The grant will help build a strong, sustainable faculty learning community related to contemplative pedagogy at Elon.
Funded by the 1440 Foundation and awarded through the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, their project was one of six programs funded at colleges and universities nationwide.
Programs to be developed by the six grant recipients focus on course development but seek to help students develop skills that will serve them beyond the classroom.
“Colleges and universities must create supportive environments for our students to inquire and challenge themselves about the meaning of their lives and the lives of others,” said Daniel Barbezat, executive director of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and a professor of economics at Amherst College. “Contemplative and introspective practices can be integrated into all aspects of education, creating opportunities for students to reflect on how the material they study in their courses relates to their developing sense of purpose and their personal values. Teaching and Learning Centers are wonderful partners for fostering this kind of curricular innovation.”
The grant will help build a strong, sustainable faculty learning community related to contemplative pedagogy at Elon. On campus, the faculty learning community will focus its attention not only on classroom practice, but also on assessment of student learning and development resulting from those practices.
Grant funds will also be used to support travel by members to the “Creating a Mindful Campus” retreat at the University of North Carolina–Asheville and the 2013 Summer Session on Contemplative Pedagogy or ACMHE Conference.
Founded in 1997, the nonprofit Center for Contemplative Mind in Society is based in Northampton, Mass. It supports and encourages the use of contemplative and introspective practices and perspectives in higher education to enrich research methodology and pedagogy in service of a more just and compassionate society.