Applying contemplative practices to the educational design of mathematics content: Report from a pioneering workshop
The Journal of Contemplative Inquiry
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
Nov 30, 2017
Pages:
107 - 119
Sources ID:
83221
Collection:
Contemplative Pedagogy in Higher Education
Visibility:
Public (group default)
Abstract:
(Show)
Researchers in the field of mathematics education are beginning to appreciatethe potential of contemplative practices such as mindfulness to alleviate students’
stress and increase their focus. What researchers do not yet know is whether,
and if so how, bringing focused attention to somatic experience through a wide
variety of contemplative–somatic practices (i.e., yoga, Feldenkrais, body–mind
centering, and attending to bodily sensations in meditation) may support student
learning of specific mathematical content. As a first step toward conceptualizing
and ideating the pedagogical design and facilitation of content-oriented
contemplative exercises, we convened a workshop to explore these ideas. Here
we report on findings from this pioneering workshop, which brought together
international scholars and practitioners interested in the relations between
contemplative–somatic practice and mathematical reasoning and learning. This
report elaborates on participants’ experiences and derived pedagogical insights
to offer the field new horizons in the development of the theory and practice of
contemplative mathematics.