LUKE-ELIZABETH GARTLEY
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Mindfulness in education

I was first introduced to mindfulness in education by the book Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness by Deborah Schoeberlein. One of the requirements for my practicum experience is to identify and research an area for professional growth, so with my interest in mindfulness already piqued, I decided to look further into the cultivation of mindfulness.

Next, I read Mindfulness in Plain English, a classic book on insight or vipassana meditation by Bhante Gunaratana.  Insight meditation is a traditional practice of cultivating mindfulness. Insight meditation stems from the Theravada school of Buddhism and is the oldest meditation technique in the Buddhist faith. Ven. Gunaratana explains that, “Vipassana is a direct and gradual cultivation of mindfulness or awareness” and that vipassana is “an ancient and codified system of training your mind, a set of exercises dedicated to the purpose of becoming more and more aware of your own life experience” (p. 25).  Ven. Gunaratana provides a clear context for vipassana meditation and breaks down the practice into easy to follow steps, and takes time to thoroughly address potential challenges. In concluding the book, he reminds the reader that meditation is practice, much like a baseball player's batting practice or a pianist's scales. Vipassana, or insight, meditation is the practice that cultivates mindfulness in everyday life. 
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Inspired by Gunaratana's and Schoeberlein's books, last December I participated in a Beginner's Workshop at Cambridge Insight Meditation Center. During this day-long insight meditation workshop, Michael Liebenson Grady and Sara Schedler introduced a series of meditation techniques included guided sitting meditations, walking meditation, concentrating on breath, touch points, or sound. The workshop also included background information about insight meditation, question and answer sessions, and a mindful speaking and listening exercise. The workshop provided practical insights and experience with vipassana meditation with the guidance of experienced teachers.

Practice

The Way of Awareness: An Introduction to Vipassana Meditation, Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
Michael Liebenson Grady & Sara Schedler 
Nine-week course and practice group with a gradual and systematic introduction to the practice of insight meditation and to the teachings of the Buddha that inform that practice. Each meeting includes instruction, practice and discussion.

Mindfulness: Foundation for Teaching and Learning, Cambridge, MA (March 2013)
Sixth Annual Mindfulness in Education Network Conference
Symposium for Educators, Counselors, and Administrators:
  • Lisa Flook, PhD, Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Oliver W. Hill, Jr., PhD, Professor of Experimental Psychology at Virginia State University
  • Sam Himelstein, PhD, Executive Director of the Mind Body Awareness Project
Break-out sessions attended:
  • Integrating personal practice and work
  • Teaching and enhancing empathy

Beginner’s Workshop, Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
Michael Liebenson Grady & Sara Schedler
(Dec. 8, 2012)

Readings

  • Brady, R. (2007). Learning to Stop, Stopping to Learn: Discovering the Contemplative Dimension in Education. Journal of Transformative Education, 5(4), 372-394. 
  • Brown, R. C. (1998). The teacher as contemplative observer. Educational Leadership, 56(4), 70.
  • Doobinin, P. (2008, Fall). Tough Lovingkindness. Tricycle, 74-77.
  • Gunaratana, H. (2011). Mindfulness in plain English. Somerville: Wisdom Publications. 
  • Harris, C. (2011). Breathe Easy. School Library Journal, 57(8), 10. 
  • Hart, T. (2004). Opening the Contemplative Mind in the Classroom. Journal of Transformative Education, 2(1), 28-46. 
  • Hooker, K. E., Psy.D., & Fodor, I. E., Ph.D. (2008). Teaching Mindfulness to Children. Gestalt Review, 12(1), 75-91.
  • Kabat-Zinn, M., & Kabat-Zinn, J. (1997). Mindfulness in the classroom - Getting to know yourself in school. In Everyday blessings: The inner work of mindful parenting. New York: Hyperion. 
  • Levasseur, A. (2012, April 4). Why We Need to Teach Mindfulness in a Digital Age. MediaShift. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  • MacDonald, E., & Shirley, D. (2009). The mindful teacher. New York: Teachers College Press.
  • Nhá̂t Hạnh, T. (1999). The miracle of mindfulness: An introduction to the practice of meditation. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
  • Nhá̂t Hạnh, T. (2011). Planting seeds: Practicing mindfulness with children. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press.
  • Pandita, S. (2001). In this very life: The liberation teachings of the Buddha. Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications.
  • Salzberg, S., & Goldstein, J. (2001). Insight meditation: A step-by-step course on how to meditate. Boulder, CO: Sounds True. 
  • Schoeberlein, D. R., & Sheth, S. (2009). Mindful teaching & teaching mindfulness: A guide for anyone who teaches anything. Somerville MA: Wisdom Publications. 
  • Sprenger, M. (2009). Focusing the Digital Brain. Educational Leadership, 67(1), 34-39. 

Siddhartha
Buddhist Scriptures
The Dhammapada
Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Awakening Loving-Kindness
Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki
Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha
Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas
The Dhammapada: Teachings of the Buddha
The Dalai Lama: with a Foreword by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography
Buddha
Buddha Stories
Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents
Zen Shorts
Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness: A Guide for Anyone Who Teaches Anything
The Dhammapada
Mindfulness in Plain English
Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu
Buddha Volume 2: The Four Encounters
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