The past year has renewed higher education’s urgency to address historical racial violence. Yet the outpouring of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts we have seen over the course of the past year have often neglected the demands of people of color to oppose racism not only intellectually or semantically, but to address historical racialized …
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Don’t Look Down: How to Build Bridges with Unlikely Allies
Over 85% of the world subscribes to a faith. Over half of the schools worldwide are run by faith institutions. Collectively, faiths are the 3rd largest category of financial investors. And yet, for the most part, they are often not recognized as a stakeholder group by mainstream environmental and climate movements, let alone as a …
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Keynote and Q&A: “Educating the Hearts and Minds of Children in School: Emerging Research, New Discoveries, and Current Challenges in Contemplative Approaches in Education “
There is a growing consensus among psychologists, educators, and the public at large that a more comprehensive vision of education is needed—one that includes an explicit focus on “educating the heart” and intentionally cultivates children’s social and emotional competencies and positive human qualities, including self-regulation, self-awareness, empathy, and compassion. This explicit and intentional focus on integrating educating the heart with educating the mind …
Evolution of the Heart
On July 6, Mind & Life will honor the Dalai Lama’s birthday with the release of “Evolution of the Heart.” The 36-minute film chronicles conversations between the Dalai Lama, evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson, and social scientist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela.
Mind & Life Honors Robert W. Roeser with Annual Service Award
“We have to understand the families of knowledge that we can bring to bear on today’s complex challenges,” says Mind & Life Steering Council member Robert W. Roeser, who has served as co-creator, facilitator, and presenter at numerous Mind & Life events, and as a key advisor on initiatives such as the Education of the …
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From Teacher Burnout to Teacher-led Reform
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re pleased to profile Mind & Life grantee and Fellow Tish Jennings, a pioneer in mindfulness and education and social-emotional learning whose research over two decades has fostered greater teacher well-being and more compassionate classrooms. America faces a growing teacher shortage, made only worse by the pandemic. According to …
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From Argentina to South Africa: Contemplative Scientists Find Connection and a Home
With roots in North America and western Europe, the field of contemplative science is now expanding around the globe. Despite this growth, not all researchers have access to the same knowledge, resources, and networks. And for those advancing new areas of inquiry, the experience can be an isolating, if not lonely, one. Researchers pioneering new …
The role of the contemplative ecological education system in the development of social-emotional competencies during early childhood
In today’s world problems of low attention span, impulsivity and hyperactivity are affecting 2-7 % of children, with India reporting a higher than global estimates at 11%. Disturbances in regulating attention is believed to have a detrimental effect SEL competencies. Traditionally, the educational setups of ancient India were located in natural surroundings. Contemplative practices, and …
Assessing the Implementation of Integrated Mindfulness Programs in Schools: Case Study Evaluation of the Mindfulness Director Initiative
The Mindfulness Director Initiative, founded in 2019, is placing Mindfulness Directors in five schools across the US in Fall 2020, providing an ideal research opportunity to evaluate the implementation process of school-wide mindfulness programming delivered by a resident Mindfulness Director. The five participating schools include two middle schools, two high schools and a university community, …
A Whole Trait Theory Account of Mindfulness in Adolescence
Parallel streams of research show that adolescents’ social ecologies and contemplative practices both play roles in the development of trait mindfulness, but these lines of inquiry rarely intersect or enrich one another. This project draws from whole trait theory to propose and test a framework that bridges these two streams by offering a broad account …
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