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About the episode:

Today, we are all experiencing stress and distraction in one form or another for a variety of reasons: Covid, work, past traumas…. Your learners are no different. Stress, be it chronic stress or periodic stress may be causing blocks in their ability to learn effectively. The impact of stress on learning is becoming a subject of great interest in our culture.

On this episode of the ESL Breakroom we’ll be looking at handling learning-stress, no matter what the origin, and how to handle it through mindfulness with author and mindfulness coach Dave Delaney.

In this 2-part series, mindfulness expert and author of The Mindful Spark: Reclaim Your Past, Reset Your Future, Delaney shows us how mindfulness practices can lead us into calmer, more productive states of being– laying the groundwork for optimal learning.

In his role as the Wellness and Community Projects Officer at University College Dublin, Dave deals directly with the effects of stress on academic performance. His job is to transmit useful mindfulness-based stress-reduction practices to the student population to help them calm their minds and focus on studying.

In the same way, he’ll help us understand how to encourage optimal brain states in our trainees. This is particularly important when it comes to assisting them through learning blocks, dips in motivation, or bouts with lack of self-confidence.

In this insightful and inspiring conversation, Dave shares with us some of the keys to increasing learner engagement along with tidbits from his own life’s learning. No stranger to formidable learning challenges, Dave has overcome much to earn a black belt in Taekwondo, and become a certified Tai Chi instructor.

He’s gone on to earn both a Masters degree in Digital Investigation and Forensic Computing and Psychology.

Don’t miss Part 2 next month. Dave will be sharing effective mindfulness activities and meditation breathing exercises!