This document discusses integrating contemplation into mainstream education. It argues that contemplation is a fundamental way of knowing that complements rational and empirical thinking. The document provides evidence that contemplation can improve student performance, develop character, and promote deeper learning. It also outlines specific contemplative practices and exercises that can be incorporated into classrooms across different subject areas and grade levels.
Applications of Educational Psychology in Teaching and LearningDr. Amjad Ali Arain
Topic: Applications of Educational Psychology in Teaching and Learning
Student Name: Zainab Jawaid Arain
Class: B.Ed. Hons Elementary Part (III)
Project Name: “Young Teachers' Professional Development (TPD)"
"Project Founder: Prof. Dr. Amjad Ali Arain
Faculty of Education, University of Sindh, Pakistan
Applications of Educational Psychology in Teaching and LearningDr. Amjad Ali Arain
Topic: Applications of Educational Psychology in Teaching and Learning
Student Name: Zainab Jawaid Arain
Class: B.Ed. Hons Elementary Part (III)
Project Name: “Young Teachers' Professional Development (TPD)"
"Project Founder: Prof. Dr. Amjad Ali Arain
Faculty of Education, University of Sindh, Pakistan
Principles & philosophies of Education SMVDCoN ,J&K
Nursing education is a professional education which is consciously & systematically planned & implemented through instruction & discipline & aims the harmonious development of the physical, intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual & aesthetic powers or abilities of the students in order to tender professional nursing care to people of all ages, in all phases of health & illness, in a variety of setting, in the best or highest possible manner.
Topic: Need and Scope of Educational Psychology
Student Name: Seema
Class: M.Ed
Project Name: “Young Teachers' Professional Development (TPD)"
"Project Founder: Prof. Dr. Amjad Ali Arain
Faculty of Education, University of Sindh, Pakistan
Principles & philosophies of Education SMVDCoN ,J&K
Nursing education is a professional education which is consciously & systematically planned & implemented through instruction & discipline & aims the harmonious development of the physical, intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual & aesthetic powers or abilities of the students in order to tender professional nursing care to people of all ages, in all phases of health & illness, in a variety of setting, in the best or highest possible manner.
Topic: Need and Scope of Educational Psychology
Student Name: Seema
Class: M.Ed
Project Name: “Young Teachers' Professional Development (TPD)"
"Project Founder: Prof. Dr. Amjad Ali Arain
Faculty of Education, University of Sindh, Pakistan
Chamber of dictionary answer the question for what is knowledge is (i) as the fact of knowing, (ii) information or what is known; (iii) the whole of what can be learned or found out. Further, it also knowledge as assured belief, that which is known, information, instruction, enlightenment, learning, practical skill and acquaintance. Considering all the above that are worthy of knowing. A term widely used by teachers, educators and policy makers is concept of knowledge and it refers to the body of information that teachers teach and that students are expected to learn in a given subject or content area such as English, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies. Concept of knowledge generally refers to the facts, concepts, theories and principles that are taught and learned rather than related to skills such as reading, writing, or researching that student also learns in academic courses.
Knowledge is not truth. Truth is inferred on the bases of available knowledge. The truth about the universe around us or the macrocosm to the microcosm is inferred knowledge. The knowledge of galaxy is inferred; so is the whole nuclear science, space, DNA etc,. Much of what we knew is not observed knowledge. They are known through their effects, properties, and characteristics. It is at the stage of inference that employment of methods for drawing inferences that philosophy is at work. Knowledge certified by the philosophy enters the curriculum of education. Methods approved by philosophy for building knowledge from the bases of methods and techniques of teaching. The truth arrived by philosophy sets the goals and objectives of education as well as instruments and uses of evaluation. Like this knowledge helps philosophy to interpret, guide, monitor and validating the educational process at every stages.
Abstract-- Education in itself means all round Development of personality whether it is social,
moral, emotional, physical, mental and spiritual also. But since time immemorial spiritual
development was ignored in comparison to other dimensions of development in contemporary
education. This is not the case of religious education where main emphasis is laid on
spiritualism. In today’s modern world of globalization, spiritual development is the need of the
hour because of competition, educated unemployed etc that leads youths towards anxiety,
frustration, depression etc which leads them towards committing suicide sometime. At that time
it may be realized that there is something failure in the system mechanism etc of contemporary
education which leads youths towards committing such types of heinous acts. As Glenn Cupit
notes, “spirituality is generally ignored in human development texts and never treated as an
essential component of development,” while Kimball, Mannes, and Hackel point out there is a
vacuum in this “important and understudied domain of human development.” Aostre Johnson
Roehlkepartain, King, Wagener, and Benson (2006). The objectives of the study are: to explore
the idea of spiritualism as the main dimension of all Round Development of Personality; to
highlight the constraints and barriers of present educational system that restricts spiritualism in
education and to study the educational implications of spiritualism so that system of education
lay emphasis on all round development of personality. As quoted by Mohan Das Karam Chand
Gandhi, ‘Education means all round of personality’.
Psychology of learning is a branch of psychology that focuses on understanding how individuals acquire, process, and retain knowledge. It explores the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional processes involved in learning new information and skills.
This field of study investigates various theories and models of learning, such as behaviorism, cognitive psychology, social learning theory, and constructivism. It explores how external factors, such as the environment and experiences, as well as internal factors, such as attention, memory, motivation, and intelligence, influence the learning process.
Psychologists in this field examine how different types of learning occur, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning, and problem-solving. They investigate how individuals acquire and store information in their long-term memory, as well as how they retrieve and apply it when needed.
Furthermore, the psychology of learning also analyzes the impact of various teaching methods and strategies on learning outcomes. It aims to identify effective instructional techniques that facilitate optimal learning experiences and help individuals reach their educational goals more efficiently.
.
Relationship between Education and Philosophy.SANA FATIMA
”Education without philosophy is blind, philosophy without education is lame” comment.
EDUCATION:
PHILOSOPHY:
Metaphysics:
Epistemology:
Ethics:
Logic:
Relationship between philosophy and education:
a] Determining the aims of education:
b] Harmonizing old and new traditions in the field of education
c] Providing the educational planners, administrators, and educators with the progressive vision to achieve educational development:-
d] Preparing the young generation to face the challenges of the modern time:-
REFERENCES:
Curriculum Foundations
Taya Hervey-McNutt
Dr. Teresa Lao
EDU 555: K-12 Curriculum Design & Development
August 16, 2021
Curriculum Foundations
Introduction
Math is disliked by the majority of students both inside and outside of Farell County. This
experimental curriculum will target 4th-grade kids' weak math performance. A vast percentage
of the students understand math to be complex numbers that are tough to comprehend as well as
memorize. Some students may also find it frustrating to have to repeat the same tasks over and
over again in order to grasp the concept, as math necessitates making numerous mistakes. Math
can also be a subject that possibly inhibits their creativity when compared to other subjects like
Science or English; more hands on creative thinking.
According to a National Center for Education poll, most students have adopted math
stereotypes as a result of hearing their parents say math is difficult and boring. Notwithstanding
this, some people believe that math is a fantastic subject that pushes pupils to work hard. The
discipline is one of the least well-performing subjects in the United States.
The Farrell school district was listed among Pennsylvania's bottom 50 school districts.
Approximately, 16% of its kids are proficient in math, with grade 4 students performing the
worst. In 2018, the percentage of students who performed poorly in mathematics in grade 4 was
58 percent, compared to 50 percent in other grades (Farell, 1). Math is an important subject that
can help pupils in a variety of ways. It improves their problem-solving abilities, assists them in
better understanding the world, and provides them with skills that they can apply to real-life
situations (Sammons, 2). These abilities are critical for students in this field, as poor results are
linked to the country's poverty levels. The Farrell school district is located in a low-income
neighborhood with a high teacher turnover rate. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, which is
lower than the recommended ratio (Stebbins & Sauter, 3). The schools do not have a
well-structured curriculum that can help students enhance their grades. Furthermore, the majority
of parents are uneducated and fail to help their children, while teachers contribute to the
achievement disparity.
The anticipated learning results from the start of the pilot program are known as
instructional goals. Problem-solving, critical thinking, enhanced mathematical confidence, and
understanding the mathematical language are the four teaching aims.
Behavioral Curriculum Approach
A curriculum approach depicts the various perspectives on curriculum design and
development, as well as the roles of teachers, students, and curriculum specialists in curriculum
planning. It also contains the curriculum's aims and objectives. A methodology to curriculum
represents a person's perspective of the world, including what he or she considers to be true, the
values that are import ...
In much modern usage, the words ‘teaching’ and ‘teacher’ are wrapped up with schooling and schools. One way of approaching the question ‘What is teaching?’ is to look at what those called ‘teachers’ do – and then to draw out key qualities or activities that set them apart from others. The problem is that all sorts of things are bundled together in job descriptions or roles that may have little to do with what we can sensibly call teaching. Another way is to head for dictionaries and search for both the historical meanings of the term and how it is used in everyday language. This brings us to definitions like: “Impart knowledge to or instruct (someone) as to how to do something; or Cause (someone) to learn or understand something by example or experience”
"The rise of black power had a profound effect upon the appearance of black theology. When Carmichael and other radical black activists separated themselves from King's absolute commitment to nonviolence by proclaiming black power, white Christians especially members of the clergy, called upon their black brothers and sisters in the gospel to denounce black power as unChristian. To the surprise of white Christians, the National Committee of Negro Churchmen (NNC); later to become NCBC) refused to follow their advice and instead wrote a "Black Power Statement" that was published in the New York Time, July 31, 1966.
The Theology of Spirituality: It's Growing Importance Amid the Transformation...Jonathan Dunnemann
Abstract: This article raises issues surrounding the theology of spirituality as a relatively new theological focus. It argues that, faced with a changing world and numerous new (or perceived as new) phenomena, the theology of spirituality, as a scholarly area examining spiritual experience, is becoming a branch of
theological research of increasing importance. The first part of this article focuses on the ever-growing areas of interest found within the theology of spirituality, a growth stemming from the core of the field itself (agere sequitur esse). The second part emphasizes the newer areas of interest within the theology
of spirituality. These new horizons arise from the pluralism of theology itself and the criteria used in differentiating theological disciplines, such as ethno-geographic, doctrinal, and ascetic-practical concerns. In particular, amid a fast-changing world in which information and mutual contact have become incredibly accessible, the interpenetration of cultures and traditions can not only be of great value but also carry the dangers of a chaotic eclecticism. As this accessibility becomes ever easier and more pervasive, contemporary human beings can thus become confused, not only about their worldviews but also concerning their spiritual and religious beliefs. Thus, research into the theology of spirituality is becoming increasingly more important.
Using an interdisciplinary approach and a phenomenological, hermeneutic, mystagogical methodology, this paper explores how children describe the deep fruits of meditation in their lives. Seventy children, aged 7 to 11, from four Irish primary schools were interviewed; all had engaged in meditation as a whole-school practice for at least two-years beforehand. The study sought to elicit from children their experience, if any, of the transcendent in meditation. It concludes that children can and do enjoy deep states of consciousness and that meditation has the capacity to nourish the innate spirituality of the child. It highlights the importance of personal spiritual experience for children and supports the introduction of meditation in primary schools.
ASSESSMENT OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS AMONG YOUTH: THE VALUES IN ACTION INVENTORY...Jonathan Dunnemann
Raising virtuous children is an ultimate goal not only of all parents and educators but also of all societies. Across different eras and cultures, identifying character strengths (virtues) and cultivating them in children and youth have been among the chief interests of philosophers, theologians, and educators. With a few exceptions, these topics have been neglected by psychologists. However, the emerging field of positive psychology specifically emphasizes
building the good life by identifying individual strengths of character and fostering them (Seligman, 2002). Character strengths are now receiving attention by psychologists interested in positive youth development.
African American spirituality provides a rich lens into the heart and soul of the black church experience, often overlooked in the Christian spiritual formation literature. By addressing this lacuna, this essay focuses on three primary shaping qualities o f history: the effects of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement under Dr. Martin Luther King’s leadership, and the emergence of the Black Church. Lour spiritual practices that influence African American spirituality highlight the historical and cultural context of being “forged in the fiery furnace,” including worship, preaching and Scripture, the community of faith and prayer, and community outreach. The essay concludes by recognizing four areas o f the lived experiences of African Americans from which the global church can glean: (1) persevering in pain and suffering, (2) turning to God for strength, (3) experiencing a living and passionate faith, and (4) affirming God’s intention for freedom and justice to be afforded to every individual.
Strengths Building, Resilience, and the Bible: A Story-Based Curriculum for A...Jonathan Dunnemann
Depression is the leading cause of illness and disability in adolescents worldwide. Resilience training, founded on principles of positive psychology, is correlated with lower depression and
substance misuse in U.S. adolescents and military personnel. However, resilience training has focused primarily on secular interventions using western material. Religion is strongly correlated
with lower depression and also with well-being in developing countries. Ninety percent of adolescents live in developing countries, and at least two-thirds are oral learners who prefer
learning through stories and drama. This paper proposes a Bible story based curriculum that trains students in problem solving skills, character strengths, and both spiritual and secular
research-tested principles for resilience and well-being. The Bible is available by audio recording in 751 languages and offers a broad base of archetypal stories for teaching resilience. The
program is easily reproducible, culturally adaptable, respectful of all religions, and specifically crafted for oral learners. Through audio recordings to maintain fidelity, train the trainer programs
for dissemination and support of national and community leaders, the proposed curriculum for Global Resilience Oral Workshops (GROW) has potential to lower depression and lift well-being
in adolescents around the world.
Historical criticism attempts to read texts in their original situations, informed by literary and cultural conventions reconstructed from comparable texts and artifacts. African American interpretation extends this approach to questions about race and social location for the ancient text, its reception
history, and its modern readers. It arose as a corrective and alternative to white supremacist use of the Bible in moral and political arguments regarding race, civil rights, and social justice. Accordingly, African American interpretation has combined the
insights of abolitionists and activists with academic tools to demonstrate how biblical interpretation can function as an instrument of oppression, obfuscation, or opportunity. Of course, most of these developments have occurred in the larger framework of American Christianity. Yet, its analyses reach
beyond that specific setting, touching on the connections between the Bible and race in public discourse generally, whether in government, academia, or popular culture.
Appropriating Universality: The Coltranes and 1960s SpiritualityJonathan Dunnemann
The role of the Black Protestant Church has figured prominently in scholarly discussions of African American music culture, and to some extent its importance has been explored with respect to jazz. However, with the exception of the Nation of Islam, the influence of Eastern religious practices among black Americans has not been significantly researched nor have adequate connections been made between these spiritual pursuits and the musical innovations they inspired. Nevertheless, since the mid-’60s, black American artists have explored Yoga, Hinduism, various sects of Buddhism, Ahmadiya Islam, and Bahá’í. The
aesthetic impact of these pursuits has been multi-dimensional and far-reaching. In their study of Asian philosophy and religion, jazz musicians have been exposed to the sounds and musical processes they have discovered in the cultures from which these traditions have emerged. One can hear this influence in musical borrowings, such as the use of traditional instrumentation, the reworking of melodic material from folk and classical genres, and the incorporation of indigenous
improvisational and compositional techniques. Though less audible, Eastern spiritual traditions have also exerted a more abstract philosophical influence that has shaped jazz aesthetics, inspiring jazz musicians to dissolve formal and stylistic boundaries and produce works of great originality. Contextualizing the spiritual explorations of John and Alice Coltrane within American religious culture and liberation movements of the 1960s, this essay explores the way that
their eclectic appropriation of Eastern spiritual concepts and their commitment to spiritual universality not only inspired musical innovation, but also provided a counter-hegemonic, political, and cultural critique.
Who Is Jesus Christ for Us Today?
To say that Jesus Christ is the truth of the Christian story calls for further examination. It is one thing to assert that the New Testament describes Jesus as the Oppressed One who came to liberate the poor and the weak (Chap. 4); but it is quite another to ask, Who is Jesus Christ for us today? If twentieth-century Christians are to speak the truth for their sociohistorical situation, they cannot merely repeat the story of what Jesus did and said in Palestine, as if it were selfinterpreting for us today. Truth is more than the retelling of the biblical story. Truth is the divine happening that invades our contemporary situation, revealing the meaning of the past for the present so that we
are made new creatures for the future. It is therefore our commitment to the divine truth, as witnessed to in the biblical story, that requires us to investigate the connection between Jesus' words and deeds in firstcentury Palestine and our existence today. This is the crux of the christological issue that no Christian theology can avoid.
The pivotal role of religion and spirituality in the lives of African Americans marks this ethnoracial group as a particularly important target for attention in research on the psychology and sociology of religion. In this chapter we endeavor to achieve three ends: First, we briefly review literature on meanings of religiosity and spirituality among African Americans. Second, we review the literature on the link between religiosity, spirituality, and health among African Americans. Finally, we examine findings regarding the pathways by which religion and spirituality may achieve its ends.
Transformative Pedagogy, Black Theology and Participative forms of PraxisJonathan Dunnemann
"This formative analysis is... on the significant developments in religious education by and for Black people, principally in the US. ..., I describe my own participative approaches to Black theology by means of transformative pedagogy, which utilizes interactive exercises as a means of combining the insights of the aforementioned ideas and themes into a transformative mode of teaching and learning."
"..., I have attempted to combine the radical intent of transformative education arising from the Freirerian tradition with Black liberation theology in order to develop a more participative and interactive mode of theo-pedagogical engagement that moves intellectual discourse beyond mere theorizing into more praxis based forms of practice.
Development of a Program for the Empowerment of Black Single Mother Families ...Jonathan Dunnemann
The most rapid growing family type in the United States is the single parent family. It is the dominant family type in the African-American community. According to the United States Bureau of the Census (2010), 69% of all Black children are born to single mothers. Single mother families are at a dramatically greater risk for drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, suicide, poor educational performance, teen pregnancy, and criminality (National Center for Health Statistics, 1993).
Black Males, Social Imagery, and the Disruption of Pathological IdentitiesJonathan Dunnemann
Throughout the history of the U.S., racialized groups have often had their experiences profoundly shaped by social imagery in ways that have created tremendous hardships in the quest for
self-actualization and a healthy sense of self.
The purpose of this article is to shed light on the manner in which Black males have been one of the primary victims of negative social imagery and how the remnants of these constructions continue to have contemporary influences, ....
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2. Despite (or perhaps as a reaction to) this modern bias, there is a surprisingly widespread use of
contemplative practice outside of education. For example, in one recent random survey, 30% of individuals
indicated that they had meditated or tried yoga (Blum & Weprin Associates, 2000). There also exists a
large and growing body of evidence on the utility of contemplation in areas ranging from medicine (e.g.,
Benson, 1975/2000; Kabat-Zinn, 1990) to spirituality (e.g., Finley, 2000; Hanh, 1987). There is also some
recent and growing appreciation of contemplative practice within higher education (Duerr, Zajonc, & Dana,
2003).
Before going further I want to mention one concern that is sometimes seen as an obstacle to bringing
contemplation to public education: Is the separation of church and state threatened by bringing approaches
akin to those developed in spiritual traditions into secular education? I suggest that opening the
contemplative mind in schools is not a religious issue but a practical epistemic question. It is about how we
know, not about what knowledge we are giving others. Inviting the contemplative simply includes the
natural human capacity for knowing through silence, looking inward, pondering deeply, beholding,
witnessing the contents of our consciousness, and so forth. These approaches cultivate an inner technology
of knowing and thereby a technology of learning and pedagogy without any imposition of religious
doctrine whatsoever. If we knew that particular and readily available activities would increase
concentration, learning, wellbeing, and social and emotional growth and catalyze transformative learning,
we would be cheating our students to exclude it.
Although a teacher who has his or her own contemplative practice may see value in introducing it in the
classroom, at least the following two things will be required for the contemplative to be integrated into
mainstream education: (a)rationale and evidence that contemplation can address the very practical concerns
of contemporary education and (b) a range of simple, secular methods that can be adapted to various
classrooms situations. Both of these will be explored in the following.
Performance, Character, and Depth
Can contemplation address the concerns of contemporary education? First, what are those concerns? With
respect to student learning, the following three general dimensions will be considered: performance,
character, and depth.
PERFORMANCE
As a society, we want our students to perform better. Calls for more standardized testing reflect these
goals, although progress toward this end is extremely limited and consequences such as teaching for the
tests are common complaints. In addition, it appears that rather than increasing learning, such “high-stakes”
testing may actually worsen both dropout rates and overall performance (Winter, 2002). Other approaches
and perhaps other goals warrant consideration.
CHARACTER
There are increasing calls for intentional character development as a component of public education. The
life tools of social and emotional management, civility, and compassion are increasingly part of the
responsibility of schools.
DEPTH
A more subtle current is what I will call the concern for depth. Essentially, this refers to the problem that
an overemphasis on superficial and homogenized performance measures misses the chance for deeper
understanding and application. For example, even very successful students sometimes lack an ability to
apply basic concepts beyond the classroom assignment. Gardner (1991) summarized several experiments
ranging from physics to the humanities in which even high achievers have proven unable to demonstrate an
understanding of the principles they have memorized. Although some students can recall sophisticated
theories and formulae, they remain unable to apply them outside of a limited classroom context. Depth
implies higher order understanding and application, creativity, problem-solving, and self-reflection. Deep
encounters with knowledge and with one another have the potential to transform the learner and the process
of learning.
3. There is a growing body of evidence that the way we know and learn, specifically the integration of the
contemplative with the analytic, cuts across these three interrelated concerns of performance, character, and
depth.
Contemplation, Thinking, and Learning
There are hundreds of studies on the effects of contemplative practice, particularly meditation, offering
varying degrees of methodological precision. Among the main state effects (immediate changes) of
meditation are physiological relaxation and slowed metabolism, a heightened self-awareness, and feelings
of calm. Among the main trait effects (changes that endure over time) are improved concentration, empathy,
perceptual acuity, a drop in anxiety and stress symptoms, and more effective performance in a broad range
of domains from sports and academic test taking to creativity (for a summary see e.g., Murphy, Donovan,
& Taylor,1997).
What has been best documented is that contemplation of this nature affects physiology. We also know
that physiology affects emotional response, cognition, and learning. For example, whereas some degree of
stress can focus attention, undue emotional stress can inhibit performance, paralyzing a student’s ability to
write, answer test questions, or make free throws during a heated basketball game. Basic contemplative
skill is extremely well documented to shift the immediate state and therefore potentially affect performance.
COHERENCE
One explanation for the mind-body changes that occur during contemplative practice is called
physiological coherence. Correlates of physiological coherence include a regular heart rhythm, decreased
sympathetic nervous system activation and increased parasympathetic activity, and increased heart-brain
synchronization(the brain’s alpha rhythms become more synchronized to the heartbeat) (Schoner & Kelso,
1988; Tiller, McCraty, & Atkinson, 1996). These physiological changes appear to result in a highly
efficient state in which the body, brain, and nervous system function with increased synchronization and
harmony. Recent studies in school settings suggest that increasing physiological coherence improves
cognitive performance. In these investigations, students’ performance on a cognitive task requiring focus
and attention, discrimination, and a quick and accurate reaction was compared before and after they used a
simple contemplative technique involving focusing on the area of their heart and feeling a positive emotion
such as appreciation. Performance improved significantly as compared to a control group. Using the same
technique in another study, school students showed significant improvement in math and reading test scores
over control groups (for summaries, see Arguelles, McCraty, & Rees, 2003).
Neurobiology offers another explanation for the value of contemplation. The rest principle implies that an
actively used neurological connection will become stronger if it is allowed to rest briefly (Sinclair, 1981).
One possibility is that contemplation may enable intentional resting and thereby engender a follow-up
quickening or deepening of certain neurological processes.
Whatever the precise physiological mechanisms at work, numerous studies suggest improvement on a
broad range of performance areas as the result of contemplative practice. For example, a recent series of
studies in Taiwan in which 362school students were randomly assigned to either a group practicing
transcendental mediation (TM), a traditional Chinese contemplative practice, or napping showed significant
increase in seven standardized measures of functioning for the TM group, increases in two scales for the
traditional group, and none for those napping. The standardized measures included such areas as the ability
to reason in novel situations, speed of information processing, creative thinking, and anxiety level (So &
Orme-Johnson, 2001).
The distinction between the scores of those napping and those in the meditation groups reminds us that
contemplative practice involves more than simply relaxation; it includes relaxation and an open or focused
alertness.
ATTENTION
Performance, behavior, and depth are tied to attention. Teachers quickly recognize that a student’s ability
to direct and sustain his or her attention toward a task at hand has a direct impact on success. The cardinal
aspect of contemplative practice is nourishing the quality of one’s attention. Contemplative practice has
been shown to improve a variety of perceptual and cognitive abilities related to the quality of attention (e.g.,
Murphy et al., 1997). In addition to the general significance of attention to learning, 4% to 6% of students
4. are now diagnosed with attention difficulties (Attention Deficit Disorder, 2002); many are currently on
medication. Could contemplative practice develop attention skills, thereby offering an adjunct or alternative
to medication? Neuro feedback training—which helps develop an inner technology akin to
contemplation—has shown improvement in attention measures and performance (e.g., Rasey, Lubar,
McIntyre, Zoffuto, & Abbot, 1996). Evidence is encouraging but incomplete.
Another way that contemplation varies attention is in the way we look upon something. Whereas the
analytic tends to measure, categorize, and evaluate, the contemplative simply beholds what arises within us
or in front of us. Opening contemplation can begin with simply appreciating the object, idea, or person
before us. This quality of attention moves us emotionally closer to the object of our inquiry. This “less
detached empiricism” is precisely what Nobel-winning geneticist Barbara McClintock described in her
work with corn plants. She, like many great creative minds, claimed that this deepened relationship leads to
deep, even transformative understanding; she talked about “a feeling for the organism” and an “openness to
let it come to you” (Keller, 1983, p. 198). At the very least, what we know is that emotion drives
motivation. When a student comes into emotional intimacy with what they are exploring, interest and
therefore motivation are enhanced.
This same kind of intimacy is also associated with increased empathy—that capacity to feel into
another’s world and to see the other through the eye of our heart, we might say. Houston Smith (1993)
noted that “in contrast to modernity which situates knowing in the mind and brain, sacred traditions
identify . . . essential knowing, with the heart” (p. 18). Such empathy has been described as the base of
moral development (Hoffman, 1990) and even the quality that makes us most human (Azar, 1997) and is
therefore central to character development.
DETACHMENT
Contemplative practice is also commonly described as enabling a type of detachment from the contents of
our consciousness, the thoughts, feelings, and reactions that flow though our minds. Several approaches
instruct the practitioner to avoid reactive attachment by just being mindful of whatever thoughts or feelings
emerge. This allows us to observe the contents of our consciousness rather than simply being absorbed by
them. Such arms-length distance allows us to recognize and therefore potentially interrupt usual patterns of
thinking and impulsivity, freeing the mind to notice unexpected insights. For example, instead of just
seething with anger, the contemplative mind may allow a little more space between the anger and us. We
might both have our anger and also notice it—“Look at me being angry, what’s that about?”—rather than
simply being lost in the anger. To notice, accept, embrace, and thereby transform our anger may have
significant impact on behavior. For example, in a recent study involving the effects of a meditation practice
on 45 inner-city African American adolescents, the meditating group was found to have significantly fewer
rule infractions, a decrease in absenteeism, and fewer suspensions (Barnes, Bauza, & Treiber, 2003).
Being aware of the content of our consciousness is not only an important element in emotional maturity
but also a marker of deepened cognitive functioning—a developmental step beyond basic abstraction. Self-observation
and reflection help to expose and deconstruct positions of role, belief, culture, and so forth to
see more deeply or from multiple perspectives. This allows students the conceptual flexibility to see
beyond the information given and beyond their own presuppositions.
GAPS
Studies of creative individuals, from Mozart to Einstein, give us clues that although analytic practices are
important, often necessary, they are insufficient to explain the depths of creativity and insight. Imagination,
inspiration, and unse34quenced cognitive activity akin to that evoked in insight-oriented contemplation are
commonly described in fields ranging from music to science (e.g., Csikszentmihalyi,1996; Hart, 2000b).
Contemplative knowing balances the power and precision of the analytic.
Similarly, disciplines ranging from literary analysis to cognitive psychology identify the important
function of gaps in the learning and inventive process (e.g., Spolsky, 1993). It is the cognitive gaps that
allow for the possibility of conceptual flexibility and multiplicity. These studies point to the importance of
a different type of intellectual process, distinct from linear, analytical, and product oriented processes so
often emphasized in contemporary education.
All sorts of methodological complications exist in doing research on contemplation, and the majority of
research has been on only one general form of contemplation—meditation. Despite these limitations, even
5. from the handful of studies mentioned earlier it is reasonable to conclude that the contemplative mind has
encouraging potential to work hand in hand with the analytic, affecting performance, character, and depth.
If a teacher or administrator is considering introducing contemplation in the classroom, it is prudent to
understand what impact this approach might have on student learning and behavior. However, as
compelling as such tangible outcomes might be, most traditional contemplative practice emphasizes
present-moment awareness and the intrinsic value of the experience rather than secondary outcomes such
as improved grades or behavior. The more subtle benefits rooted in stillness of mind and expanded
awareness are real and essential but more difficult to quantify. In the end however, it is these subtle shifts
that may have the most potential for transforming the learner and the quality of learning.
Experiments With Knowing
What we know about education is that one shoe does not fit all; students’ varying learning styles, interests,
and capacities require variation in teaching. The same may be true in contemplation. Different paths may
work better for different people. Various contemplative approaches also focus on different goals, for
example, calming versus insight contemplation, each dividing into critical and creative types (Thurman,
1994). Translated into classroom goals, various approaches may evoke creative imagination, critical
reflection, or concentration and may use the gateway of silence, poetry, the body, or other means, as we
will explore.
The contemplative mind cannot be willed, as it arises spontaneously, but it can be welcomed. What
follows is a sampling of simple, bare-bones instructions that might be modified, combined, or used as is in
the classroom. Some can be integrated with various course content, and others stand on their own. They
may be thought of as experiments with knowing. In a similar spirit as Einstein’s thought experiments or
even Gandhi’s experiments with truth, their intent is to expand awareness and push beyond our
assumptions and our sedimented habits of knowing.35Although our focus is directly on student learning,
contemplation also can nourish the teacher’s own presence (see Miller, 1994; Solloway, 2000) and in turn
influence the quality of the classroom experience. A teacher who explores his or her own contemplative
mind is better able to help his or her students to do the same. The teacher-student dynamic is enhanced
through this mutual exploration, and ultimately the teacher’s own growth transforms the entire space in
which education happens.
NOT DOING
What we know of effective learning is that the predominant factor is not merely time on task; it is the
quality of attention brought to that task. If our attention is somewhere else, scattered or racing perhaps, we
may have little capacity to be present. Paradoxically, we may need to not do for a few minutes to be more
available for doing the task at hand.
At the beginning of a class or at a transition time I might turn the lights off and ask students to do the
following:
Take a few deep, slow, clearing breaths. Let your body release and relax; let any parts of you that need to
wiggle or stretch do so. Now feel the gentle pull of gravity and allow the chair you’re sitting on, and the floor
beneath you, to support you without any effort on your part. Just let go and allow yourself to be silent and not
do for a few minutes. You may want to focus only on your breathing, allowing it to flow in and out without
effort. If you find yourself thinking, distracted, working on a problem, don’t fight it, don’t get stuck in it. Just
allow it and you to be, and redirect your awareness back to your breath, and to not doing. Perhaps you can
imagine those thoughts or concerns floating like bubbles from underwater. When they reach the surface they
simply burst and disappear.
We might add a ring of a bell, perhaps three rings to begin and one to end, to add to the power of
ceremony that helps students to recognize this as special time.
The moment of transition from the depth of contemplation to the action of the classroom is significant.
As you gently come back to the room you may notice the sensations of peacefulness, a clearer mind, or
perhaps a feeling of centeredness. As you move through your day, even and maybe especially when things
get difficult, you can take a breath and find that center again.
6. Following this exercise, which might last from just 2 or 3 minutes to 15 or so, we might ask them to
notice any difference before and after not doing. They might share their experiences with one another;
students are often surprised by the stream of their own thoughts. They may experiment with longer periods
of contemplation and often report explorations on their own in various situations outside of class.
WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
A slightly different focus can also nourish self-awareness and presence. “Where are you now?” we might
ask our class.
Take a few moments and just relax. Take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes if you are comfortable doing so,
and tune into where you are right in this moment. Are you thinking about the day ahead? Rehashing some
past experience? Caught in an emotional hangover about a situation with a friend or family member? How
much of you is in your body? In your head? Floating outside you? Do you feel out in front of you? Stuck in a
painful nook? Just be aware for a few moments, just noticing where you are and how that feels.
After a few moments we might ask, “Now take two minutes and share your awareness with the person
next to you (or in your notebook).”
Like many of these exercises, this could be extended into a daily activity outside of class. “Where am I
now?” might become internalized as a kind of personal check-in, inviting self-awareness.
DEEP LISTENING
Passive listening involves casual attention; active listening involves intentional focus and skills such as
paraphrasing and summarizing what another has said. For example, a waiter may practice repeating
someone’s order to be certain he or she has heard correctly. A teacher might ask students to write down the
important points in a teaching video or to reflect what the teacher or a fellow student just said. These are
important skills of attention but not contemplation. A third kind of listening is what I will refer to as deep
listening.
We can help students explore deep listening with the following exercise:
Take a few deep cleansing breaths, relax, and close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so. Take a few
moments in silence to just settle in. Now listen deeply to the reading [poem, story, idea, quote, famous speech,
music, or sounds; we could just as easily have them focus on a picture or piece of art or nature or sit quietly
in front of another student]. Gently open to and receive the words [picture, person, etc.] without needing to do
anything to it or figure it out. Just meet these words gently, allowing them to wash over you like a warm
breeze. Observe the images that arise in your mind, the feelings in your body, thoughts, emotions, meanings,
sounds, tastes, movement, symbols, shapes, or anything else that arises. How does your body want to move?
How does this resonate within you? What do you want to do as you listen deeply? What story can you tell
about this? Sit silently for several moments and just notice without judgment.
We might reread the passage. In a few moments we can invite students to describe to their neighbor
something that emerged for them—a feeling, image, question, and so on. Comparing helps one notice both
one’s own subjectivity and others’ unique ways of perceiving. We might then ask, “How much came from
within you and how much seems to be a common experience of the poem or picture?” As alternatives to
sharing with a classmate, we could instead invite students to share out loud in class, or draw or journal in
their notebooks, or perhaps move their bodies as a kind of interpretive movement, and so forth.
Rational empiricism trains us to pay attention to some things and not to others, discounting hunches or
feelings, for example, in favor of certain appearances and utility—it focuses and limits our field of
awareness. Contemplation involves a softer focus and a lighter touch. The voice of the contemplative lives
in these shadowy symbols, feelings, and images as well as in paradoxes and passions. Understanding
expands as we learn to listen to the unique ways our inner life speaks to us and integrate the voices of the
analytic and the contemplative.
I want to mention a special note about tuning into one another. Some children are remarkably sensitive to
the feelings that others are experiencing. The ability to tune into another’s inner world is a very powerful
form of deep empathy (Hart, 2000a). However, children (and adults) who are empathically sensitive can get
overwhelmed or lost in others’ emotions. Some students compensate by constructing a hard exterior or
finding other means to try to shut off this sensitivity (Hart, 2003). Others remain overwhelmed and
7. disoriented. However, when we have the power of both experiencing this intensity and also witnessing it,
we can take a deep breath, center ourselves, and distinguish between our own and others’ experience. We
then gain greater freedom to appreciate their experience, perhaps sending them our intention of
compassionate caring, but we need not hold on to their experience or confuse it with our own.
THE ART OF PONDERING
The ancient Greek philosophers were bold in asking questions such as “Who are you?” and “What are we
here for?” Young children often naturally ask these big or radical questions as a way of trying to
understand the world (Hart, 2003; Matthews, 1980). But in schools, curricular demands and the emphasis
on one right answer often work against depth of exploration (Hart, 2001a). The result is that “neither
teachers nor students are willing to undertake risks for understanding; instead they content themselves with
correct answer compromises” (Gardner, 1991, p. 150). But pondering big and radical questions, what
Tillich (1951) named ultimate concerns, has the capacity of opening to unexpected insight. Using the
intellect in this way to go beyond intellectual understanding is described in a variety of traditions (see
Rothberg, 1994). In the classroom we might pose and invite questions on the following:
• Big things: “What is life about?”
• Both local and distant influences: “What would make your school, the world, your parents, the universe
better?” “What do you wonder about and worry about?”
• Ethics: “How do you know what’s the right thing to do?” “What would you do if you were the president, the
principal, the parent?”
• Identity: “What is the most important thing about being you? What’s the most fun?” “What will your life be like
in 10 years?” “What would you like as your epitaph?” “Who are your heroes?”
• New perspectives: “I wonder what the world looks like through an ant’s eyes, a Martian’s, a terrorist’s?” “I
wonder what your parents think about when you’re not around?” “What if you had a week to live?”
In an exam or in a class discussion, simply asking for the questions that the student would ask about the
topic, what they are curious about, and what they really want to know but have been afraid to ask serves as
another means to loosen the lock of predetermined answers on the process of knowing.
With most topics, there is an opportunity to create the dynamic tension of ambiguity that can lead to
unexpected knowing. We do this when we lead off the lesson with an honest question that has no simple
preset answer. We might ask, “What are the causes of violence in our culture and in our school?” instead of
truncating wisdom with “What are the five causes of violence that our text discusses?” Of course we want
the student to know the text, but if our questions merely dead-end there, we have missed an opportunity of
insight through exploring the gaps in our knowledge (Hart, 2001b).
Holding paradoxical or contradictory perspectives long enough may frustrate and transform normal
thinking. For example, we might invite students to ponder the idea that light operates both as waves and as
particles or the conflicting issues of fairness involved in a contemporary issue such as affirmative action.
Could we take both the position of the disadvantaged youth and the privileged child who was denied
admission to college in spite of his or her higher performance? The point is not to win an argument as in a
debate; it is to see beyond the various sides to take in the whole of the issue and to synthesize a larger
perspective. Traditions ranging from Chinese and Indian philosophy to Heraclitus and from Hegel’s
dialectics to quantum physics and Zen Buddhism have used paradox to open knowing.
Another simple exercise invites students to generate questions instead of answers about a particular event
or idea (e.g., a Civil War battle, a science demonstration, or a story). These remarks can include students’
own reactions and associations such as “What does this have to do with my life?” or statements such as
“What about this really excites (or bothers) me?” In one variation of this exercise, students can
anonymously write the questions on an index card to be shared out loud with the class by a designated
reader. These are not immediately to be answered but just listened to. We could place a question chair in
the middle of the classroom. Questions are addressed to the chair rather than to the teacher or another
student. No one is allowed to answer the question directly; it is simply allowed to sit and simmer. Other
questions may follow. Initially, this is awkward and students fall back to habits of looking to the teacher,
forgetting to talk to the chair, or providing a quick response to the question. But with just a few reminders,
space opens up. The process is less like an assembly line and more like an artist’s studio, the atmosphere
gradually shifts, and I imagine that the space inside the student shifts and opens as well.
8. A WISDOM WALK
Guided imagery taps the symbolic or metaphorical aspects of the contemplative mind. Unexpected
imagery and insight are often the result.
Take some deep breaths, settle into your seat, close your eyes, and relax. Imagine yourself in a comfortable
scene in nature, feel the soft breeze, notice the smells, the temperature on your face, the color of the sky, the
feel of the ground beneath you, and the feeling in your body. Take a few moments to be still and sense all that
you can in this pleasant and comfortable scene. Now off in one direction notice a well-worn path leading into
the distance toward some woods. Follow the path and continue to notice the texture of the ground underfoot,
the sounds near and far, the light, the vegetation, the wildlife, and the smells as you move farther and farther
along the path. The path narrows as it winds its way deeper into the woods. You cross over a brook, perhaps
pausing to listen and feel the water, and then continue along the path. Soon the path emerges out of the woods
and opens into a bright hilly meadow. Walk back into the bright light and notice a magnificent old tree on the
hillside. Walk to the tree and sit under it for a few moments, appreciating its magnificence. The tree may
have a message for you; listen and feel its offering to you. Note the words, images, and feelings that arise. If
you would like, you can continue on around the hillside and discover that it becomes rockier, almost cliff-like
on the far side. Among this rock you may notice a strong doorway. You approach and enter, surprised to find
a few steps leading to a gently lit curved room filled with other doorways. If you would like, you can pick
one and look inside. You don’t need to go in. You can just observe from the opened doorway. Take a few
moments in silence if you would like. When you’re ready, consider if there is any lesson or knowledge that is
offered. In a few moments it will be time to close the inner door; exit the way you came in, back out onto the
hillside. Return around the hill stopping back at the tree for a moment, listening. Then follow the path back
the way you came, through the woods, crossing the brook, and eventually back to the pleasant place where
you started the journey. Know you can return to this place and to anywhere you visited on your own when
you would like. Now it is time to come back fully. Give me a glance to let me know you have arrived back
into the classroom. In a moment let’s share some of our experiences [or write them in a journal].How many
were able to find a place to start with? How many found a tree? Did the tree have anything for you? Who
found a doorway? What did you see? Was there anything unexpected (scary, fun, confusing, helpful, etc.)?
What did you take away?
This can be a powerful experience for some, and so it is important to follow up with anyone who seems
unusually agitated. For a lighter version we could skip the doorway and simply linger with the tree.
Alternative travels such as a journey to a wise woman or man, climbing a mountain (perhaps representing
some struggle), visiting a special or sacred site, or any number of images can invite our inner knowing.
We might also use visualization techniques as positive mental rehearsal, for example, mentally practicing
successfully throwing free throw baskets, taking an exam, or performing on stage while in deep relaxation.
BODY FOCUSING
Whereas knowing is most often associated with the head, both the ancients and contemporary
neuroscience supports the idea of a bodywide mind. Researcher Candance Pert (1986) discovered that
endorphins and their receptor sites, once thought to exist only in the brain, are present throughout the body.
The reason, she suggested, that we speak of gut feelings is because the mechanisms for feeling in the gut
are already in place. Research on energy cardiology and cellular memory in heart transplant patients
suggests knowing and memory are contained in an energy-information system associated with the heart
(e.g., Pearsall, 1999;Russek & Schwartz, 1996). As mentioned before, Houston Smith (1993) noted that “in
contrast to modernity which situates knowing in the mind and brain, sacred traditions identify . . . essential
knowing, with the heart” (p. 18). Shifting awareness to the body may help to open to a state past the
analytic.
One simple technique has already been employed successfully in schools. I’ll paraphrase the instructions
from Childre and Martin (1999):
Take a few deep breaths and settle into your seat. As you relax bring your attention to the area of your chest,
that place inside where you have experienced the feelings of love, care, or appreciation. Pretend you are
breathing slowly through the heart—five seconds in, five seconds out. Do this a few times and then breathe
naturally, maintaining focus on your heart. Now remember a feeling of appreciation you have for someone
now or from the past or focus on a fun or joyful time in your life, bringing the feeling to you. Once you have
felt this, you may want to radiate that appreciation to yourself and others. If distractions arise in your mind,
simply bring the focus back to the area of your heart.
9. Eugene Gendlin’s (1988) focusing technique is another method for cultivating witnessing awareness.
Very briefly, his fundamental exercise begins by asking us to create a silent and relaxed space within us. I
will condense and paraphrase some of his instructions in the following:
(1) Pay attention inwardly, in your body, see what comes there when you ask, “What is the main thing for me
right now?” or “How is my life going?” Let the answers come slowly from this sensing. When some concern
comes, rather than entering into it, stand back and just acknowledge it. Wait again and see if other concerns
or topics arise. (2) From among what came, select one thing to focus on. Sense what the whole issue feels
like without going inside it. Let yourself feel it all. (3) What is the quality of this unclear felt sense? Let a
word, or image, or whatever arise (e.g., tight, spacey, jumpy). Go back and forth between the felt sense and
the word or image. Check how they resonate with each other. Is there a bodily signal that lets you know that
it’s a fit? Let the felt sense as well as the word change until they feel just right in capturing the quality of the
felt sense.(5) Now ask yourself: “What is it about this whole issue that makes this quality?” Sense that quality
word or image again. “What makes this whole problem so______?” Be with this feeling until you sense a
shift, a slight give. (6) Receive whatever comes gently and openly. Stay with it for a while; you may find
other shifts; perhaps your first shift comes later.
As a tiny way of shifting consciousness, my daughter’s first-grade teacher hasher students take off their
shoes and let their feet feel and spread over the ground. She has them stand up to do some stretching and
simple breathing exercises akin to martial arts or yoga, although her teacher has no background in these
techniques and developed them quite spontaneously in response to what she felt her young charges needed.
She will do this before exams and any time the classroom needs a little shift in energy or mood. Although
we might not consider this contemplation per se, it does shift awareness, discharge tension, and help
students be more present in their bodies. This is precisely the direction of body-centered knowing. By the
way, her students love these interludes.
CONCENTRATED LANGUAGE
Within poetry lives the gift of metaphor and image. These words stretch out normal perception and can
open to surprising connections and unexpected depth even in young children. The play of rhythm, sounds,
and meanings of the concentrated language of poetry, both writing it and listening to it, can draw out the
contemplative mind.
I have sometimes asked students to write a haiku poem, a 5-7-5 count, 17-syllable, three-line work that is
intended to capture a moment. The open attention to that moment and the practice of capturing it in words
can be a dramatic shift in normal thought and awareness. Most haikus (a) are acute observations of nature;
(b) use simple language, presenting objects rather than describing them;(c) often contain an object, time,
and place; (d) embody a sense of stillness or harmony by the blend of object, time, and place; and (e) often
present a new discovery or insight in the third line (Inspirational Guide for a New Language, 2001).For
example, a fifth-grade boy wrote:
Butterfly awaits
As it calls for another
With a fountain of color. (p. 39)
Sometimes I will change the rules and ask them to describe themselves or a particular issue using this
format. But any form of concentrated language or imaging has the potential for practicing intensive
awareness and opening the contemplative mind. We might invite students to write a poem about current
events, their own life, or the world through the eyes of a terrorist or a historical figure that we happen to be
studying. For other curriculum ideas, the Inspirational Guide for a New Language (2001) offers a series of
poetic exercises that have been refined in elementary and middle school classrooms. And Charles Burack
(1999) described his use of contemplation and poetry in his university-level courses.
FREELY WRITING
Writing involves two main processes: vision—inspiration, flow of ideas, and soon—and revision—
editing and crafting. These require two different and complementary cognitive operations. A process
approach to writing (e.g., Elbow, 1998)may serve as a contemplative act in itself.
10. For example, we might invite students to
Take a few deep breaths, close your eyes, relax, and then, with eyes reopened, write everything you possibly
can about a particular topic [perhaps a class assignment, a reaction to the day’s reading assignment, a current
event, their upcoming paper]. Let the feelings, the wisdom, the struggle, or whatever emerges flow onto your
paper. Write the heart of what you want to say. Free write it, with no concern for spelling, grammar,
judgment, or logical coherence. Just go with the flow. If you are not sure where to start, write, “I’m not sure
where to start” and keep writing, without putting down your pen. You have 10 minutes.
Afterward, you might invite the students to share how they felt doing that task or ask them to read one
sentence of their writing to another student. Perhaps they take that sentence and write for another 5 minutes,
seeing where they go next in a rhythm oscillating between flowing and focusing, diverging and converging.
Keeping a journal is another way to explore the inner world and build confidence in writing. We might
ask students to reflect on a controversial problem discussed in class or a powerful speech or poem.
The invitation is to find a cozy space, take some deep breaths, and free write about whatever arises from your
reading or the topic at hand. Don’t figure out what you’re going to write but just let it flow as quickly and
freely as you can.
You might invite them to assume the voice of a character in a story, a historical figure, nature, or an
animal.
There are also plenty of journal writing exercises designed explicitly for self-exploration, including
questions such as “What would you like your life to be?” “What are the relationships like in your life?
Write down names of each and then free write about each” (e.g., see Progoff, 1992). Visual journaling is
another powerful way to move into the contemplative and past the confines of words (see Cameron, 1992;
Ganim & Fox, 1999). Adding a drawing or other artistic dimension can shift the perspective and potentially
open the contemplative space in a great many learning situations.
In using any of these exercises or in creating new ones, the contemplative mind in the classroom can be
welcomed effectively with the following:
• Ceremony: We can convey a sense that this time is special perhaps by turning off the lights and using a
slower, calmer voice tone or perhaps using a bell or music.
• Metaphor: Whereas the analytic lives in logic, the contemplative is invited through images, feelings,
metaphor, and stories
• Inner silence: Providing an invitation to turn inward and just notice in silence is in dramatic contrast to the
outward focus of the typical school day. Silence creates gaps in our normal thought and activity routine and
can coax the contemplative to surface.
• Intention: The clarity of intention that is brought to an experiment—for example, not doing, seeking clarity on
an issue, simply beholding and appreciating, and sending love and compassion—can help to concentrate the
energy of contemplation.
• Path: Different students may respond to different approaches; one shoe may not fit all.
• Community: Contemplative experiments in a classroom have the advantage of drawing on the energy of a
group. Practitioners have both the chance to compare notes and also focus and feed off the energy of one
another; often this nourishes empathy and in turn community.
• Carrying forth: If the body of contemplative practice is opening and centering the mind, the limbs are
bringing this awareness to our daily encounters. Within contemplative knowing there is sometimes a sense of
centering, clarity, “a still point of a turning world,” as T. S. Eliot (1971, p. 16) named it, or perhaps an inner
source of wisdom and creativity. We can remind students that with a deep breath they can draw on the
nourishment and clarity of the contemplative mind as a touchstone throughout the day.
Conclusion
The aforementioned experiments provide opportunities to activate, integrate, and normalize
contemplative knowing in the classroom. Bringing contemplative practice to the classroom is not exactly
bringing something new to children. Children—young children especially—are natural contemplatives.
They ponder big questions, they daydream, they fall in wonder with nature, they reflect on their own
existence and find silence in their “special spot,” perhaps under the arms of an old tree. However, the
demands for constant activity, the habit of electronic stimulation, and the production orientation of modern
society make it very difficult to keep the contemplative alive, leaving children (and teachers) unbalanced in
11. their ways of knowing and often losing touch with the inner landscape. Contemplative techniques offer
both a portal to our inner world and an internal technology—a kind of mindscience—enabling us to use
more of the mind rather than be driven by habitual responses or emotional impulsivity.
Long dormant in education, the natural capacity for contemplation balances and enriches the analytic. It
has the potential to enhance performance, character, and depth of the student’s experience. Perhaps most
important, the contemplative helps to return the transformative power of wonder, intimacy, and presence in
daily learning and daily living.
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Tobin Hart, Ph.D., serves as associate professor of psychology at the State University of West Georgia. He is chairman
of the board of directors of the ChildSpirit Institute. His teaching and research examines consciousness, spirituality,
psychotherapy, and education. His most recent books include From Information to Transformation: Education for the
Evolution of Consciousness (Peter Lang, 2001) and The Secret Spiritual World of Children (Inner Ocean, 2003).Journal
of Transformative Education / January 2004