Does mindfulness really work? Can it help your students?

Amy Malloy
Amy Malloy
A young girl meditating outside in a green space

What is mindfulness?

The term mindfulness refers to a state of awareness. This is arrived at by paying conscious attention to the present moment and observing it without judgment, with curiosity and compassion.

It is often confused with meditation, but really they¡¯re not the same thing at all. Meditating and focusing on the breath is just one of the ways we can consciously pay attention and become more aware of ourselves and the present moment.?

You might be conscious that mindfulness has over the last decade. As with anything trendy, it can be easy to build preconceptions and dismiss it before trying it yourself. So let¡¯s break it down together and start with the basics.

Why is mindfulness important?

Have you ever been driving somewhere in the car and noticed that you¡¯ve arrived at your destination without really noticing the journey at all? All your thoughts on the way were elsewhere.

This is called being on automatic pilot. It¡¯s a symptom of our mind and body¡¯s brilliant way of turning our everyday processes into a routine. It means we don¡¯t need to think about it every time we need our body to move, speak or function.

Just as the scenery can pass us by on a journey, so too can our thoughts and reactions to the things happening around us. They happen in our minds and bodies without us noticing. Our conscious mind is focused on something in the future, the past, or in our imaginations instead.

Being on automatic pilot is often very helpful. But it also comes with a significant downside. Without us even realizing, negative thought cycles can build up under the surface. They can make us feel stressed and anxious.

When this happens our minds conclude that there is a threat and sounds the alarm. This stress , ability to process new information, and ability to learn.

This is where mindfulness comes in.

Mindfulness helps us catch these in their tracks, allowing us to consciously notice negative thoughts. Rather than panicking, we become aware of how we are feeling ¨C and why. We can therefore shift our relationship with our thoughts and emotions so that they don¡¯t seem so challenging anymore.

In a school setting, this can help students regulate the stress surrounding exam pressure. Students can also learn to sit more comfortably with the impermanent emotions of adolescence, which seemed all-consuming and everlasting at the time.

What can our students learn from mindfulness?

Over the past decade, neuroscientific research has discovered that our brains are immensely malleable. Every interaction we have in our day-to-day lives builds connections that affect how our brains and thoughts function. Just like building muscle through exercise, our brain forms new matter in the areas we use most.

In short, we can either continue to cement the habits we¡¯ve already formed or build brain matter in areas that encourage healthier, more positive functioning.

Studies have demonstrated in many contexts that the brains of those who regularly practice mindfulness use different pathways to those who don¡¯t: pathways which allow self-regulation of adrenaline and the stress responses and make it easier to experience external events without the accompanying narrative of critical thought.

Even ten minutes of practicing mindful awareness a day has been . Mindfulness has also been shown to improve concentration and focus, resilience, emotional regulation and sleep quality in children, teens and adults alike.

How can we begin to practice mindfulness?

We start by learning to focus attention on a physical anchor. This may be focusing on the body, the breath, or even using the senses to observe sounds, sights, tastes, touch etc. in our external environment. We then build the length of time we can focus, and grow accustomed to the mind wandering and returning to the point of focus.

Then we learn to be curious about what we notice in the present moment and that we can observe without judging or forming an opinion.

In time, it can be possible to learn to observe our relationship with the thoughts that come in and out of our minds. We can then find ways to accept difficult feelings and allow them to pass over without panicking or instinctively reacting.

Want to learn more about mindfulness and wellbeing? Check out our blog posts on the subject here.?

Explore our educator section

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • A teacher sat with young students while they work and hold crayons

    Icebreaker activities for the beginning of the school year

    By
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    The beginning days of school are both exciting and occasionally nerve-wracking for teachers and students alike. Everyone is adjusting to new faces, routines and a fresh environment. As a teacher, you can help make this shift smooth, inviting and enjoyable. One effective way to achieve this is by using icebreaker activities.

    Icebreakers are simple games or activities that help students get to know each other, feel comfortable and start building a positive classroom community. When students feel connected, they are more likely to participate, help each other and enjoy learning. Here are some easy-to-use icebreaker activities and tips for making the beginning of the school year memorable for everyone. Here are just a few ideas for icebreakers you can use in your classroom.

  • A teacher with students stood around him while he is on a tablet

    How AI and the GSE are powering personalized learning at scale

    By
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    In academic ops, we¡¯re always finding the balance between precision and practicality. On one side: the goal of delivering lessons that are level-appropriate, relevant and tied to real learner needs. On the other hand, we juggle hundreds of courses, support teachers, handle last-minute changes and somehow keep the whole system moving without losing momentum or our minds.

    That¡¯s exactly where AI and the Global Scale of English (GSE) have changed the game for us at Bridge. Over the past year, we¡¯ve been using AI tools to streamline lesson creation, speed up course design and personalize instruction in a way that¡¯s scalable and pedagogically sound.

    Spoiler alert: it¡¯s working.

    The challenge: Customization at scale

    Our corporate English learners aren¡¯t just ¡°students¡±. They¡¯re busy professionals: engineers, sales leads, analysts. They need immediate impact. They have specific goals, high expectations and very little patience for anything that feels generic.

    Behind the scenes, my team is constantly:

    • Adapting content to real company contexts
    • Mapping GSE descriptors to measurable outcomes
    • Designing lessons that are easy for teachers to deliver
    • Keeping quality high across dozens of industries and levels

    The solution: Building personalized courses at scale

    To address this challenge, we developed an internal curriculum engine that blends the GSE, AI and practical, job-focused communication goals into a system that can generate full courses in minutes.

    It is built around 21 workplace categories, including Conflict Resolution, Business Travel and Public Speaking. Each category has five lessons mapped to CEFR levels and GSE descriptors, sequenced to support real skill development.

    Then the fun part: content creation. Using GPT-based AI agents trained on GSE Professional objectives, we feed in a few parameters like:

    • Category: Negotiation
    • Lesson: Staying Professional Under Pressure
    • Skills: Speaking (GSE 43, 44), Reading (GSE 43, 45)

    In return, we get:

    • A teacher plan with clear prompts, instructions and model responses
    • Student slides or worksheets with interactive, GSE-aligned tasks
    • Learning outcomes tied directly to the descriptors

    Everything is structured, leveled and ready to go.

    One Example: ¡°Staying Organized at Work¡±

    This A2 lesson falls under our Time Management module and hits descriptors like:

    • Reading 30: Can ask for repetition and clarification using basic fixed expressions
    • Speaking 33: Can describe basic activities or events happening at the time of speaking

    Students work with schedules, checklists and workplace vocabulary. They build confidence by using simple but useful language in simulated tasks. Teachers are fully supported with ready-made discussion questions and roleplay prompts.

    Whether we¡¯re prepping for a quick demo or building a full 20-hour course, the outcome is the same. We deliver scalable, teacher-friendly, learner-relevant lessons that actually get used.

    Beyond the framework: AI-generated courses for individual learner profiles

    While our internal curriculum engine helps us scale structured, GSE-aligned lessons across common workplace themes, we also use AI for one-on-one personalization. This second system builds fully custom courses based on an individual¡¯s goals, role, and communication challenges.

    One of our clients, a global mining company, needed a course for a production engineer in field ops. His English level was around B1 (GSE 43 to 50). He didn¡¯t need grammar. He needed to get better at safety briefings, reports and meetings. Fast.

    He filled out a detailed needs analysis, and I fed the data into our first AI agent. It created a personalized GSE-aligned syllabus based on his job, challenges and goals. That syllabus was passed to a second agent, preloaded with the full GSE Professional framework, which then generated 20 complete lessons.

    The course looked like this:

    • Module 1: Reporting project updates
    • Module 2: Supply chain and logistics vocabulary
    • Module 3: Interpreting internal communications
    • Module 4: Coordination and problem-solving scenarios
    • Module 5: Safety presentation with feedback rubric

    From start to finish, the course took under an hour to build. It was tailored to his actual workday. His teacher later reported that his communication had become noticeably clearer and more confident.

    This was not a one-off. We have now repeated this flow for dozens of learners in different industries, each time mapping everything back to GSE ranges and skill targets.

    Why it works: AI + GSE = The right kind of structure

    AI helps us move fast. But the GSE gives us the structure to stay aligned.

    Without it, we¡¯re just generating content. With it, we¡¯re creating instruction that is:

    • Measurable and appropriate for the learner¡¯s level
    • Easy for teachers to deliver
    • Consistent and scalable across programs

    The GSE gives us a shared language for goals, outcomes and progress. That is what keeps it pedagogically sound.

    Final thought

    A year ago, I wouldn¡¯t have believed we could design a 20-lesson course in under an hour that actually delivers results. But now it¡¯s just part of the workflow.

    AI doesn¡¯t replace teaching. It enhances it. And when paired with the GSE, it gives us a way to meet learner needs with speed, clarity, and purpose. It¡¯s not just an upgrade. It¡¯s what¡¯s next.

  • Children sat at desks in a classroom with their hands all raised smiling

    Back to school: Inclusive strategies to welcome and support students from day one

    By
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    As the new school year begins, teachers have an opportunity to set the tone for inclusion, belonging and respect. With the right strategies and activities, you can ensure every student feels seen, heard and valued from the very first day. Embracing diversity isn¡¯t just morally essential: it¡¯s a proven pathway to deeper learning, greater engagement and a more equitable society (Gay, 2018).

    Research consistently shows that inclusive classrooms foster higher academic achievement, improved social skills and increased self-esteem for all students (Banks, 2015). When students feel safe and respected, they are more likely to take risks, collaborate and reach their full potential.