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‘Contemplative Pedagogy’

CFT continues the Contemplative Pedagogy Working Group

May. 9, 2012—The CFT would like to thank Julie Sandine (Law School) and Linda Manning (Center for Integrative Health) for guiding the Contemplative Pedagogy Working Group since last summer. They have asked the CFT to guide the group beginning this summer with Nancy Chick assuming the role as coordinator for the group. Nancy is eager to hear...

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Contemplative Pedagogy

Apr. 5, 2012—In one way, contemplative pedagogy may be seen as something new and separate from other pedagogical innovations, but in another way it may also be seen as reflective if not summative of several more familiar strains of interest, attention, and improvement in college teaching.” ~ James Rhem, The National Teaching & Learning Forum (March 2012)...

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Belmont University’s January Teaching Center Symposium

Dec. 30, 2010—Our colleagues down the street at Belmont University are hosting their 5th Annual January Teaching Center Symposium on Monday, January 10th, just before classes start for Vanderbilt. The theme of the event is “Creativity and Invention in Teaching.” The Belmont Teaching Center director, Merrie King, has extended an invitation to interested Vanderbilt faculty and graduate...

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The Value of Silence in Class Discussions

Sep. 27, 2010—Mary M. Reda’s essay, “What’s the Problem with Quiet Students? Anyone? Anyone?” in the Chronicle of Higher Education a couple of weeks ago offers a revealing look at the reasons some students choose not to participate in class discussions. Reda engaged in a yearlong investigation of the quiet students in her composition courses, asking her...

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New CFT Guide on Contemplative Pedagogy

Sep. 6, 2010—As part of the CFT’s ongoing work on contemplative pedagogy, including a Contemplative Pedagogy “working group” open to faculty and graduate students, we’ve developed a new contemplative pedagogy teaching guide. The guide includes a discussion of contemplation’s role in teaching and a variety of contemplative activities for the classroom, including guided meditation, listening, beholding, journaling,...

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Contemplative Pedagogy

Apr. 2, 2010—“Opening the contemplative mind in schools is not a religious issue but a practical epistemic question… Inviting contemplative study simply includes the natural human capacity for knowing through silence, pondering deeply, beholding, witnessing the contents of consciousness and so forth.” ~ Tobin Hart, Opening the Contemplative Mind in the Classroom, Journal of Transformative Education Vol....

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