August 27, 2026 (Thursday)
CAISE Forum: 17:00-18:00
Annual General Meeting: 18:00-19:00
Room 205, Runme Shaw Building, HKU/ Online via Zoom
The forum and AGM will be conducted in English

Registration Link (Click here)

CAISE Forum 2026
Paying Attention, On Purpose: Mindfulness Attitudes for the Young (and Young at Heart)

Abstract
In an era of pervasive digital stimulation, young learners face unprecedented demands on their attention — yet attention regulation remains largely absent from formal curriculum design. This sharing reframes mindfulness as attention training: a developable metacognitive skill that children can acquire through structured, age-appropriate practices, rather than passive contemplation or simply “sitting still.”

Drawing on first-hand experiences from educational settings, this session examines how foundational mindfulness attitudes — particularly curiosity and kindness — reshape children’s awareness of their own minds and bodies. When a wandering mind is met with curiosity rather than criticism, distraction becomes discovery, and every gentle return of attention strengthens the developing brain. That same curious, non-judgmental attention is then directed inward: children who learn to notice bodily sensations — a racing heart, tense shoulders, butterflies in the stomach — gain access to the earliest signals of their emotional lives. Body awareness is attention training in its most embodied form. By sensing emotions as they first arise — before they escalate into overwhelming feelings or reactive behaviour — children develop the vocabulary and the pause needed to respond rather than react, laying an enduring foundation for emotional literacy and self-regulation.

Participants will engage experientially in playful, creative mindfulness activities. Central to the session is the insight that children’s mindfulness skills take root most effectively when parents and educators embody these same attitudes: when adults practise pausing, noticing, and responding with warmth, they do not simply teach mindfulness — they become it.

Educators, pre-service teachers, school counsellors, and parents are all welcome. No prior experience required — only a curious mind, an open heart, and a willingness to notice.

The Speaker
Dr. Jessie Mei-ling Chow is an educational psychologist and mindfulness teacher dedicated to integrating contemplative practices into educational settings. Her career began in educational psychology, where she supported students, parents, and teachers across a diverse range of institutions, including mainstream schools, special schools, and non-profit organizations focused on gifted education. This early experience gave her deep insight into the unique needs of gifted learners and the educators who guide them.

Her passion for teaching then led her to the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong, where she designed and led award-winning experiential learning courses for pre-service and in-service teachers. Driven by a personal experience of mindfulness as a transformative practice, she later taught with the Jockey Club project at the university, bringing mindfulness practices to hundreds of students, teachers, and parents in Hong Kong schools.

Today, she combines her background in educational psychology and her experience in gifted education and teacher training to offer programs. Her work aims to help educators, practitioners, and individuals develop present-moment awareness, cultivate inner wisdom, and build emotional resilience, while making the practice accessible and engaging. 

Enquiry: caise@hku.hk