Mindfulness as Practice: Shifts in Teacher Awareness and Identity
Date
2019-08-21
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
ABSTRACT
This narrative inquiry explores stories of a principal and two teachers in a rural setting who have had diverse experiences with the contemplative practice of mindfulness. The three participants – Russell, a beginning teacher, Willa, a wellness coordinator, and Patti, a principal – gathered with the researcher to convey their individual and collective experiences. My research wonder primarily focused on the following questions: How does the experience of mindfulness practice shift teacher identity and awareness, and time educators spend with children and youth? As educators, how can the practice of mindfulness expand our experience of listening, loving kindness, and compassion within educational spaces?
Narrative accounts of the research participants were collected during individual and group semi-structured interviews ranging from thirty minutes to one hour. The narrative accounts were inquired into through the dimensions of temporality, sociality, and place (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). The participants’ stories offer insight into the possibility that mindfulness practice impacts teacher identity and awareness, and how these guided their presence in their educational community.
Description
Keywords
Key words: mindfulness, narrative inquiry, contemplative education, mindful pedagogy, compassionate community
Citation
Degree
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Department
Educational Foundations
Program
Educational Foundations