SPECIAL ISSUE: Why We Need Biofeedback in Schools

If students cannot identify how their emotions affect their bodies, they cannot regulate themselves or engage meaningfully in the classroom. This paper draws on the author’s use of multiple biofeedback modalities in high school classrooms to help students construct a more complete picture of stress as a psychophysiological response. Once students see stress as a response, they can learn to individually and collectively shape it. Ultimately, the paper argues that teaching students the skills for a thriving emotional life may be the most important goal of education.