This past
summer, The Center for
Contemplative Mind in Society's (www.contemplativemind.org)
second annual faculty curriculum workshop brought together 30 professors
from various sites and disciplines to develop contemplative curricula
and courses for higher education. This presentation will share insights
and presentations from the summer workshop, as well as the needs for and
purposes and possibilities of mindfulness within teaching and teacher
education. The presentation will include a short conceptual overview,
an introduction to several contemplative practices, and a focused
discussion about mindful pedagogy, affective or social neuroscience, and
emerging research on mirror neurons and autism.
David
Lee Keiser, Ph.D.
is an Associate Professor in the
College of Education and Human Services, and the Director of the Agenda
for Education in a Democracy. A previous teacher and site professor at
Montclair High School, he is now developing a course on Mindful
Teaching, and will teach a General Education Core Course: The
Architectures of Space, Place, and School in Spring 2007. He
is the co-editor, with Nicholas Michelli, of
Teacher Education for Democracy and Social Justice (Routledge,
2005).
The Philosophy for Children Colloquium Series
includes invited presentations from notable academics on issues related to education, philosophy and
Philosophy for Children. The Series also provides graduate students
and faculty an opportunity to present work-in-progress.
