Integrating Yoga in the Classroom for Cognitive Stimulation for Self-Regulation and Attributional Retraining
Department
School of Education
Brief Biography
Dr. Kimberly D. Cassidy is an assistant professor of early childhood and special education and Program Coordinator of Early Childhood Special Education at Shawnee State University. She earned a Ph.D. from East Tennessee State University. Her research is currently focused on integrating yoga in the classroom for self-regulation and attributional retraining. Cassidy was nominated for SSU’s Outstanding New Faculty 2018 and has presented research findings at Harvard School of Medicine Movements: Body, Brain, Cognition International Conference in July, 2018; Cal Poly Tech Ahimsa Conference in Pomona, California; NAEYC in Washington, D.C. and has been invited by the State of Tennessee Department of Education to present at the 2019 Institute for CTE Educators in Chattanooga. The abstract and journal article Integrating Yoga in the Classroom for Cognitive Stimulation for Self-Regulation and Attributional Retraining will be published in the Journal of Functional Neurology, Rehabilitation, and Ergonomics.
Presentation Location
University Center East Ballroom
Presentation Start Date and Time
20-2-2019 12:00 PM
Presentation End Date and Time
20-2-2019 1:00 PM
Brief Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine if implementing yoga practices into the classroom would decrease undesired behaviors by stimulating metacognition as well as teaching self-regulation skills to retrain attributional bias, as defined by Aber at NYU (2012). The methods used were bi-weekly yoga sessions administered by certified yoga instructors and classroom teachers trained to prompt students to use breathing methods and yoga movements to self-regulate when they became upset or disengaged from an activity. Data was collected weekly by teachers and assistants who kept a tally of undesired behaviors. At the end of the 6-month study, data showed an 87.5% decrease in undesired behavior and a 500% increase in engagement. These numbers have prompted a nationwide study, increasing participant numbers to more than 200 students of various ages, socio-economic backgrounds, and abilities to further study the effectiveness of movement and cognition on behavior.
Presentation Length
45-50 min.
Recommended Citation
Cassidy, Kimberely, "Integrating Yoga in the Classroom for Cognitive Stimulation for Self-Regulation and Attributional Retraining" (2019). Faculty Research and Teaching Expo. 5.
https://digitalcommons.shawnee.edu/ffa/Faculty_Presentations_2019/February_20_2019/5
Integrating Yoga in the Classroom for Cognitive Stimulation for Self-Regulation and Attributional Retraining
University Center East Ballroom
The objective of this study was to determine if implementing yoga practices into the classroom would decrease undesired behaviors by stimulating metacognition as well as teaching self-regulation skills to retrain attributional bias, as defined by Aber at NYU (2012). The methods used were bi-weekly yoga sessions administered by certified yoga instructors and classroom teachers trained to prompt students to use breathing methods and yoga movements to self-regulate when they became upset or disengaged from an activity. Data was collected weekly by teachers and assistants who kept a tally of undesired behaviors. At the end of the 6-month study, data showed an 87.5% decrease in undesired behavior and a 500% increase in engagement. These numbers have prompted a nationwide study, increasing participant numbers to more than 200 students of various ages, socio-economic backgrounds, and abilities to further study the effectiveness of movement and cognition on behavior.