The Basics of Mindfulness for Educators

A profile of a woman's face with her eyes closed is blended with an abstract, colorful cosmic nebula, giving the impression that her thoughts are intertwined with the universe.

  • Venue: Online
  • Date: Self-paced; Enroll at any time
  • Price: $49

Course Curriculum

In this brief course, you will have the opportunity to experience mindfulness practices, learn more about the latest mindfulness research, and consider how you might share mindfulness practices with your students and colleagues.

We also offer mini-courses on the Basics of Social-Emotional Learning and the Basics of Character Education. You can enroll in all three at once with our Basics Bundle

Course components include (1.5 hours):

  • Mindfulness Basics
  • Historical and Cultural Influences
  • Mindfulness Research
  • Teaching Tips and Practices
  • Opportunities and Challenges in the Field

Course Logistics

Course Cost

Registration for the Basics of Mindfulness Mini-Course is $49. 

The Greater Good Science Center is funded entirely by donations and grants—we do not receive any financial support from the University of California, Berkeley. However, we are able to offer many of our GGSC resources for free because we charge for some of our courses. We do our best to make our courses and events affordable for everyone, but realize that “affordable” can mean vastly different things depending on individual or geographic circumstances.

If the cost of this mini-course is prohibitive due to your personal circumstances, you can use the discount code MINIDISC at checkout to recieve $20 off the cost of the course. 

If you would like to enroll all of the educators (or a large number of educators) from your school, please reach out to us at ggsceducation@berkeley.edu to discuss additional payment options.

Course Access

Participants will have access to the course for 100 days after registration. 

Who Should Take This Course?

  • Pre-K through 12 classroom teachers, paraeducators, and out-of-school-time providers
  • Pre-K-12 school mental health professionals and counselors
  • Pre-K-12 school and district-level administrators
  • Pre-K-12 teacher and administrator educators
  • Other higher education lecturers or professors are welcome to register, but please be aware that the course is geared primarily towards Pre-K-12 educators

Cancellation Policy

Course users can cancel their enrollment or ask for a refund up to 14 days after the payment or 14 days after the course starts (whichever comes later). In order to qualify for a refund, users must not have completed more than 25% of the course modules or content. To cancel course enrollment, please contact ggsceducation@berkeley.edu. Qualified refund requests may take up to 30 days to process.

Course Features

  • Pre-recorded videos featuring talks and practices.
  • An introduction to over 200 free research-informed SEL and mindfulness practices
  • Downloadable journal pages to capture your reflections, a-ha moments, and great ideas

Course Outcomes

Participants will:

  • Learn research-informed and trauma-sensitive facilitation strategies
  • Experience and discover a range of practices for reducing stress and connecting with your students and colleagues
  • Understand the attention skills we use when we engage in different types of mindfulness practices
  • Consider the historical and cultural influences on mindfulness practice and how mindfulness can play a role in reducing bias and promoting belonging in school
  • Review the latest research on mindfulness benefits to students of all ages
  • Explore challenges and opportunities in the field
  • Headshot of Amy L Eva

    Amy L. Eva, Ph.D.

    Amy L. Eva, Ph.D., is the associate education director at the Greater Good Science Center. She writes for the Center’s online magazine, facilitates the Summer Institute for Educators, and creates online resources for educators. She is one of the key developers of the website, Greater Good in Education, which features science-based practices for creating kinder, happier schools. With 25 years in classrooms, she is a teacher at heart, fascinated by the psychology of learning and students’ social-emotional development.

    During her twelve-year tenure as a teacher educator, she became particularly passionate about educator resilience and self-care, and she loves to conduct workshops that focus on teacher well-being. One of her recent publications “The Mindful Teacher: Translating Research into Daily Well-being,” describes mindfulness, provides research-based evidence of its usefulness, and highlights resources that educators can use to manage stress. Some of her consulting work has also included presenting on “Empathy: The Science and Art of Connection” at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and assisting LG in their “Experience Happiness" initiative, featuring curriculum for middle and high school students focused on six happiness skills (mindfulness, human connection, gratitude, positive outlook, purpose, and generosity).

    As a researcher, Amy has published in the areas of teacher education, metacognition, adolescent mental health, and mindfulness-based interventions with marginalized youth. She has also written numerous articles for Greater Good Magazine (as well as Edutopia, Mindful, and The Huffington Post). She received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (Human Development and Cognition) from the University of Washington where she worked with high school students in language arts classes, helping them to draw on their emotional responses to poetry to guide their understanding and enhance their appreciation of literature.