Network and Curriculum Development, and Resource Sharing
This working group emerged from the merging of two previously separate groups, brought together by their shared interests in network building, curriculum development, and resource sharing (WG: Curriculum Development and Resource Sharing and WG: Further Developing the Network). Within this joint working group we will explore how to build an ongoing and sustainable organization of mutual support for its members. How can we make the best use of online resources? How can we design a website that is both engaging and informative for our community? And how can we continue to meet, both virtually and in person, to promote our shared goals? We will provide practical ideas for contemplative teaching at all levels of our educational system. We will also address various issues concerning research methodologies in contemplative education. We hope to collect and collate the members’ syllabuses, theoretical approaches, contemplative practice methods, research methods and assessment tools, and, in short, all the specific details of how each of us puts our ideas of contemplative education into practice. We will also determine the best ways to make these resources accessible to our members.
Advocacy and Awareness
This is the working group that will address the challenges of integrating contemplative education
into a system that often overlooks its benefits. How can we best represent our work to the general public? To the decision-makers within our schools and political contexts, who will determine whether to accept and support our work? We will also explore how to promote our vision of the importance of contemplative education to a society that is largely unaware of its potential positive impact on all our lives. This group will also work together to help individuals develop specific plans for establishing realistic goals for contemplative teaching in their contexts and achieving them.
Mentorship and Support Systems
We will discuss how we can mutually support one another in our specific work in contemplative
education. We will discuss establishing a system of mentorship to guide individual members as they face and meet the challenges of incorporating a contemplative educational perspective and practice into their teaching. We will ask members who have specific skills in K-12 and Post-Secondary education, as well as in contemplative practice, to provide either seminars or one-on-one support for the important work each of us is doing in our respective contexts.
