HeartMath and Education - About Education

HeartMath’s effective stress reduction skills benefit teachers, school principals, administrative staff and students. HeartMath programs have been shown to be highly effective in:

• reducing emotional stress among teachers and students
• increasing teacher wellbeing
• improving student wellbeing and behaviour
• improving student academic performance.

HeartMath skills, programs and interactive learning software are distinct from, and complementary to, cognitive behavioural strategies designed to support improved mental health in schools. They support initiatives in values-education, stress management, improvement of academic outcomes, the development of thinking skills and creativity, and general student and teacher wellbeing.

Important work is being done in educational organisations around the world with HeartMath applications in UK, Netherlands, & USA. Significant results mentioned above have been obtained. In Aust/NZ/Asia we are also focusing in education and are starting to gain good feedback about this work.

The Scientific Role of the Heart in Learning and Performance

The scientific, philosophical, and pedagogical foundation of the Institute of HeartMath’s education initiative is based on leading scientific research over the past several decades on how stress and emotions impact learning and performance. For details about how emotions are reflected in the heart’s rhythms, and how this influences the brain, stress, perception, behaviour and learning outcomes, see The Scientific Role of the Heart in Learning & Performance.

What Teachers Say

“One of the most fascinating tools I have encountered. A valuable resource for staff and students in managing workload and enhancing learning and performance.."

Tony Lloyd, School Counsellor & Learning Mentor, Plessington Catholic High School Technical College, UK

"I used to have a stack of discipline referrals on my desk and was in regular contact with the vice principal. Now, I don't even know where my referral slips are located, and the vice principal and I mainly talk about positive changes we notice in the kids."

Diana Govan Carmel High School, Carmel, California

"HeartMath offers the most effective techniques for helping students overcome their math anxiety that I have ever seen. After seeing big improvements in math test scores, students' ability to better understand new concepts, and students' attitudes, I became very excited about the broader implications for these learning strategies.”

Michael Vislocky, Ph.D. Math Dept. University of Cincinnati Clermont College

 

More about HeartMath In Education

HeartMath research has identified a specific physiological state that underlies optimal learning and performance. In this state, our brain, nervous system, body, and emotions are synchronized—in sync. This results in "cortical facilitation" which greatly improves our ability to perceive, feel, focus, learn, reason and perform at our very best.

HeartMath learning programs couple this knowledge along with the understanding that emotions drive attention, which is the key mechanism for learning and memory and make it possible for each student to perform and achieve at their highest possible level.

Our supplemental learning programs have been demonstrated to improve attitudes, behaviors, learning cycles and test scores. In an early study, students who completed the TestEdge® program showed a 35% improvement in math scores, and a 14% improvement in reading scores on the Minnesota Graduate Exit Exam. Based on these and similar results from other studies, the U.S. Department of Education awarded The HeartMath Institute more than Au$1,350,000 to conduct a rigorous study on standardized test score improvement on a national level. The results will be available in early 2006.

In the area of staff development The Resilient Educator™ How to Succeed and Flourish in Today's Schools teaches staff how to stop the negative impact of stress—mentally, emotionally, and physically. Educators who have taken this program report that they feel much less likely to quit their jobs, while at the same time experiencing a 50% reduction in symptoms of stress. Based on these and other findings, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded the Institute Au$1,000,000 for a rigorous study designed to improve teacher retention and to reduce the number of students who drop out of school.

You can learn more about the key role of the heart in learning and performance by downloading a free copy of our e-booklet, The Scientific Role of the Heart in Learning and Performance.

Click here to download

 

HeartMath and The Resilient Educator are a registered trademark of the Institute of HeartMath. TestEdge is a registered trademark of HeartMath LLC.