One of the most important places in our lives is the classroom. Typically, each of us will spend well over 12,000 hours there by age 20 learning about our universe, our world and ourselves. Outside of your home and workplace there are few places where you’ll spend more of your time during your education than in the classroom. That’s why the work we at the Institute of HeartMath – all of our researchers, staff, administrators, boards of directors and many others – is devoted in large measure to helping educators transform the classroom into a place where learning can flourish, uninhibited by the stresses of our daily lives. IHM researchers have spent many thousands of hours investigating the science of learning and then developing programs,
tools and technology to help people perform their best in the classroom. Learn more about HeartMath’s educational research and studies.
We have found, for example, there is a direct link between a student’s ability to self-manage emotions and academic performance. Research has established that the cumulative emotional stress from family issues, peer pressure, overwhelm and boredom increases the blocks and resistance to learning and test-taking. These pressures erode self-motivation and especially stifle the desire to learn. This unmanaged emotional turbulence leads to poor decisions, frustration and poor test scores, among other negative outcomes. This is where HeartMath can help: Our research and development teams have created many excellent and proven solutions to these and other problems in the classroom environment. We teach students how to connect with the power and intelligence of their own hearts so they can clear the emotional turbulence and focus on their schoolwork and the joy of learning.
TestEdge®
Each of HeartMath’s TestEdge® learning programs is specially tailored for the individual needs of students in grade levels 3-12 and up. They’ve already helped transform the classroom back into the learning center it was intended to be for tens of thousands of students around the world. Students, teachers and administrators can all attest to TestEdge’s effectiveness at improving learning, test-taking and other schoolwork by helping students learn to clear the emotional baggage that accumulates in their daily lives. A major national study helped establish TestEdge’s effectiveness at bridging emotions and academics for student
success and helping students get "in sync" for test-taking and learning. Learn more about the TestEdge® National Demonstration Study. Go to TestEdge® National Demonstration Study.
Elementary school teacher Nancy Henry, who used the program with her students, knows all about the benefits.
"I taught the TestEdge® program to grades 3-7 students … in the 2005/2006 year," said Henry, who teaches in Central Okanagan School District, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. "I feel the TestEdge program is so powerful because it enables students to maximize their potential, to utilize the skills and abilities they have, to feel good about themselves and to feel in control – to know that they have the ability at any time to change how they feel, how they perceive and how they respond."
TestEdge was piloted in the Minneapolis Public Schools with great success. Reading curriculum specialist Stephanie Thurik and clinical psychologist Dr. Pam Aasen conducted a study with 20 high school seniors who had failed the state-required Basic Standards Tests in Reading and Math. After using the TestEdge program, 64% of the students passed the math proficiency test, compared to the district average of 42%. In reading proficiency, 55% passed, compared to the district average of 31%. Overall, this represented a 52% increase in students passing the math test and a 77% increase in students passing the reading test.
"In just three weeks, the students made gains that represent one to two years’ growth in reading and math," Thurik said. "This clearly shows that by using HeartMath tools students were able to reduce test-taking anxiety and more accurately demonstrate what they knew." Go to The TestEdge Line of Products.
Early HeartSmarts® Pre-K (Ages 3-6)
Just Released Early HeartSmarts teaches preschoolers’ skills that help them self-regulate their emotions and behavior. Learning outcomes include: ability to recognize and name their own feelings and those of others. Includes demonstrations of positive attitudes about learning and of problem-solving skills. Two of HeartMath’s most effective techniques, Quick Coherence® and Heart Lock-In® have been specially adapted for these young children. Soon to be published results of a recently completed controlled study have been very positive.
It also shows that young students love learning about their hearts. Click here for more.
HeartSmarts™ Grades 3-5 (for classroom use)
IHM’s HeartSmarts™ social and emotional intelligence education program for grades 3-5 is helping students learn to transform emotional conflict and stress into healthy and productive attitudes. As conflict and disruption diminish, teachers notice improved classroom climate, which is fueled by an increase in motivation and improved relationships and academic performance. Based on HeartMath’s research into the physiology of learning and performance, HeartSmarts teaches students ages 8-10 about their emotional physiology and gives them a set of basic tools to help manage stress, improve learning and strengthen relationships.
This is a program that potentially can transform the social and emotional learning climate of any third- through fifth-grade classroom or after-school program. Short lessons use experiential learning in pairs and small groups for problem-solving, improving relationships and engaging in collaborative discussion of topics related to school performance. Students practice a series of tools to "get in sync" for learning. Includes lots of interesting and varied lessons that will hold students’ attention, work sheets, posters and slide presentations. Go to HeartSmarts Grades 3-5.
"As I began to make it part of our daily routine to get in sync for learning, it made both teaching and learning easier. The children are quite excited about their ability to feel better quickly when they get upset and calm themselves in stressful situations instead of just reacting. I also noticed that my students are kinder to each other."
—Evelyn Bradley, Fifth-Grade Teacher
The Inside Story Classroom Program Grades 9-12+
This stress-management supplemental classroom program for grades 9-12 and up was developed for building a bridge between emotions and academics for student success. Utilizing the booklet The Inside Story: Understanding the Power of Feelings, helps high school and college students understand the connection between their emotions, health, performance and daily lives. The student will learn about the latest research in neuroscience, emotional physiology and stress and be guided through the Freeze-Frame® technique for managing stress by freezing what’s happening in the moment, stepping back and gaining a wider, clearer perspective and before taking action.
The Inside Story addresses the National Standards for High School Psychology. Go to The Inside Story.
emWave® PC/Mac Stress Relief System (for home or classroom use)
Students can revitalize their minds, bodies and spirits in the classroom and watch their heart rhythms in real time on a computer monitor, see how emotions affect them and discover which emotions they can activate to effectively manage stress and boost vitality. HeartMath’s 19 years of research has shown emotions are reflected in our heart-rhythm patterns. The emWave PC/Mac software program for the classroom, which also can be used on a home computer, teaches the student how to intentionally shift to a positive emotional state and then watch how shifts
in their heart rhythms create physiological responses. Stress will diminish and feelings of well-being and energy will increase. Track progress through user-friendly graphics, play interactive games and experience the Coherence Coach™ and Emotion Visualizer™. For ages 6 and up. Go to emWave PC or emWave Mac.
emWave® Personal Stress Reliever
When you’re outside of the classroom – in the hallways, eating lunch in the cafeteria or out on the grass or you’re on your way to school – the emWave PSR handheld is the perfect way to keep tabs on your stress level and make sure you’re entire school day is stress free. This unique portable device is no bigger than a cell phone and goes anywhere. It shows how stress is affecting your body and how to manage, reverse and prevent its effects. The emWave PSR, based on years of scientific research, uses a patented heart-rate-variability measurement and coherence scoring process.
By controlling your stress you’ll enjoy a healthier, more energetic day at school and when you most need to move into "the zone," the PSR, for ages 8 and up, can help you get there fast. Go to emWave PSR.
