Mindfulness is the state of being aware and present, improving focus and concentration, and thus enhancing wellbeing.
The Australian Curriculum has responded to demands to promote wellbeing in schools for healthier, more mindful children and this is an excellent way to nurture students who will be resilient, focused, self-aware individuals.
While teachers have always embedded wellbeing in their teaching and lesson delivery, the curriculum has now made it a priority, with a focus on certain subject areas plus an expectation wellbeing will fit into all subject areas. While the subjects we mention below are not the only learning areas with to focus on wellbeing, these are subjects where wellbeing can be clearly mapped.
According to the Australian Curriculum, “in Health and Physical Education, students develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to support them to become resilient, to develop a strong sense of self, to build and maintain satisfying relationships, to make health-enhancing decisions in relation to their health and physical activity participation, and to develop health literacy competencies in order to enhance their own and others’ health and wellbeing.
“The Arts have the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential. The five subjects enable students to learn how to create, design, represent, communicate and share their imagined and conceptual ideas, emotions, observations and experiences,” (https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/).
Both areas of schooling, with their practical skills, have a focus on a healthy body and mind, with avenues to express oneself and make positive decisions. From Foundation to Year 10, students will be able to formulate ways of coping with the changing world around them and learn how to be aware of how they contribute to those changes.
In English studies, the Australian Curriculum states: “The study of English is central to the learning and development of all young Australians. It helps create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens. It is through the study of English that individuals learn to analyse, understand, communicate and build relationships with others and with the world around them. The study of English plays a key role in the development of reading and literacy skills which help young people develop the knowledge and skills needed for education, training and the workplace. It helps them become ethical, thoughtful, informed and active members of society,” (https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/).
Mindfulness, critical thinking and wellbeing are the equipment needed to develop essential skills for lifelong learning and success. The Australian Curriculum has worked to embed these learnings into their programs to provide a generation of young Australians with the tools to pave their own positive path.