, we are beginning to understand how malleable these mechanisms are. Self-regulation is a learnable skill as well as a prerequisite for other forms of learning. Beyond the common-sense observation that better attention in the classroom leads to better learning, practices that hone mindful awareness and focused attention may also foster higher-order skills in reasoning, critical thinking, and learning how to learn. We are beginning also to understand the brain mechanisms that link early stress, or nurturing care, to later emotional health and self-regulation, and to identify developmentally sensitive periods of growth.
Recent programs in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) have shown impressive results in teaching children techniques for emotional regulation in social interactions. Meanwhile, neuroscientists have been studying contemplative practices that hone attention and emotional regulation in adults. The evidence from adult studies is compelling, and suggests that, with insight from developmental neuroscience and psychology, contemplative learning may be a strong complement to SEL programs. In laying the groundwork for collaborative research strategies, we consider what contemplative techniques may be effective in fostering self-regulation, how they interact with training in ethical values, and how to introduce them in developmentally appropriate ways. Developmental issues are crucial, from earliest childhood, when self-regulation creates a stable and safe space for cognitive learning, through adolescence, when self-regulatory capacities, if developed in time, can creatively and productively channel the energy unleashed in puberty.
Statement from Mind Life Institute – Educating World Citizens for the 21st Centuary. October 2009
