This meant changing practice routines, asking players to be more mindful, as well as developing habits of communication between teammates that were supportive of individual efforts.
“ I introduced a two-minute pre-practice meditation inspired by Amy Cuddy ' s research on presence and the body-mind connection to build mental focus and composure. 8 During this time, players practiced controlled breathing and visualized successful plays, helping them shift into a focused, high-energy mindset before stepping onto the court.
“ Creating a culture of open dialogue, mutual respect, and peerled leadership significantly enhanced the team ' s communication and leadership skills. With structured opportunities and encouragement, our boys developed and demonstrated meaningful leadership behaviors. The team became increasingly comfortable expressing themselves and taking initiative, which improved their coordination during games. What was once intimidating for some became an accessible and shared responsibility among all team members.”
Pedro witnessed the benefits of his new approaches as a teacher and coach as the season progressed. In reflecting on his own learning, he came to see“ that when sports are approached with intentionality, they become more than games. They become classrooms for resilience, confidence, and leadership that boys will carry with them long after the final whistle.”
Leo, Catherine, and Pedro collected evidence of the effects of their instructional approaches through classroom observations, looking at the quality of student work, and asking the students to reflect on the effects of these innovations. In a model of what some identify as collaborative action research, this last data set engaged the students in further reflection, while offering the teachers insights into the students’ experiences of these practices.
It is worth noting that these three teachers worked closely together for many months, observing each other’ s classrooms, analyzing data, and building their ideas and practices through regular discussion of the research articles they were reading and the discoveries they were making on this inquiry journey. They were part of a larger cohort of teachers pursuing answers to questions about advancing student learning. These conversations continue as teacher reflective practice increasingly defines the professional culture at Saint David’ s School.
It is March of 2026 as I write this report, and I have remained in conversation with these teachers. They continue to refine and leverage these practices, expanding the work to all their classes because there is every indication that this emphasis on teaching students to be expert or self-regulated learners has significant impact across every dimension of learning at Saint David’ s. These are skills and dispositions that will deepen over time and carry forward into all the learning that school and life have to offer. •
8. Cuddy, A.( 2015). Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges. Little, Brown Spark.
This article was originally published as part of The Teaching Boys Initiative’ s( TBI) Wisdom Within blog series. To see all of our blog entries to date, visit: www. saintdavids. org / teaching-boys-initiative
Catherine Milligan sought to implement a system of play involving extrinsic motivators to ensure that all students can“ enter the arena” of a challenging lesson and find their way to curiosity, confidence, competence, and intrinsic motivation.
Pedro Morales examined how he could help his basketball team become better communicators and display positive leadership.
Dr. Ric Campbell is a Visiting Scholar for the Teaching Boys Initiative at Saint David’ s School™, guiding the reflective practice program with faculty.
Summer 2026 • 41