Meditation and holistic contemplative pedagogy: An exploration of the relationship of five teachers' meditation practices to the pedagogical process.

摘要

This qualitative study examines how five teachers' meditation practices have an impact on their pedagogy. The teachers' spiritual practice of mindfulness meditation shapes their understanding of themselves and their students, generating a holistic contemplative pedagogy. While there has been a growing body of literature on meditation, contemplation and holistic education, this research brings these fields into a more in-depth, detailed conversation.;Teachers gain knowledge from their lived experience in the profession, which works to benefit their mindfulness practice. The study reveals that the experiential practice of mindfulness meditation can help teachers access their thoughts and feelings better, and create a more benevolent engagement with students. Meditation helps the teachers transcend and recast negative emotions. Through mindfulness, they become more loving and respectful of both themselves and their students, all while providing them a safer space in which to thrive.;The practice of meditation, then, mirrors the practice of teaching. Mindfulness meditation helps shape a holistic contemplative pedagogy, which enhances teachers' understandings of their profession and the lives of students in a contemporary moment of change. The dissertation, therefore, contributes to a wider field of inquiry into the benefits of mindfulness meditation, not only in education, but also in the human sciences more broadly.