This contemporary and ancient history traces the continuing presence of the contemplative in education to counter suggestions that contemplative education may be a fleeting trend. Rather, it indicates that contemplative practice, which grounds this approach in education, is an essential aspect of who we are and how we learn.

I see contemplation as an invitation to pause and check in as instructors with the work we’re doing in terms of values alignment in course design and facilitation, in terms of what we’re asking students to do and be, and in terms of the opportunities we’re allowing students to practice contemplative processes, that is, being intentional, self aware, expressing care, and reflecting in order to make meaning from their experiences.

One area in which caring for our well-being and supporting a dynamic learning environment converge is in the use of contemplative practices in our teaching. Contemplative practices offer a space in which instructors and students can be fully present in the learning experience, it values not only the content that is covered but also the human beings that are part of the process.

Contemplation has been described as a “long, loving look at the real,” a characterization that could equally well apply to science. In this paper, I frame a contemplative approach to the teaching and practice of science which draws strongly on the Christian monastic traditions. Students, in particular, struggle with the ever increasing information density in their course work which can cloud their understanding of the relationship of their work to broader contexts. I suggest that the monastic counsels of intentional simplicity, deep listening and constancy can provide a foundation for the design of science courses which help students engage more deeply with their work in the midst of a deluge of information, particularly visual and graphical information. I present four different contemplative practices suited for use in the scientific classroom and research lab: a simple, discreet stilling exercise for focus and attention, a ‘beholding’ approach to exploring visual data and two writing exercises designed for laboratory researchers.

Students may read a text in much the same way they read a situation or another person. Critical reading can be a deeply self-aware and transformative process. However, at the undergraduate level, it can often be a mere analytical performance that reinforces the notion of radical discontinuity between historical eras and among human experiences. Contemplative reading, as a practice of generosity and connection, can generate self-awareness and transformative engagement with an Other, supporting critical reading. Contemplative readings of vilified or ignored subjects paired with students’ direct experiences of their resistance can surface intolerance and encourage meaning-making. In this piece, a traditional assignment of weekly reading responses posted by students to a Learning Management System is revised into a Contemplative Reading assignment. This assignment makes visible the reading process to highlight the skills of generous reading, noticing novelty, recognizing emotional reactivity, owning emotions rather than projecting them, and meaning-making, thereby expanding students’ capacities to engage with the world using critical, creative, and contemplative dispositions.

The contributors to this volume – educators, student affairs practitioners, and higher education staff – heartfully share a broad range of contemplative practices and acts of resistance used within the confines of shattered systems and institutions for themselves, their colleagues, and their students. The narratives in this volume broadly imagine, inspire, recount, and guide readers toward the fullness of their humanity and wholeness within institutions of higher education. At the same time, these accounts navigate the operational realities of daunting demands on the mind, body, and spirit, the growing turbulence of working on higher education campuses across the country, and a sense of urgency toward collective life affirmation within modern higher education institutions. Each chapter features critical framing of a concept, personal stories of this concept in action, and descriptions of contemplative practices for readers to use in their own contexts. Together, chapter authors demonstrate what it means to be a contemplative practitioner attentive to issues of power, racism, and marginalization in higher education today. With a deep breath and mindful awareness, this book invites faculty and staff at colleges and universities on a transformational journey with the contributors toward fullness in pursuit of becoming whole and inspiring change.

Contemplative practices are used in just about every discipline--from physics to economics to history--and are found in every type of institution. Each year more and more faculty, education reformers, and leaders of teaching and learning centers seek out best practices in contemplative teaching, and now can find them here, brought to you by two of the foremost leaders and innovators on the subject. This book presents background information and ideas for the practical application of contemplative practices across the academic curriculum from the physical sciences to the humanities and arts. Examples of contemplative techniques included in the book are mindfulness, meditation, yoga, deep listening, contemplative reading and writing, and pilgrimage, including site visits and field trips.