In recent years it has become common to (re)focus on the mind as an object of interest in educational discourse and practice. Fairly unconceivable some decades ago, contemporary educational theorists claim a ‘contemplative turn in education’ and turn their attention to an inner curriculum of the mind that needs to be addressed by educational thinking. Wellbeing is brought into the discussion alongside performance as a school quality characteristic and educational practitioners set up mindfulness-based interventions in school as a curriculum for social-emotional learning and a means to reduce stress and anxiety in class.
In this course we will engage in this discourse by covering different approaches to the brain-mind (philosophical and scientific perspectives) and how they relate to educational thinking. Moreover, we will examine the implementation of so-called mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) or contemplative practices in student and teacher education and also try them out. Finally, we will discuss the critical objections to the idea of wellbeing, social-emotional learning and contemplative practices in the educational realm.
Interest in exploring mindfulness interventions and philosophical and scientific approaches to the mind is expected.