What does it mean to bring a contemplative approach to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning? That's the subject of an upcoming webinar from the Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education. ...continue reading "SoTL Webinar"
Category: Transformative Banquet
Conversation #67: Laura Biagi on Performance and Contemplation
Download Conversation #67
A conversation between Laura Biagi of DePaul University and Ross Louis of Xavier University of Louisiana on contemplative technology and performance.
Links for this episode:
...continue reading "Conversation #67: Laura Biagi on Performance and Contemplation"
A Little Peace and Quiet in the Middle of the Week
The Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development invites you to join us for a regular group meditation. We'll meet each Wednesday afternoon throughout the 2017-2018 academic year. Drop in when you can.
What to expect?
As the meditation room is located directly beneath the bell tower, we are using the bells in our meditation. They chime quarterly, so our period of silence begins at 12:30 and ends at 12:45.
But I've never done this before!
You needn't have any experience with meditating; just stop by and give it a try. There's no commitment and no pressure.
Why meditate?
Meditation has numerous well-documented benefits, including stress management, improved emotional balance, increased focus and awareness and increased responsiveness to student needs.
- Date: August 23, 2017 - May 8, 2018 (when classes are in session)
- Time: 12:30 - 12:45 PM
- Location: Meditation Room, St. Katharine Drexel Chapel
- Sponsor: CAT+FD
Photo credit: Bart Everson
XCIT:STEM
We invite you to join the Xavier Contemplative Inquiry Team for the 2017-2018 school year. We meet monthly over the course of the year and provide support for each member’s personal practice, contemplative pedagogy, and related research. This year, we'll be adopting an explicit focus on STEM disciplines to examine some of the exciting scientific research in this area. The team is open to all faculty, staff and students.
Read more on our wiki, then download the call for participation and apply today.
Give Yourself a Break
by Janice Florent
Taking a break is important for your overall health. Even Olympic athletes take a break from their training. Rest days are an important part of their training regimen so they can give their muscles time to recover. Without these rest days they cannot perform at their peak ability.
You deserve a break. Hopefully during our upcoming fall break you will be able to give yourself one.
In a recent blog post, Dr. Karen Nichols described something she discovered while attending a webinar called a “doorway moment.” Taking a deep breath at the doorway to get centered and focused. When we get back to the hustle and bustle of the academic year remember to take your doorway moments and take a deep breath.
Additionally, please join us for group meditation on Mondays at half past noon in the Meditation Room of St. Katharine Drexel Chapel for a “Quarter of Quiet.”
Photo credit: Like a SPA by Juan | CC BY-NC 2.0
A Quarter of Quiet
The Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development invites you to join us for a regular group meditation. We'll meet each Thursday afternoon throughout the summer of 2016. Drop in when you can.
What to expect?
As the meditation room is located directly beneath the bell tower, we are using the bells in our meditation. They chime quarterly, so our period of silence begins at 12:30 and ends at 12:45.
But I've never done this before!
You needn't have any experience with meditating; just stop by and give it a try. There's no commitment and no pressure.
Why meditate?
Meditation has numerous well-documented benefits, including stress management, improved emotional balance, increased focus and awareness and increased responsiveness to student needs.
- Date: June 8-August 4, 2016
- Time: 12:30 - 12:45 PM
- Location: Meditation Room, St. Katharine Drexel Chapel
- Sponsor: CAT+FD
Photo credit: Bart Everson
No registration necessary; just join us when you can.
Reflections on Reflection
A special issue of the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice examines the theme of “Reflection for Learning in Higher Education.”
The journal is online and open access so anyone can read the articles at ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/
In addition to general approaches to the value of reflection in higher education and experiential learning, articles also cover the role of reflection in science, medical education, psychology, and even accounting.
Join the Team
Since 2010, CAT+FD has actively promoted contemplative pedagogy through presentations, workshops, travel grants, meditation sessions, and other diverse means, culminating most recently in the formation of the Xavier Contemplative Inquiry Team. This group, supported in part by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, formed in 2015 and has had ten active participants over the past year.
We invite you to join the Xavier Contemplative Inquiry Team for the 2016-2017 school year. We meet regularly over the course of the year and provide support for each member’s personal practice, contemplative pedagogy, and related research. The team is participant-driven, meaning that the specific agenda and activities of the group are determined by the team members, with guidance from CAT+FD staff. The team is open to faculty, staff and students.
Read more on our wiki, then download the call for participation and apply today.
Balancing Act
by Bart Everson
As you may have noted, CAT+FD's got a new expanded mission that says we'll support faculty work/life balance.
Thus it was with great interest that I attended a panel discussion on just this topic at "Meaningful Living and Learning in a Digital World." I listened attentively as panelists critiqued the current academic culture, which has become a culture of looking busy-busy-busy, of appearing to be more harried than one really is. Often faculty really are busy, it was pointed out, but even during the rare moment of leisure, it is of crucial importance to continue to look and act busy — lest anyone think we aren't pulling our weight.
The deleterious effects of this culture were detailed at some length. It creates an atmosphere of constant stress, distrust, and fear. It is not conducive to thinking deeply, teaching, or transformational learning.
"It's the single most crucial issue facing the academy," one panelist said.
A culture shift is needed, the panelists agreed, and I found myself nodding along with them. But what came next was a shocker.
The culture shift may need to start with staff, including administrators, who have less flexibility than faculty.
Woah! That got my attention. Even though I work closely with faculty from every discipline, even though I identify with faculty on many levels, I'm on staff. What can I do, despite my limited flexibility, to facilitate this needed culture shift?
As it turns out, actually, I am well-positioned to make at least a few modest efforts. After all, I actually work in a unit that includes work/life balance in its mission. For some while now, I've been working to help develop and cultivate personal practices that aim to foster a more contemplative mode of living. See, for example, our Contemplation & Conversation series.
I've got something else up my sleeve as well. I've noted that faculty frequently express a desire for more guidance with time management. Frankly, we could all use some tips and techniques for making the most of our time. So, over the course of this semester, I've been implementing various time management practices in my own life, as a form of experiential research for a workshop on this topic. We plan to offer a workshop on my findings next semester. Stay tuned for details.
So that's what I have in mind. What about you?
Bringing Theory to Practice Is a Team Effort
We are pleased to announce that the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development has been honored with a grant from Bringing Theory to Practice. The grant will support a one-day seminar on "Well-Being & Sustainability at Xavier," which is planned for Saturday, 23 January 2016, 9:30AM-2:30PM in the Mellon Seminar Room (Library 532B). Please mark your calendars.
We didn't do it alone! This grant proposal was a team effort in collaboration with diverse campus constituencies, including the Mellon Faculty Community of Teaching Scholars Fellows, the Xavier Contemplative Inquiry Team, Academic Affairs, Student Services, the Department of Public Health Sciences, the Counseling & Wellness Center, and Campus Ministry.
For more information, please see our wiki.