Contemplative practices that build connection and awareness guide faculty and students to reflect upon their experiences. Being intentional in recognizing choices offers a perspective for understanding conflicting desires within oneself and communities. Learn how to build resilience through exercises designed to view mistakes as part of the learning process.

Identify teaching goals that promote sustainable learning Use contemplative practices to explore ways to sustain the learning process

Starting with teaching goals faculty have to promote learning in their classes, this presentation connects those goals to contemplative practices designed to do the same for students. The theory behind the practices is grounded in social and emotional learning. Daniel Goleman’s book on emotional intelligence begins with Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and its insight into the need to question and explore deep desires. Similarly, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) and others teaching meditation start with the goal of becoming comfortable with discomfort by managing expectations of oneself and others. Contemporary contemplative inquiry includes a wide range of practices, some generative and creative, others considering movement and stillness, and still more involving rituals, representations, and activism.